16' door for pole barn?

[fishman]

16\' door for pole barn?

A friend of mine was kind enough to give me a used 7' x 16' garage door in exchange for a little bit of tractor work. I think when it's all said and done, I will have enjoyed the tractor work more than installing the door in my soon-to-be pole barn.

My question is pretty simple. Has anyone installed such a wide door in a pole barn structure? I have Monte Burch's pole barn book and the max opening I see there is 9' for wood framed structures. I plan on a 24 x 32 building (right now, but I probably will change my mind). I'm going to set 6x6 poles, haven't decided on trusses or rafters, and will sheath with metal panels.

So do I just brace the posts real well, install a good header (6"x10"x16'?), and frame up the opening for the door? Or is there something else I need to do? Or worse yet, do I now have a pile of door panels that I have to get rid of?

The good news is that the rops on my 2910 will fit through a 7' opening. Nothing I currently own needs a higher door, and if I do acquire something that does, another pole barn will be required anyway. Just don't have the funds to make a giant barn right now.

I've read all of the pole barn threads here so far and have learned a lot. However, if someone has some input on this project, I am all ears. In particular, I think trusses would be the easiest, but rafters would be more flexible in allowing some loft storage. I think 10' walls would eliminate this advantage, so I'm thinking of 10' walls and trusses. Anything higher would probably be aesthetically unpleasing where I plan to build.

So, any thoughts? Thanks. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Glenn9643]

Re: 16\' door for pole barn?

I have spanned 20' openings using a laminated beam made from two 2x12's with 1/2" plywood sandwiched between with nails and glue.
As far as "do I now have a pile of door panels that I have to get rid of?", I would seriously consider installing 9' high doors in case I ever needed to get something higher in there. In a few years you may be kicking yourself about the 7' height. I had a 7' garage door given to me by a friend a few years ago while building a shop and installed it because that's what I had. Now I can't get my tractor inside. It's not that bad because it's at another property and I corrected that mistake when I built a shop here but it's inconvenient when I trailer my equipment over there for a few day's work.
I recommend trusses and have built my own for three shops in the past twenty or so years. Seems to me they make a stronger building and go up much easier. Good luck with your pole barn.

 

[fishman]

Re: 16\' door for pole barn?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I would seriously consider installing 9' high doors in case I ever needed to get something higher in there. )</font>

Yes, that's what I would like to have, but a 9x10 roll-up is about $500. Compared to free, that's pretty steep. Also, I think the extra-wide door would suit my needs better. I want to store a boat and two tractors in the barn, and I don't want to have to move one to get the other out. If I went with two 9x8 doors, it's even more expensive. I wanted to build a "do-everything" pole barn, about 30x50, but reality set in ($) and I'm going to have to settle for a much smaller one to meet my immediate needs.

I like your idea of a laminated header. I was thinking of just nailing three 2x10's together, but the plywood and glue sounds much stronger.

Did you save much money building your own trusses, or was it a quality issue? The book I have recommends plywood gussets and glue if building your own, but also mentions nailing plates. Any thoughts on that?

I had planned to work on laying out the building this weekend, but we had rain and lots of it. I know I'll miss it come July, but I sure didn't get much done.

 

[texbaylea]

Re: 16\' door for pole barn?

I suggest that you look at screwing and glueing any beam you fabricate. I use a lot of #10 x 3'" square drive screws in building. A good 12v drill-driver will sink them easily. I use Makita 6213. No possible backing out like nails and easier on the shoulder and elbow if you are not used to hammering. I had an 8' x 18' garage door in one house I built and it had a 5" x 18" gluelam beam as a header since it was carrying quite a lot of weight above it.

 

[DannyD]

Re: 16\' door for pole barn?

Fishman,

I just built a pole barn the same size 24x32 and have a 16x7 door. It works fine and since I am out of room to build, dont plan on changing it.

The package I bought from a local store had a laminated header for the door..........and the guys that put the thing together had to cut it down length wise. They used a chain saw and almost wore it out. It is about 16" tall and 8" thick and very heavy. Manufactured trusses are also a great idea, and can be put up quickly.

