How difficult is it to install a “roll – up” type overhead door? I am asking about the type that rolls up into a box above the door. No auto opener.
The door is 10′ W x 8′ H for a shop we built on our property.
Quotes for a turnkey deal are in the $1,000.00 range, but I can buy the door for $325.00.
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Replies
That kind of a question reminds me of the time a person called me to have their door replaced and then once I have him the price he asked if it was hard. I told them that it is not hard for me but I have done hundreds. Too often the person who does not know how runs into problems and then calls the company to come and fix their mistakes. When that happens the price goes up.
reminds me of the time a person called me to have their door replaced and then once I have him the price he asked if it was hard. I told them that it is not hard for me but I have done hundreds. Too often the person who does not know how runs into problems and then calls the company to come and fix their mistakes.
Are you a rollup door contractor? Are you thinking I will fail and end up spending more money?
I am not sure I qualify in your comparrision.
Did this DIYer you encountered have 35 hands on years in the home building industry? Was he a fellow BTer and experinced contractor asking for help with the details?
How many times do other BTers ask for help with something they have never done, and becasue of their experience in other reas of the building business succeed with the advise and know how of other BTers?
Are you talking about rolling steel doors? They look like horizontal corrugated barn steel that rolls up into a cylinder or box above the opening.
They are easy depending on the model, I bought overhead door brand, and installed a few hundred of them in storage unit buildings.
If they are small install them your self, if they are over 6' wide then get some friends to help, if they are over 12' hire someone with a piece of equipment to do it. They get ungodly heavy over 12'.
install the door box level above the door, torque the spring, pull the door down and install the tracks. Takes about 25 min. for the first one, after you get your feet wet 15 minutes isn't out of the question.
Good Luck
Thank you Stilletto and others. The first response from gb was discouraging. I have not been around home building for 35 years for nothing. I started as a framer and moved into doing more and more, and am currently a builder. I am trying to move into developer, with a 100 acre project that is slowly taking shape.
I am not a fancy pants builder, and still get down and dirty. I always liked to paly outside when I was a kid, and still do. Put up a roll-up door.....I ain't skered.
Your post is encouraging and the kind of help I would expect form BT Super Friends.
you cannot ask a question around here without atleast one person chirping about hiring a pro. 90% of the posters in here are pros. I don't blame you for being annoyed with that first response.
you cannot ask a question around here without atleast one person chirping about hiring a pro. 90% of the posters in here are pros. I don't blame you for being annoyed with that first response.
Thanks for understanding. I have some hammers around here that are older that some of my framers, who call me Maestro. 32 OZ Sears Waffle Head Framer that I used prior to the popularity of nail guns.
I do admire Joe Carola (aka framer) and others who use them dang fancy trig calculators.
I am just a DIY'er and those responses torque me off a bit, too. Life comes with a license to learn and a responsibility to teach. Not all people exercise those privleges though.
I asked about ledger attachment when dropping the ledger 6" (the lower half would be against the foundation, the upper half would be against the rim. My first reply was "buy a book". A bit later came the, "decks can be a serious safety hazard".
I much prefer the posters that offer similar experiences than provide caveats to "them other guys"
Heck, the entry page the forum says:
For beginners...Don't be afraid to ask questions. Our forum is teeming with great minds waiting to be tapped.Let us know how it went. We'll toast your hits and troubleshoot your misses.And...Remember us when you make it to the big leagues. When you're all out of questions, come back ready with answers.For veterans...Show new folks the ropes. The larger the community, the richer the discussion.Share your new ideas -- even if they're just hunches. Your hunch could fuel the next great home-building discovery.And...Be open to new ideas from others. "The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas." -Dr. Linus PaulingFor one and all...Introduce yourself. We love meeting new folks.Post in the appropriate folders. Housekeeping is not our strong suit.And...Read the House Rules. Courtesy, respect, and common sense are the keys to happiness.
(To which Jeff Buck replied: Don't believe everything you read.)
Good luck with your door and don't let the bastids getcha down.
http://jhausch.blogspot.comAdventures in Home BuildingAn online journal covering the preparation and construction of our new home.
the fact that DIYers like you and me make it into a forum like this puts us 10 steps ahead of Harry Home-owner...and by default should preclude the patronization. Sure, we are willing to hear the look out fors and don't do's. I enough skill to evaluate what I should and should not be doing. I am sure you do too. It would be nice if people left the digs at the door....but it sure wouldn't be the trades without a serious does of ego and a little insecurity.
I think we may have scared the guy off . . .
It sounds like he has experience and that we might benefit from his input. I hope he does elect to return; and, at some time in the future, offer some valuable advice in the spirit of this forum.
I re-read his post and (due to the fact that the typed word can lack tone and context) it is possible that he just wanted to really share a "reminds of the time" story. If he would have followed that with advice or tips on roll up doors, we sure would have viewed that post differently.
On a somewhat related note: There have been times when I see a post here that I want to reply to to try and help someone, but the question is so big or explanation so long that I just don't do it. Maybe the guy's just a slow typer and did not want to type out the 20 tips for installing roll up doors that he has written on his toolbox lid ;-)
http://jhausch.blogspot.comAdventures in Home BuildingAn online journal covering the preparation and construction of our new home.
