Barn/Shedrow Options

[Bluey]

We are happy with our overhead doors.
Not sure how rollup doors work, have never used those.

Several problems with sliding doors here, they tend to blow off when we have big winds.
They are in need of maintenance regularly to slide somewhat easy.
The bigger ones are never easy to move, take some real pushing sideways to open them.

Now, for someone else, sliders may just be what they prefer, so consider all options before deciding.

Definitely overhead doors is what we have in all barns now, no question they are best for us, here.
We also have where necessary a people door by the bigger overhead doors.

[PeteyPie]

Oh, you beat me to it, Bluey! Well, you can see that I have listened to your posts even if I didn’t catch on to the difference between overhead doors and roll-up doors. I was reading and writing “roll-up doors” but picturing overhead doors.

[Bluey]

Rollup doors would be an interesting alternative, wondering how they would work in a barn?

[PeteyPie]

I wonder if she would need to close them often in her climate. She might tend to leave the doors open most of the time. I’m wondering about that in context of how long it takes to open or close a roll-up, an overhead without an automatic opener, and a sliding door. Oh, and another option: hinged barn doors.

@TheJenners could you just replace one of those doors after a while if you hated it? Or maybe that vendor would give you the option of a different kind of door and just charge you the difference?

[Bluey]

We have very large manual overhead doors and they roll up very easily, a kid can do it.

One important difference is the ergonomics of it, pulling down on a chain standing there, compared with pushing across your chest and walking sideways, with is more of an effort and in a direction that is not easy to make that effort.
I had a chronic inflamed muscle in my back between shoulder blades that went away once we changed the sliding doors to overhead ones.

[TheJenners]

@PeteyPie

use some of the design features and architectural embellishments to create an attractive barn look and avoid that plain metal building look.

Ehhhh yeah, but not on my budget.

@PeteyPie

I wonder if she would need to close them often in her climate. She might tend to leave the doors open most of the time. I’m wondering about that in context of how long it takes to open or close a roll-up, an overhead without an automatic opener, and a sliding door. Oh, and another option: hinged barn doors.

My Barnmaster barn has two sliders on either end that meet in the middle (see photo), and the south side gets closed when it’s windy or wind with rain because rain will blow in. Otherwise no I rarely close the barn. The shedrow I’m planning will open to the east only, so theoretically should block winter south wind and summer west wind. The cheesy attached pic is what I’m picturing, no room for sliders unless I omit a door on one side or maybe do two in the middle instead of three? Not sure. Two in the middle would probably fit hinged doors tho.

[PeteyPie]

Here was my idea with fake (or real if you wanted) shutters/sliding doors. My skills are not good enough to draw details on the faux sliders but you get the idea. I think it would look good to paint the roll-up doors too, but I wanted to keep the image of the horizontal lines and I don’t know how to do that and also make them red. I assume that is pretty much what you were considering, but this would keep the roll-ups and add a cheap architectural detail. The way I have drawn them they would have to be ornamental since they are not actually as wide as the doors.

If you wanted the sliders/shutters to be functional doors, one option would be to have double sliders or hinged bi-fold doors.

[TheJenners]

@PeteyPie so double layer doors? Roll up and slider?

[lenapesadie]

You can probably get him to send the building w out the roll up doors. That being said, I see roll up doors fairly often on barns here. Living in hurricane country, the roll up doors are desirable as they are usually wind rated. One day, when I close in my barn I will probably use a roll up door on the center aisle opening.

[PeteyPie]

To answer your question, there would only be one set of doors. The roll-up doors would remain as is, and the sliders would be non-functioning, purely ornamental. But you have options, and one of those options is yes, to have a double layer of doors.

I have several ideas to solve three problems.

1. Affordability. The shed you posted is very affordable.

2. Doors. My impression is that you don’t object to roll-up doors because of their function. If that is true, you would keep the roll-up doors untouched, except for painting them. If that is not correct and you want a slider or hinged door, you would need to have bifold or bypass doors if buying the 40’ barn with two 10’ openings. There are many nice examples of this on this Google search page:
   https://www.google.com/search?q=carriage+house+bifold+barn+door&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjgwfzs8eLxAhWSx54KHdX2AQIQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=carriage+house+bifold+barn+door&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoICAAQCBAHEB5QoOwCWMeKA2CBjwNoAnAAeACAAViIAYAKkgECMTeYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=cgTvYODAKpKP-wTV7YcQ&bih=900&biw=1440#imgrc=troJdly-61QJJM

3. Aesthetics/Charm. One way to add a barn look is by putting up the faux sliders which really function the way decorative shutters decorate a window. They would be made of relatively inexpensive materials and you could install a metal or wood hangar across the top to complete the image that they are sliding doors.

Keep in mind that you have options with the roll-up doors themselves. You can paint them to look like wood, you can replace them with actual wood (I don’t know how tough these are but it’s an idea), and you could use transparent doors, which I think pair beautifully with the shutters. I’m just not sure how tough those transparent doors are.

