It is worth noting that the need to raise the garage door can have several reasons. For example, the need to raise the garage door may be required in a situation where the garage door structure is not easy to open not only in winter, but even in summer. What can we say about the winter period, when a layer of snow and ice prevents the opening of the gate? If necessary, you can trim the structure itself. At the same time, the entrance is concreted. This ensures a natural slope. But at the same time, the above described method of raising the entrance gate reduces the dimensions of the structure.
Below we will consider the situation when it is required to maintain the existing level of the garage and slightly raise the gate. In this case, everything is carried out in stages. To begin with, experts advise dismantling the gate and freeing the frame. Then you need to remove several rows of bricks above the garage opening. At the same time, the backfill in the lower section can also be raised. Next, the design of the garage door must be returned to its original position.
Before removing the garage door from the hinges, experts recommend washing the mortar between the bricks of the same row to which the gate will rise. A channel should be installed in place of this row. An alternative option is to install a reliable and high-strength corner. This operation is carried out immediately before the garage door is raised. In addition, this approach will save the structure from possible destruction. The installation of a channel or angle must be carried out by using reliable anchor bolts.
At the same time, do not forget that raising the garage door even by a couple of bricks can significantly increase the available clearance between the gate, as well as the garage floor. In this case, you can use one of several methods to resolve this issue. The most optimal is concreting. In addition, if necessary, you can install a special threshold. Whichever option is chosen, it is worth making sure that the slope is directed from the garage to the street, and not vice versa. Otherwise, do not be surprised that water flows into the garage during rain, causing dampness. And dampness, as any motorist is well aware, causes corrosion of the car body. And dampness is also very harmful to the garage itself. Given all of the above, we can conclude that it is not so difficult to lift the garage door on your own, as it seems at first glance. All steps can be carried out independently, that is, with your own hands.
It is rare when a purchased capital garage completely suits the new owner. In addition to cosmetic repairs and insulation, many motorists start a complex and time-consuming procedure for replacing the gate, while trying to increase the opening of the garage door. Cutting and removing old garage doors is not a problem, it is more difficult to replace them without causing the beams or floor slabs to sag or collapse.
How to increase the size of the gate without dismantling the roof
The complexity of the procedure for increasing the opening directly depends on the structure of the roof and the ceiling of the garage. Before trying to increase the garage opening, you should understand the roof structure and find out how wide the garage door should be. Most often, three main schemes for arranging the supporting frame of the roof are used:
- On brick or cinder block walls, transverse floor beams, steel or wooden, are laid. The beams are laid with a crate, insulation and waterproofing. In this case, it is possible to increase the doorway without major alterations to the front wall of the garage;
- The case when, instead of beams in the transverse direction, hollow lightweight reinforced concrete floor slabs are laid on the side walls. In this case, the load from the weight of the supporting structure of the roof is taken out on the side walls, so a relatively small part of the load falls on the brickwork;
- The most difficult option is the case when concrete slabs are located in the longitudinal direction. In this case, the floor slabs largely rest on the front wall of the garage, which does not allow simultaneous removal or destruction of several rows of bricks between the door frame and the floor slab.
Note! The presence of a concrete jumper over the garage door can simplify the situation. Competent builders in this way, when building a garage, transferred part of the load from the floor slabs to the side segments of the wall.
If there is no serious load on the front wall and garage doors, you can expand the size for replacing the frame with a very simple operation. To do this, with a cutting wheel on a stone, it is necessary to make an incision along the measured vertical border of the new opening and chop off part of the brick wall with perforators. Today, instead of the old garage doors of 250 cm, an entrance structure with a width of 270 cm is increasingly being used.
Expanding the garage door
It is much more difficult to increase the opening if the upper rows of bricks above the frame and the loot itself bear a certain load from the weight of the floor slabs. In this case, changing the height or increasing the width of the opening is possible only by installing additional unloading beams:
- Option one - to increase the size of the entrance to the garage room using a steel I-beam shroud as a temporary fastening;
- Option two - cut a niche in the brickwork above the frame for the installation of a reinforced concrete lintel and use it as a transverse beam holding the bulk of the slabs;
- Use steel corners for assembling a horizontal crossbar that holds the weight of slabs and brickwork for the time of "redrawing" the garage door opening.
Note! All three methods are of the same type and suggest the possibility of increasing the size of the entrance only after the gate frame is unloaded.
