Ta-dah! Here's our more-or-less completed garage. It's unpainted, of course, but at least we've got the doors up.
I made these carriage doors myself, and they came out pretty good if I do say so. We didn't plan it that way. We got some quotes on garage doors, but even the cheapest estimate was almost $5000. The city says the doors must be wood, not metal or fiberglas. And we can't do roll-up doors because they'd block the stairs into the "attic." So that meant swing-out carriage doors were our only option. Which is fine, because that's the style we wanted anyway.
I figured heck, for $5000 I can buy all the materials for one-tenth that price and make the doors myself. How hard can it be, right?
Pretty hard, as it turns out, but it's doable. Each door is a combination of 2x4 and 2x6 frame construction on the back side and smooth MDO (medium-density overlay) ply on the front face, with 1x4 and 1x6 trim pieces on top of that. The frame pieces are held together with dowels, wood glue, and huge long bolts. The MDO facing is water-resistant and very smooth for painting, while the trim pieces add a bit of texture and character.
The doors weigh about 100 pounds each and swing on three heavy-duty ball-bearing hinges. Hanging them was a real bear. Kathy and I struggled with shims and braces, wrestling each door into place while trying to hold it steady long enough to screw the hinges in straight. And of course, it was hot that day.
The windows aren't in yet, but I'll cut and mount those from the inside. Then I'll cut diamond-shaped trim pieces to match the stained-glass diamonds on the main house. I'm hoping it'll look nice when it's all done.
You're the man! :)
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