AS for the posts, 6x6 was what I had and the guys dug the holes with a 12 inch auger on the PHD, filled the bottom with concrete, let it set then backfilled and tamped (very firmly) the dirt back in around the posts. EXTRA bracing was needed as the package did not have it.

you can check out SOME of this on my site at the location in my profile. If you want I can post more detailed photos or send them to your email.

Click on the photos link and then to the next 3 link. One photo there, I will post a photo of the header if you like and anything else that would help

 

[Glenn9643]

Re: 16\' door for pole barn?

I agree that the price is too high for the 9x10. When I built my shop here I built two 5' x 9' hinged doors. Framed them with 2x4's with 1/4" plywood skin and insulated. It's a little more trouble to open but it seals better to keep out the mice and hold in the cool if the AC is on. Also a lot cheaper.
I didn't even price trusses so price wasn't an issue. All of the commercially available trusses I've seen are strong enough I'm sure, but I don't like the flimsy metal plates holding them together. The plywood gussets seem to give a stiffer truss that'll be less likely to collapse if you make a little mistake trying to get it up. The way I've done it is to carefully cut out a pattern truss that is "perfect" and then set up my miter saw on a jig and cut however many identical pieces I need for each member of the truss. If you're going to build 11 trusses there will be that many of each item stacked separately, and it takes a good amount of space to lay out. I like to use 5/8 exterior plywood gussets. When you lay out your pattern truss you'll also need to determine the size/shape of your required fish-plates or gussets. After you determine what's required for one truss you can figure how much plywood you'll need and cut all them alike also. It's a good idea to mark these pieces or stacks so you don't lose track of where they will be used.
If you pour your cement before you start on the trusses that will provide an ideal place for assembly, but be sure to put scraps between the truss members and the new floor so nails won't scar the cement finish. Lay the members out in place and use a good construction adhesive under the gussets. An air nailer will be a lifesaver on this job too. Use the correct nail length for your plywood thickness and 2x4 and use plenty of them.

 

[Ozarker]

Re: 16\' door for pole barn?

Where can I find information on building things like trusses, beams, etc.? I have it in my head that I want to build a shop and I think I would prefer to build things like that on site.

 

[mrcaptainbob]

Re: 16\' door for pole barn?

Wow! You exactly described the process I used for making the trusses for my shop. Except that, since the trusses were exactly 16', I made two plywood tables at work height and located fixtures on that. Dropped in the pieces and nailed the plates in place. Did 18 trusses that way in short order! Cost wise, I think it was around 1/3 or 1/4 of store bought.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Re: 16\' door for pole barn?

You will be fine as long as you use a heavy enough header. We have two 10'h x 16'w doors framed up for our barn. We used 6x6 and 4x6 poles. The header is a 24' 2x12 (It spans and attaches to 4 post) and there is a 16' 2x6 attached to the bottom of the 2x12 to form a L. This adds plenty of strenghth as your trusses should carry the weight of the roof and the door will not put any stress straight down on the beam. Price out 2x10 and 2x12's and see how much difference there is. You can get by fine with a 2x10 but if it doesn't cost that much more go with the 2x12 as it gives you more area for installing the door hardware (and is just a beefier job when you are all done also). Good luck

One last thing, you can look into getting another panel for your door you got for free. If you know the make and model of the door you can get another panel as well as longer side and top tracks. Might save you some from having to buy a whole new door and it doesn't hurt to look into it. Take care.

 

[Glenn9643]

Re: 16\' door for pole barn?

Ozarker,
Sorry I can't help with information sources other than experience. I began driving nails as a summer job 35 years ago and gradually learned a few carpentry skills. I've seen books with basic construction techniques, etc. at bookstores or even at Lowe's.

Fishman,
Robert's probably got it right on the header for your door. As I was writing I forgot we were dealing with a pole barn. You'll have a beam supporting the trusses/roof and his suggestion will save some money and do a good job over the door.