How to expand and enlarge the opening with a steel corner
The above method to increase the size of the garage opening can be called low-impact and the cheapest, due to the fact that a relatively small amount of auxiliary materials are used in the restructuring than in the method with reinforced concrete or I-beams horizontal beams.
To increase the size of the opening, first of all, you will need to install an additional horizontal composite beam of two corners with a shelf width of 75 mm. At the initial stage, you will need to mark up the front wall above the entrance. We mark the horizontal and vertical lines of the dimension of the new gate.
Using a perforator, we cut a groove in the wall with a width of 8 mm and a depth to the width of the corner shelf. First, a groove is cut from the inside of the wall. Three segments of a corner are cut along the dimension line, which are recessed into a cut groove and welded with the letter P.
In a similar way, a groove is cut, then the corners are installed from the outside of the front wall. It turns out a design of two corners, welded and fixed on the wall in the form of two letters P, edging the contour of the future gate. To prevent the assembled frame from falling apart, it will be necessary to increase the strength and rigidity by welding on the transverse jumpers.
Dismantling masonry as a way to increase the opening of the garage door
Before welding the lintels, it is necessary to remove some of the bricks above the horizontal beam of the old gate. To do this, install a support from a thick log or timber in the central part. Only after that, it is possible to cut out part of the masonry bricks with a perforator, and a gap is formed that is sufficient to connect the corners of the new frame with jumpers.
Next, you can increase the size of the garage door opening. To do this, you will need to cut the remaining brick from the masonry, stretch two channels through the knocked out holes above the old beam, under which to install additional supports from a wooden beam. The horizontal beam of an old garage door can be cut out and thrown away.
We got a new frame for the garage door. It remains only to strengthen the paired corners with overhead elements, if necessary, replace the channel on the threshold. Since for the most part new gates are sold complete with a frame and feigned elements, the easiest way is to insert the finished structure into the prepared frame from the corner, align it vertically and horizontally, and then weld it to the base by electric welding.
Conclusion
A similar way to increase the size of the opening can be used if there are no more than 4-5 rows of bricks above the old gate, that is, the ceiling height is not more than 240 cm. For higher gables, the strength of two corners will not be enough, and using an external I-beam will be a safer way to increase the opening as an intermediate support for ceiling slabs.
A common problem is the deformation of the leaves and the subsidence of the gate box. How to raise the gate in the garage on your own, and what reasons can cause such deformations of the leaves and the gate box.
First you need to find out the cause of the problem so that you can quickly and easily fix it. The most common problems with leaves and gate frames:
- sagging loops - the problem can be solved independently in half an hour;
- deformation of the garage foundation - in this case, it is necessary to repair the foundation and restore the geometry of the structure;
- subsidence of the wall - you need to raise one side with a jack and level the base.
Let's dwell on the solution of each of these problems in more detail.
Hinge repair and balancing
A common problem is that gate leaves are deformed due to sagging of one or two hinges. This issue is solved with minimal costs:
- to raise the lowered gate leaf on the hinges, you need to put adjusting washers. The thickness of such a washer is selected based on the depth of sagging of the garage door leaf;
- to install such a washer, you need to remove the sash from the hinges, install the washer and hang the garage door again;
- it is often difficult to find the desired height of such a washer, then an additional ball must be inserted into the loop (we select according to the diameter).
These methods are suitable if the sash sags a few centimeters.
Advice. Both the washer and the hinge adjustment ball must be made of a harder metal than the hinge material.
Trimming the door leaf
The solution - how to raise the gate in the garage, if the wings began to reach the ground and it is difficult to open and close the gate - a simple trimming of the lower part of the leaf blade with a grinder.
So that there is no gap after cutting the canvas, a rubber seal or a regular garden hose is attached from below.
Restoration of a deformed opening
If the opening was initially set incorrectly, then lateral twisting of the sash is often observed. The main cause of deformation is the upper beam of the frame. In order not to engage in dismantling and simply align the garage door, it is enough to find a stress point in the upper beam.
If you tap the upper beam a centimeter, then it is easy to find a place of stress, in this place the metal will begin to oscillate. The solution is simple - you need to make a cut with a grinder at this point and install a stiffening tire by welding.
How to raise a garage door - the opening needs to be increased in height
In this case, it is necessary to raise the roof, or install several rows of brickwork on the foundation (the option is suitable for solving the problem in metal garages).
