Looked at a for sale home that has been on the market for a long while. After gaining access I can see why. One reason is the two separate garage doors in the attached double garage. The steps inside the garage leading into the house had to be rebuilt per local building code. The result is that the steps extend so far into the second bay as to render it useless for a second vehicle.
One solution is to turn the two garage doors into a single by keeping the far edge of the framed opening furthest from the entry door and create an unobstructed opening to install a double door. This would involve removal of both doors; removal of the center section; temporary bracing; removal of the two beams and replacement with a single (and probably deeper)beam; etc. etc. etc. NOTE: There is a bonus room above the garage.
Question 1: How difficult is this type of renovation?
Question 2: Is this a common project?
Question 3: How expensive would it be to hire a good contractor to perform this work?
thanks in advance for any and all responses.........
gaining access I can see why. One reason is the two separate garage doors in the attached double garage. The steps inside the garage leading into the house had to be rebuilt per local building code. The result is that the steps extend so far into the second bay as to render it useless for a second vehicle.
edge of the framed opening furthest from the entry door and create an unobstructed opening to install a double door. This would involve removal of both doors; removal of the center section; temporary bracing; removal of the two beams and replacement with a single (and probably deeper)beam; etc. etc. etc. NOTE: There is a bonus room above the garage.
It's not easy even in the best of circumstances, though a good carpenter can handle it. What kind of siding is on the building...I assume you will have to patch in a section. how hard will it be to get new matching siding? Is the garage sheetrocked? Also depends on how it is framed, what kind of sheathing there is, etc. Will you need a deeper header? If so, is there room for one? The garage doors and associated hardware will have to be removed and a new one installed. What about the foundation? Is this just a simple slab? Usually the slab is beveled by the doors so cars can easily drive in. You'll have to either live with a funky spot or hire a concrete cutting company to fix it. Is there wiring that will have to be moved? How fussy are you...are you lookin to just getter done, or is this the queen's jewelry box? These all influence the cost of the job.
No. I've moved windows, removed and patched doors, never made two garage doors into one. It's not rocket science though.
No way of knowing without looking at it and knowing what contractors are charging in your area. If it were me, I'd find a contractor I trust and pay him by the hour. On a job like this with a lot of unknowns, there is no fair way to bid it. Most guys would bid it good and high to cover their tails. You just don't know--two guys might be able to do it in a day or two, or it might be most of a week.
gaining access I can see why. One reason is the two separate garage doors in the attached double garage. The steps inside the garage leading into the house had to be rebuilt per local building code. The result is that the steps extend so far into the second bay as to render it useless for a second vehicle.
edge of the framed opening furthest from the entry door and create an unobstructed opening to install a double door. This would involve removal of both doors; removal of the center section; temporary bracing; removal of the two beams and replacement with a single (and probably deeper)beam; etc. etc. etc. NOTE: There is a bonus room above the garage.
Moderately difficult. Depends on many factors which we don't know... (such as load bearing wall or not, what is above the garage, type of construction, etc.)
Common? Hard to say, but not unheard of, that is to expand a door opening. (The fact that some of the expansion room is the second door is immaterial...)
Depends on where you are, what 'good' contractors charge, and your definition of 'good contractor'... Won't be cheap, but probably feasible.
After gaining access I can see why. One reason is the two separate garage doors in the attached double garage. The steps inside the garage leading into the house had to be rebuilt per local building code. The result is that the steps extend so far into the second bay as to render it useless for a second vehicle.
edge of the framed opening furthest from the entry door and create an unobstructed opening to install a double door. This would involve removal of both doors; removal of the center section; temporary bracing; removal of the two beams and replacement with a single (and probably deeper)beam; etc. etc. etc. NOTE: There is a bonus room above the garage.
If it is attached, it must be sheetrocked, or otherwise fireproofed. Even if this wasn't the case for the original construction, you can be sure that this type of modifcation would entail bringing the entire garage up to code.
After having two garages with oversize 8x18 doors, I'll never have a garage with single doors. It is very convenient when doing things like rotating the tires on my truck as I can back into the center of the garage and have a lot of room to work on both sides of the truck. Also, when working on 16' pieces of lumber in the garage it is nice to be able to walk in and out easily without bumping into the center divider.
The unobstructed opening is just nice all the way around. And I also now need only one door opener.
as for the single opener, well you can do that on two doors if you're really a cheap skate. I mean after all, they're only a hundred dollars and 2 hours to install.
Guess you missed the OP's original comment that one door was unusable because of an upgrade to some stairs that blocked one side of the bay.
IMHO, a 16' would be adaquate for the OPs needs if he doesn't have large trucks. I do big trucks (four of them) with a pair of 16ft doors, though I have a lot of room inside to park. (It's big enough that my wife can drive her VW in one door and out the other without backing up... )
It would be cheaper to change the steps to the house than changing the two doors to operate as one. I can just imagine the binding involved when the 2 doors aren't aligned just right.
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