Ideas
Wood doors:

Transparent door combined with slider. Obviously, a transparent roll-up would look a bit less sleek but this is an idea. Photo is from https://www.thebarnyardstore.com/blog/detail/?id=496

Here are more images of transparent roll-up doors. I have no idea if they are cost effective or sturdy enough for a barn, but again, it’s an idea:
https://www.google.com/search?q=transparent+roll-up+garage+doors&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjP04qG8uLxAhWCsZ4KHUG3ByAQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=transparent+roll-up+garage+doors&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECAAQHjoCCAA6BQgAELEDOggIABCxAxCDAToECAAQQzoHCAAQsQMQQzoGCAAQCBAeUIvUDVii2g5g8dwOaABwAHgAgAHHAogBsiiSAQg2MC4wLjEuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nsAEAwAEB&sclient=img&ei=pwTvYI_kFYLj-gTB7p6AAg&bih=900&biw=1440

Here is a photo of a simple-to-build wood hanger (I’m talking about the horizontal piece above the sliders) instead of a metal one. You might have constraints with the space above the door openings so this one might be a bit too bulky, but I don’t see why you couldn’t make it thinner. Personally, in this example I would have painted the metal hardware/hangers black:

Edited to fix so. many. typos.

[PeteyPie]

Oh, another solution is to ask the building vendor if you could opt for a single 16’ wide door, if that would work for you. He might object to supplying a wider door but have no problem selling you the building with the wide opening minus the door and you could add your own sliding door.

[clanter]

you think barn quotes are outrageous, get a quote of the doors PeteyPie posted … they are call architectural designs… the first wooden ones…those could be easily $10,000 a piece, the full view glass in the second I have seen versions of about the size posted approach $20,000

As for door widths … you can order to the inch if you wanted… you pay for the nearest larger size that is then cut down to the desired width. Some door styles such as paneled styles are in even two feet only.

Door heights normally are in three inch increments

[PeteyPie]

…or, as I suggested also, you could buy a couple of cans of paint and do a faux wood look.

You know, the first rule in brainstorming is to avoid criticizing ideas and instead, add to the list. To be fair, maybe I am playing the brainstorming game with only one player. The photos I posted were for examples of the actual item – the wood doors, the transparent doors – which as you say may be too expensive. I mentioned that possibility in my post. They may also be inappropriate or too flimsy for horses or general barn use, and I alluded to that possibility. But I also added those photos as visual inspiration, ideas which can be mimicked in whole or in part.

But clanter, your post is pretty disparaging and discouraging and I wish you would have instead provided a few ideas of your own on how TheJenners could obtain a cost efficient and charming outbuilding rather than just shooting my ideas down. It kind of hurts my feelings.

Having said that, I will put myself out there with a few more ideas

• Paint the roll up doors a fun contrast color.
• Forget the faux sliding doors and place large hanging baskets on either side of the doors.
• Install a pair of beautiful trellises flanking the set of doors and start espaliering some kind of fruit tree on it. This is assuming that the building is not a run-in shed where the plant will be a disappearing nuisance.
• Keep an eye out for two large beautiful urns and plant flowers and a topiary in them. Same assumption as above.
• Find some kind of large wall art that appeals to you and decorate the outside of the building. I’m thinking things like wreaths, large weathered old windows, metal or wood sculptures like large stars or silhouetted shapes – whatever appeals to you.

Okay clanter. Your turn.

[TheJenners]

@PeteyPie

Oh, another solution is to ask the building vendor if you could opt for a single 16’ wide door, if that would work for you. He might object to supplying a wider door but have no problem selling you the building with the wide opening minus the door and you could add your own sliding door.

This a good idea. I wonder how wide they can go… I really don’t see myself shutting the barn/shedrow/garage that often because I don’t plan on running power to it (maybe a solar set up?) and wouldn’t want to have them closed in the dark. And while I want it to have a “barn” look, I’ve been keeping resale in mind and know that a garage is worth more than a barn.

[pony_baloney]

A barn where I boarded many years ago had a regular roll up garage door at either end of the barn. They weren’t difficult to raise or lower; I was a bit afraid of it scaring my horse the first time he saw it but he was fine.

If I remember correctly, I don’t think the barn had a normal human-sized entry door anywhere. The garage doors were sometimes left partly open to let a breeze through. I don’t know if you can have decent sized windows in garage doors besides those little horizontal ones. Even though some light will come through, it would be nice to have actual windows too. Not sure a transom window above the doorway wouldn’t be covered when the door is up as well.

[lenapesadie]

If you will have a man door entry, you can have all the roll up doors installed so that the rolls are on the inside of the building. That way you don’t notice the rolls.

[Bluey]

Let the builders know before starting the project, as door placement and concrete work for it will make a difference.
If using overhead or rollup doors, water will hit the door and if not provided in the concrete pad with it’s own little well, a bit of a drop so water runs out, as we have in garages, some of it will seep under the door right into the barn.
Sliders tend to fit outside, water hitting them already falls into the sloping pad out from the barn, not the main foundation, so you can set them any place you want.

[erinmeri]

@TheJenners

would the roll up doors drive me nuts?

We have them in the barn I board at. They aren’t used for entry/exit - building has a Dutch door on one long side and a slider at one end - but are up in Summer, down in Winter. One consideration is if the tracks/doors are overhead, that they aren’t a hazard. We have pool noodles over the tracks that make me feel better about it, but it gave me a lot of anxiety when I first moved my mare in.

[PeteyPie]

I hope you let us know if you decide to build something. I love hearing about barn construction and ideas – probably because I don’t have one.