In a brick garage, the only solution is to raise the height of the gate by raising the roof one or two rows of brick or stone.
A simple solution - if there is no desire to raise the roof
In order for the car to pass freely in height through the low garage doors, you need to make a kind of track inside the garage. To do this, you need to make ditches in the floor, the width should be equal to two sizes of the standard tire width.
In such a simple way, you can raise the height of the gate by 10 - 15 centimeters, but no more.
Raising the roof of the garage and increasing the height of the gate
If the roof of the garage is not a monolithic reinforced concrete floor, then it is quite simple to make a welded metal frame for a shed roof, which is mounted around the perimeter on screw fasteners in the walls.
Another option for raising the height of the gate is to install a metal garage on a welded frame of the required height.
If it is not difficult to raise a metal garage, you only need a welding machine, metal corners, pipes and fittings for a welded frame, then with brick garages in which monolithic reinforced concrete floors are installed, the problem is more complicated. After all, you need to lift a heavy monolithic floor slab.
First, you need to dismantle the top beam of the garage door, then you need to install it again on the cement in the rows of brickwork.
The slab can be lifted using several jacks, which are installed along the edges of the floor slab on which the gate is located. We expose platforms on and under the jacks so that they stand firmly on the ground and put a metal beam on the platform, which abuts against the ceiling.
Now we start lifting the plate, you need to work carefully, lifting each edge of the plate at a time by 10 cm, no more. We immediately insert stubborn bricks or metal corners into the resulting opening.
So we alternately raise each slab to the desired height, and then lay out the brickwork under the raised roof.
If the height of the garage allows you to raise the garage door opening without lifting the roof, then you just need to dismantle the beam of the upper floor of the door frame and knock out several rows of bricks to the desired height.
After we install the upper beam again and add the side racks, it is enough to weld the metal corner to the desired height.
How to raise the gate in the garage - a lot of owners think about it. After all, in the process of time, the structure itself shrinks, and the curtains wear out.
Basically, for these reasons, the gate is shifted. In this article, we will decide how to raise the garage door. You will also have the opportunity to watch a video on this topic, and from the photo you can see individual moments of the work.
Why do changes occur in the geometry of the gate
Until recently, high-quality and competently installed gates (see) looked incomparable and pleasing to the eye. But over time, you begin to notice that the metal does not look the same as before, the loops fit, etc. Of course, it is necessary to take appropriate measures in order to solve such problems.
Gate lifting methods
It is worth saying that in most cases you will not need to invite specialists, because everything can be done by hand. Therefore, the cost of work will be minimal.
So:
- If your gate is deformed, then to lift the sash from the hinges, you can use a special spacer washer, which easily solves such problems. It is necessary to remove the sash from the hinges, putting a washer of the thickness that you need on the axis of the lower hinge, and return the sash to its place.
- Often there are difficulties with the selection of the puck, sometimes it is really difficult to do it. This means that a ball of the desired diameter must be inserted into the loop. In this way, you can get rid of a slight skew of the leaves, in addition, you can raise the gate, thereby facilitating movement on the hinges.
Attention: Do not forget that the material of the washer and ball must be made of a harder alloy than the loop itself, because this is important.
- You need to carefully do the work: you must change the distance from ground level to the bottom of the wings. A simple way to solve this issue: you need to cut off the lower part with a grinder, then a rubber strip is attached. Thus, the gap can be eliminated.
- The skew of the sashes often occurs due to the deformation of the opening. If you do not touch the opening, then using a simple method it will be possible to determine the skew zone on the sash. Often this happens when the frame beam is incorrectly welded. By tapping on the beam, you will be able to see the vibrations of the metal and determine the point where the stress is being created. Here an incision is made and the tire is welded on.
- If the garage door has sagged and you need to increase the height of the opening, then know that you need to be able to lay bricks here. You can find out how to do this work correctly on our other resources.
Important information
There are some points that require the gate to be raised or expanded, not due to wear and tear of the materials:
- If you have noticed that the new car does not fit into the opening, then you need to solve this problem. Of course, you can disassemble the upper part of the opening, thereby solving this problem instantly. After all, raising the upper part of the opening is a rather complicated undertaking, and not every owner will be able to complete it.
- Grooves need to be hollowed out in the garage floor, the width of which will be 2-2.5 tires each, the depth of such grooves will be - 10 cm. In this way, you can lower the entry level, which means that the roof of your car will no longer be able to touch the garage opening, which is what you were looking for.
