What Bespoke Garage Doors are Available? (Update)
Many garage door companies manufacture bespoke sized garage doors, but only a few offer a totally bespoke service for design , mechanism, and additional unique features... When people talk about bespoke, purpose made, or made to order, this is usually a reference to sizing, especially in the world of garage doors, but it is also possible to have a totally bespoke garage door made entirely to your design with a mixture of materials, and in almost any colour; even the mechanism for operating the garage door can be bespoke as long as it is within tested parameters and complies with safety regulations, especially if it is remote control electric operated.
Timber
In regards to visual designs, it is possible to create almost any design using timber as a basic material. Over the years many timber panels have been produced by various joinery companies to then have the operating gear purchased separately, and in most cases this is a belt and braces retractable lifting gear to assist the door panel up and down with the components fitting directly to the timber panel. This method is fine if the door panel is not too big or heavy and also remains stable in varying climates throughout the year in the UK, but is not ideal. The better method is to invest in a Hormann 2011 'open for infill' door which offers a pre-finished door chassis, gear locking and sub fixing frame all in one, with the only item missing being the timber infill for the door design. The latest Hormann offering is the NT500 system replacing the DF98 mechanism, providing the perfect platform for construction of a bespoke garage door whilst still having all the safety and stability of a tested framework and mechanism already sorted.
This range of doors can be purchased up to 5000mm wide and offers everything required for adding the timber in whatever design you wish; the only restriction is operating within the weight limits for the mechanism, so a little caution is required with heavy timber species like oak. These doors can have a wide variety of electric operators fitted if required, and if the weight is a problem then there is also the option of the ET500 'open for infill' door. This is a very heavy duty door chassis as its origins are for underground car parks with heavy and frequent operation. It offers the same principal of a chassis with an open canvas for infilling to your own designs, but with far higher weight limits and a very unique and smooth up and over action.
Steel & GRP
To get one piece up and over doors in a bespoke design in steel or GRP is not really an option even though you can have various designer elements added to certain standard panel designs in various colours this is not providing a totally unique design as the design elements are limited as well as the colours from the factories.
Sectional garage doors are fast becoming the ultimate garage door, offering fantastic levels of weather sealing and insulating properties, as well as the mechanism which means the door panels never swing outwards during operation.
Sectional garage doors are available in far larger sizes than a normal up and over because the door they are split into sections, spreading the load and stresses during operation over several wheels and tracking.
Design Possibilities
The sectional garage door can be made into almost any design in timber, with Hormann and Carteck offering a design service when a design is submitted for approval to the factory. The door will be specified and an image produced for approval. In steel, the design choices will be a little more limited, however there are companies like Breda, in Italy, who will produce sectional doors in other materials such as fabric, stone and glass. However, these doors generally have a basic chassis design like so many other doors so there is a stable, tested and approved system operating underneath the facade. Hormann produce a sectional door designed to have extra material on the front face, offering the chance to blend in a sectional door to its surroundings with some clever cladding.
Glazed Sectionals
There is also a bigger demand for fully glazed sectional garage doors, either in clear or smoked glazing options and with single, double or even triple glazed panels. The ALRF42 Vitraplan is a good example of a door designed for commercial use which is now in demand for domestic use where a 'glass garage door' is a requirement.
Tracking Options
A sectional door can also have various tracking options internally to allow a door to open horizontally, but also every angle through to straight up the internal wall with vertical tracking. This does allow a sectional door to overcome many obstacles and also get the door high up and out of the way in larger garages, and perhaps with a vaulted ceiling.
Roller garage doors cannot really offer much more than various sized horizontal slats, and are mainly purchased for their mechanism and neat, tidy offering. The roller door cannot be anything except horizontal lines in its design, but does have the ability to be in almost any colour required. A bespoke offering could be considered using the Hormann spiral door, essentially a high speed insulated door with great insulation, super fast operation and security. This would be the ultimate roller garage door for anyone with deep pockets.
Timber
Timber Side Hinged garage doors are like up and overs doors in that they are usually two panels hinged on the outside. Being a one piece and solid panel design, the side hinged doors can have almost any design when made from timber, and can be enhanced with a wide range of furniture options, meaning you could could equip the door with various bespoke components. As well as allowing unusual shapes (such as arched tops), you can also specify a wide range of timber species as the weight issue is not be such a problem as they swing outwards, or inwards - it is only the hinges and the sub-frame that may need worrying about.
Steel
If you're looking for side hinged doors with a eye-catching design, Ryterna offer wonderfully unique designs. These are in the form of stainless steel embellishments, with a variety of designs available, as well as the option to create your very own bespoke pattern!
Timber Round the corner garage doors can again be made into many design variations when using the side sectional door. Each panel sliding around the corner is an individual panel usually about 350 - 450mm wide, manufactured from timber and has the ability to be almost any design based on a predetermined specification produced by the factory from a customer drawing. The nature of a sliding round the corner door means the panels can spread their weight evenly along the tracking so weight isn't an issue. Rundum Meir produce the best side sectional doors in timber.
Steel
If you require a round the corner door with high levels of insultation, the Hormann HST is certainly the best option. The HST is essentially a round the corner version of Hormann's classic sectional doors, offering the ultimate brand quality and durability. The tried and tested panels are available in a wide range of styles, with an excellent choice of colours.
The Securlap and the original Silvelox door still some under the up and over principal, but, with a great difference in mechanism and operation. The Securlap is always manufactured in two solid sections, and the fairly unique lifting mechanism means no internal tracking is required at all, unlike every other type of heavy garage door using normal up and over gear.
The original Silvelox is based on the same construction methods, but is a one piece up and over using a cantilever weight principal and all the doors are manufactured from timber, albeit a very high quality engineered timber section construction.
The main reasons for bespoke garage doors tends to be either compliance with a design requirement in the local vicinity because of planning issues, or to create a truly personal door design for a modern house build. Our expert knowledge in the industry, in addition to the forever evolution of technologies, allows us to create unique, modern and bespoke solutions for all kinds of different applications.
Give us a try! No matter how bespoke your requirements may be, give us a call on 01933 229135.
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