I did both of mine. they are easy if you know what youre doing, mine was hell. I gladly pay somebody next time. It be easy if you have a forklift to hold up there. But what if you dont, friends, you have no friends when you need them, only when they need youInstalling roll up door is a beech
I've got a skid loader, tractor with front end loader and a super who is a fine carpenter and lifts weights. He is a friend, but as my employee if I say hold the door.......he holds the door. I also have a great friend who rents a house from me, and use to work for me as a carpenter. He is close by, 7'2" tall and can lift a Volkswagon.
I'm gonna try it. Will post results, probably in a couple of weeks. My super is in Nevada on vacation..... snowboarding. He is due back on the 5th, but the door will be a "C" priority item.
well, I did mine, no fork lift, by myself, no friend. it was a beech
I do have some help and as you can imagine, I have dealt with some pretty tough beeches before.
I ain't skeert.
Good attitude. I wanted to repsond to gb truthfully, but givng him the benefit of the doubt is fair play. I see no need to keep hammering him.
Maybe he was about to post some tips and his wife walked seducutively by the computer and .........he has "priorities".
Everyone here is much better than the Hvac-talk people who consider anything on a HVAc unit- even changing a circuit breaker as death defying to be done only by a Hvac "pro"
that sounds awfully high for a new door install. around here about 75-125 will get them installed in a prepped opening. to do it yourself open the box, read instructions, blow a day and save 600.00. it ain't rocket science. just makesure you have the proper headroom, and your side jambs are secure and plumb. larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
always over budget....hmmmmm....do you lose money on every job, but make it up with volume? : - ) I too remember 8 tracks (your profile), and the fact that many times they had to be shimmed with a book of matches to make the tape play
Thanks for the post. Johnny (aka txlandlord) loves BT Super Friends.
Lets build something.
you've heard the story about the guy selling watermelons for a buck? i work on the same system. so lets see how old you really are...... did you ever have a 4 track tape player? i had 1 in 68-69 in my 57 chevy,oh those were the days. larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
they still sell watermelon for a buck here. I wish I had your 57
Yes, I had a four track in a 1962 Mecury Comet, a black 4 door, 3 on the three with a Bugs Bunny sticker on the rear roof pillar. The four track is the one that, on occasion, we had to shim the tape with a book of matches to get it to play the right track.
The Comet is the one that had the "gunsights" on the front top of the front fenders, they were round chrome pieces with crosshairs. We also installed a headphone jack in the dash and bought a "Y" jack to plug in so both front sseat passangers could use headphones.
Considering that my usual riding buddy and I had hair to middle of our back, my female riding buddy and girlfriend was a hippie chick who always wore hightop tennis shoes with her flowered print dresses and no bra, the Bugs Bunny sticker, lots of times we had the headphones on and the car was usually filled with smoke it is a wonder we we never taken to the gray bar hotel.
oh man you are old.lol most guys had a 8 track first never had 4. i had a job where i would sit at a busy corner and sell 8 tracks,like the flower guys. didn't work to hard ,got to listen to a lot of tunes,but didn't exactly make my first millon...... comets,had a 64 calatine,289 built up that i dragged raced. if i saw i nice one of those today i grab it just to play with. larry oh yeah long hair,now theres no hair!
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
Edited 12/30/2006 2:13 pm by alwaysoverbudget
Uh, is that anything like a 64 Catalina with a 389? ;)
Had a 63 Grand Prix w/ 389 4 bbl ;my favorite of all my (many crappy)cars.
Bing
I never did any hot rodding or racing, although one opf my friends had a 1971 GTO factory muscle car. Another of my friends / crusin buddies' parents had a Bonniville landyacht. We took it out on the weekends. The funny thing is that his parents would complain of a funny sort of burnt herb smell in the AC system. Of course, we did not know anything about that when asked.
Stilleto is right. They are pretty easy. My first one took about 35 min. that was; read step one, do step one- read step two do step two...etc. IF I could only learn to read all the directions before I start, I might know where I was heading.
35 minute install. OK, I'll start the clock when we are rolled out.
NC? My wife was born in Highpoint, and we recently visited. NC, like my home state of Tennessee is beautiful, and the college basketball teams are good. The pic in your profile is not a Blue Devil.
Maybe you not a follower of college basketball, but I typically root for the University of Memphis Tigers. If and when they play themselves out of the tourneys I root for NC teams and other "Dirty South" teams, including Texas teams.
A corrugated rollup door ( the style used on the storage rental units popping up all over the place) is very easy to install. The curtain is made up of corrugated sheets that are fairly light. Assemble the spring shaft, bolt the curtain to the shaft assembly. Rollup the curtain / shaft assembly, bolt rolled unit to header. Attach guides to jamb, pull down curtain into guides, install stops to prevent curtain from rolling to high. Install, adjust lock. Done.
A corrugated door @ 10 x 8 would probably run @ $250 - $350 installed per unit for a storage unit quantity (12 or more at a shot). Maybe $500. installed as a single unit job.
A rolling steel door is also simple to install, but will be considerably heavier. Everything from the spring barrel, curtain, and guides will be heavier steel, but installs in a similar fashion. I think these would start @ $1000 installed for a minimum spec. 10 x 8 door.
I would make sure your comparing the same style door before making your decision. Good luck.
The install is one door, in my shop and on my property.
I am encouraged and will post when we have completed the install.