Question:
I have an unusual garage door and need to repair it. Most garage doors
are 7' high, however mine is 8.5' high. Garage door companies want to
sell me a new door, however when I tell them it is an 8.5' high door,
then they get into a "custom built door" and the price doubles or their
stock doesn't have an 8.5' high door. This door has one extra section
than a standard 7' door making it 5 sections high rather than 4 and
there is no other difference on anything else.
My problem is that the door was made with FJ 2x stock and sanded to
1-1/8" thick. The lower section is coming apart where the FJ joints
are. One panel is broken in the corner of this section also and garage
door repair companies want to sell me the new door because they don't
want to handle making a section for this door. Any suggestion?
Answer:
You can tack a piece of wood on the bottom of a metal door to account for
the grade. It shouldn't double the price of a door to add one additional
section. That's lunacy. They mass produce these door sections, so it's not
like they're breaking up a set. I've installed garage door openers on 12
foot residential metal doors, so I know it's possible. Check with Overhead
Door, in Dallas. They do this stuff every day.
And if you can find a door company that don't claim that an 8.5 foot
door is not custom made that would be nice too. Most door companies
don't even carry a door that will cover the 8.5' opening. Most I've
found is 8'. What I have is a standard 7' door with an additional
center section, making the door 8.5 feet high. Doors are manufactured
in 4 sections and by asking that you want another section made, doubles
the price. I paid $600 for this door almost 20 years ago. Today a
metal door will cost me close to $1800 because of the size and R-rating
needed to meet the same standards as the wood door. Plus, a metal door
will leave a 2" gap on one side because the garage floor was graded away
from the house and the metal doors are built for a level garage floor
from side to side. This will allow varments in.
