Walk out basement access. Need bigger door. Ideas requested please

[sportbikerider78]

Hey guys. I have a massive walk out basement but the door isn't big enough to get my seasonal toys through to make the most of the space. I'd like to use it as a rotating unseasonal equipment storage area for snowblowers, gravel driveway grader, atvs, log splitter...ect to help make my garage more of a working space instead of the cluttered storage space it is now. Of course, I will drain all gas before storage.

What do you guys think my options should be here? I can't fit a full 1 car garage roll up door. I think I am shying away from a roll up because this is Syracuse NY and I have to have good air sealing or my basement will turn into a meat locker in the winter.

French door without a center support? Bigger single door?

It looks like 44 inches is about min I would need to easily roll an atv in.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[zrock]

Just me but the basement would be the last place i would store something with oils and flammable fluids in them.. No mater how well you drain them you are still going to get fuel fumes thru the home.. I would enclose under your deck and use that area for storage.

 

[sportbikerider78]

It is very common to have a garage under your home. This is no different, except, I will not have running vehicles and large amounts of gas storage. I have a motorcycle and dirtbike down there right now (only thing that fits through the door) and you would never know. My home gym is also there and as well as a food pantry. No fumes.

The deck can be used during warm season, but not winter. It is a big messy slush pit filled with snow above and below.

 

[peakbagger]

If you go to real live building supply store (not home cheapo or Lowes), you can custom order insulated steel doors in any width. When I design electrical rooms I usually spec a double door with "removable astragal" or a single door with a removable side panel if the double doesn't fit, One door is used for passage and the other door is locked. If there is need for something wide the astragal can be removed making the opening the width of two doors. I have also just ordered custom wide doors I think I have bought a 5 footer years ago. Just be aware that the door frame and its tie into the wall has to be beefy as a wide door puts a lot of load on the wall when open. Looks like you have cinder block so you may need to cut the block back and pour a reinforced frame around the new opening. Don't forget you need to cut back the header and put in a reinforced header, either poured or steel to carry the load.

 

[zrock]

Big difference between a basement garage and what you want to do is the garage is fully sealed from home as per building code. It can be done but price may outweigh converting under your deck to dry storage. Im assuming your heating system may be in your basement as well and that needs to be separated from your storage area.

 

[begreen]

I like the idea of an under the deck storage area too, as long as it can drain well and doesn't trap moisture.

PS: Cute kids.

 

[sportbikerider78]

I like the idea of an under the deck storage area too, as long as it can drain well and doesn't trap moisture.

PS: Cute kids.

Thanks! I'm biased.

That's the issue. Shale rock. 3 feet of clay on top of it. Super wet weather all the time here. Nothing drains well.

 

[stee6043]

I think you're going to be a bit challenged to open that door up on the "reasonable cost" side of things. Enlarging and reinforcing that wall will be pricey. Your yard is going to need to be re-graded after this work is done since I'm assuming the enlarged opening will go toward the interior of the house, not toward the corner. If that's the direction they go you've also got electrical on that side (exterior light) that will need to move.

I bet you're $3-4k into this project. And that's before you address the issues you'll have inside the house. If you do this project without properly addressing the separation and HVAC issues in the new "basement garage" you'll be locked into your current insurance provider forever! I don't think you'd be able to get a new policy if the agent saw you were using the basement as a garage that wasn't built to the required code for garages.

 

[brenndatomu]

It is very common to have a garage under your home

Yup, I have a basement garage...you see them all the time in older homes...and back then there was nothing sealed off about it...basically just a drive in basement. I have my bike and sled in there all the time, have never had any issues with smells or fumes at all. Its really not much different than inside fuel oil storage, that was really common too...matter of a fact I have (2) 275 gallon tanks in the basement too. My insurance company has never said a word about any of it.

My first though here would be to just install double doors. If you don't mind an overhead door you could get one of those narrow ones like they put in storage units....4' wide I would guess they are?