- Speaking of the other car, you should not forget about the height of the tires, so you must determine the gap between the roof of the car and the upper frame. If you perform such simple manipulations, then know that now you will easily drive in and out of the garage, knowing for sure that neither the car nor the opening will be damaged.
- But if you notice that the sheets have ceased to cover the holes that are made in place, then you must definitely lift the necessary sheets, then everything will fall into place.
Conclusion
Now you understand that, indeed, even the highest quality and sometimes fail. This means that if you ever encounter a similar situation and wish to solve it yourself, know that it is necessary to carry out those important stages of work that we have been told about.
Attention: Of course, you can conduct them yourself, but without experience and skills in this area, you can not achieve the result you dream of. Therefore, you should not take risks, because turning to professionals, you will instantly solve your problems.
- If you need to raise the gate, then know that there are several ways. They were described in our article, so as soon as you pick up the necessary materials and tools, you can safely start doing what you have planned. Only use high-quality metal for work. Otherwise, the effect will not last long.
- As a rule, there is nothing complicated here, it is only important to follow the technology for performing such work and everything will definitely work out. But if you are faced with more serious problems that are also associated with the garage door, and do not know how to solve them, then it is best to contact the experts.
Having completed the work with high quality, later you will appreciate the fact that the garage doors will serve for many more years, because all problems have been solved. So all that remains to be done is to make the right decision.
If you want to do this work yourself, then you can ask a neighbor for help, because together, you can do it faster by lifting the upper part of the frame and increasing the gate, if, of course, there is a need for these actions. You have instructions and you just have to follow them.
The safety of your property depends on the reliability and strength of the garage door. In addition to the protective function that they perform, they can also serve as an attractive addition to your home.
What to do if for some reason you cannot open the gate? For normal operation, it is enough to lift them. The question arises, how to raise the gate in the garage? The answer is very simple: just follow some recommendations and you will succeed.
The design can easily be done by hand. In terms of quality, it will not differ from the one that will be installed by specialists. In this case, it is necessary to follow step-by-step recommendations for installing the gate and be extremely careful. In addition, the installation of garage doors does not take much time.
Consider the positive points, without which the gate will simply be unnecessary.
Good gates - the security of your property
- The car should easily enter the room.
The dimensions of the gate must ensure a normal check-in. It all depends on the model of your car. The width of the opening should be such that when the car stops, a gap of about 30 cm remains in it. The height for a passenger car should be from 1.70 to 2 meters, for a truck - 2.5 meters.
- Gates must be strong and burglary resistant.
Gates should protect your property. The protective functions depend on the material from which the structure will be made. Metal - the most reliable and durable. A 2.5 mm wide galvanized steel sheet will do the job perfectly. With the help of overhead locks for external blocks and armored pads for the internal lock, you can further strengthen the structure. Wooden doors are not very reliable, so they can only be installed in guarded parking lots.
- Gates must be resistant to external factors.
The tighter the canvas adheres to the frame, the more reliable the protection. Use vertical locks to fix the desired position of the door. Vertical locks prevent skew of the structure, and also securely hold the door. You can use a sealant for even stronger fit of the structure to the frame.
Types of garage doors
There are different types of gates.
They consist of two wings, unlocked inward or outward. Basically preference for the latter. For the normal functioning of the structure, the presence of space in front of it is very important. This is the cheapest type of mechanism.
Open along the fence, from the inside. The main advantage is that there is no need for additional territory in front of the device.
They include separate sections that refract when opened, and thanks to a special system of springs and profiles, the canvas goes up to the ceiling. This type of gate also saves space.
The cloth contains the aluminum plates covered with polymer. When opened, it folds into a special box above the entrance to the garage.
In this type of device, the web is vertically lifted to the ceiling.
Stages of garage door installation
First of all, take measurements to understand the size of the future gate. As a rule, do-it-yourself swing metal garage doors are made. This type is simpler and cheaper. Sliding gates will be more difficult and expensive to make, but it is also possible. You need to take a drawing, buy a ready-made kit for assembly. The kit includes an installation manual, with the help of which the installation of the structure is done. As a rule, they are installed in summer cottages, in private households, warehouses.
You can also reduce costs by installing automation yourself. Take the drawing, buy the necessary components and follow the instructions.