 

[xman23]

I have the same walk out basement, I put in a double door, I think each door is 36" . No post in the middle, and they swing out. Big enough, soon I can just get the car into the basement. Great for all my toys. Splitter, atv's motorcycles.
I had it custom ordered at HD.

 

[peakbagger]

I have the same walk out basement, I put in a double door, I think each door is 36" . No post in the middle, and they swing out. Big enough, soon I can just get the car into the basement. Great for all my toys. Splitter, atv's motorcycles.
I had it custom ordered at HD.

How well did the door seal with no center post?. I generally don't recommend the postless double doors as my experience is that they tend to leak more heat. I my case I typically used them in an industrial environment in electric rooms where the outside of the room was hot and humid and the interior was air conditioned.

By the way, another option if go with an insulated overhead door. I have the Wayne Dalton insulated overheads on my garage. They have interlocking "fingers" on the adjacent panel seams and as long as the door seals on the sides are kept in good shape they are very tight. The down side is headroom, even with a low overhead option the tracks hang down about a foot below the ceiling.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

If i were doing it id enclose that under deck area . Its already separated from the rest of the basement. Plus you can always use more SF in your basement. Not of much use as it is.

 

[My_3_Girls]

Totally against cutting into that block foundation. I'm guessing it's a 2/8 door now, going to 44" means at least a foot wider. Definitely wouldn't cut any block out towards the left side of pic, so all of it would have to be towards the light fixture side. Weather tight the under side of the deck, box it in, PT wood floor, and call it done...unless you're talking a major renovation.

 

[xman23]

How well did the door seal with no center post?. I generally don't recommend the postless double doors as my experience is that they tend to leak more heat. I my case I typically used them in an industrial environment in electric rooms where the outside of the room was hot and humid and the interior was air conditioned.

By the way, another option if go with an insulated overhead door. I have the Wayne Dalton insulated overheads on my garage. They have interlocking "fingers" on the adjacent panel seams and as long as the door seals on the sides are kept in good shape they are very tight. The down side is headroom, even with a low overhead option the tracks hang down about a foot below the ceiling.

One of the doors open normally with a door knob. The other door has top and bottom slide pins that keep it closed. That door has a vertical post attached to it. The other door closes against the post. It's not a bad seal, very much like how any door seals. They swing out so they didn't have to go into the basement space. I did these type doors as it faces the street and we use it as our mud room entrance.

 

[bholler]

Yes basement garages are common but i would absolutly never have one. Hell i wont even have an attached garage.

 

[sportbikerider78]

Thanks for all the advice guys! I'll have to estimate costs and see if it is worth it.

 

[semipro]

Its not the answer you're looking for but I'd strongly suggest you consider under deck storage as well. Basement space is too valuable. You'll want that space for other things later on.
You can easily install a sloped roof structure under an existing deck that will carry the water away. I've done it and it works.

 

[peakbagger]

In a cold climate, in my opinion a heated basement space is worth the hassle of making it accessible. My tools and shop are in the basement. I would far prefer to have the option of working on equipment during the winter in a heated basement then a cold garage that takes hours to warm up. No matter how well I plan, I end up spending a lot of time going back and forth to get the right tool. I am not an advocate of actively using the basement as a garage but having the option to get something down in the basement on occasion is big value to me. I tend to work on large vehicles so that not really an option but if the OP works on ATVs, bikes and outdoor power equipment, its a nice option.

To me it comes down that as long as the OP is aware of the potential risks and weighs it against the rewards I am not going to make that judgment call for him.

 

[Don2222]

Hello
When I built the custom shed, I found a nice heavy duty 24 Guage Steel Door from a big Farm Supply and had it shipped.
This is 4 foot wide and will do the trick!
See pics

BTW - Did u see pics of my big shed build?
Here are pics of my shed build
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...m-channel-under-the-rake-boards-is-for.70576/

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...or-10-2-uf-b-and-is.76717/page-6#post-1451052