You can make swing gates without buying expensive components. The materials used are a profile, sheet metal 1-3 mm, a steel corner.
Garage doors can be installed in a few steps:
Step #1. Frame manufacturing
The frame includes an external and internal frame made of a steel angle, the dimensions of which are 65x65 mm. You will need the following tools:
- Bulgarian;
- Construction level;
- Square;
- Welding machine;
- Roulette.
We focus on the height and width of the gate in the manufacture of the frame. Measure and cut blanks for the frame from an iron corner with a section of 16-20 cm. Form the future frame strictly according to the level using linings. Then set the corners with a square. Check that the diagonals of the structure are the same, and then weld it.
In order for the canvas to fit snugly against the surface of the frame, its outer side must be even. Sand the welds. Make a lever out of the remnants of the corner, which is then welded to the corners of the frame, which will be their additional reinforcement.
Step #2 Making the frame
It is necessary to make a frame for two swing doors. An iron sheet is attached to each of them. Use a 60x20 mm profile to make the frame.
Insert the guides into the frame, align each side. Between them, make a gap of 20 mm so that the wings move freely. Check the square corners of the frame, then weld the profiles. Your frame is ready.
Step #3 Sheathing
To weld the gate, use a galvanized metal sheet 2-3 mm thick. It is necessary to cut out the desired size, while it is imperative to lay the sashes on top of each other by 10-20 mm. Thus, the right canvas will overlap on the left.
We weld from below and attach it to the frame.
Strengthening the gate is possible by strengthening: weld a horizontal iron belt at a height of one meter.
Step #4 Installation
Install power hinges on the garage door. The lower part must be welded to the garage frame, and the upper to the outside. To do this, attach a curved line of metal 0.5-0.7 cm thick to the top of the hinge and the sash. For a stronger connection, you can use a reinforcement tab.
A deadbolt is required to securely fix the position of the mechanism. To do this, you can use the design with a vertical pin. Drill holes in the ceiling and floor. Weld guide loops to the frame. For the pin, use a pipe with a diameter of 20-25 mm.
You can also use the clamping method of bolting the structure.
Step #5 Painting
Be sure to paint the canvas: this will protect it from adverse effects such as precipitation, moisture, damage. Before painting, prime, apply several layers of metal paint to the surface.
Step 6 Mounting
First of all, install the frame. It should facilitate the free movement of the valves.
Installing the gate is easy. First, attach the outer and inner parts of the frame to the slopes of the opening using iron pins 15-18 cm long. Scald their protruding ends, then grind with a grinder and paint over.
These parts are firmly fastened together with metal jumpers 20-40 mm thick every 60 cm. This is done so that in the near future it is not necessary to repair the structure. Next, hang the sashes on the hinges and check how easily they move.
There are times when during operation it is necessary to correct the operation of the gate, as for some reason they do not function well.
Cases in which it is necessary to raise the garage door and how to do it
Raising the gate while maintaining the level
The most common case is when, due to the too low location of the gate, it is very difficult to open them, and sometimes it is not possible at all. If such a problem occurs in the summer, what can we say about the winter, when snow and ice interfere with their normal operation. Alternatively, you can cut the gate, and concrete the entrance to the garage. Thanks to this, a slope will be created, and the water will flow down. But if you work according to this method, then the size of the opening decreases.
In order to raise the garage door, the following materials are needed: channel, brick, water and a gate. You can get to work.
Stages of work:
- Remove the doors;
- Free the frame;
- Remove several rows of bricks in front of the opening;
- Raise the gate;
- At the bottom, lift the dump;
- Put the gate in its original place.
Before dismantling the gate to a level above 3-4 brick rows, wash the mortar between the bricks with water. In its place, lay a corner or channel. This is done before raising the garage door so that the building does not collapse. Otherwise, the roof of the garage will move out. Secure the channel or angle with anchor bolts.
garage height problem
Sometimes the problem with the normal functioning of the gate may be their height. Its solution will require experience and knowledge of the construction business. If your garage is brick, you need to remove 1 or 2 rows of masonry, then strengthen the resulting slope and raise the frame to the desired height.
There are many ways to solve the problem of a poorly functioning gate. You can choose the best solution for the problem. At the same time, the most common and easiest way to increase the space between the gate and the ground is to cut the bottom of the door leaves with a grinder.
Make your own garage doors. Quality materials and accurate step-by-step installation will determine how long the garage door will function.
