JAMES STONE wrote:
>
> I am about to start construction on a new garage. It will be a
> three-car, which is as large as local zoning allows without jumping
> through expensive hoops. We are building it with 9 foot ceilings so that
> I can one day add a lift. (Any higher than 9 feet requires 2 x 6 framing
> and considerably increases the cost.) I am planning on using cathedral
> joists (also called sissors joists) to pick up a couple of extra feet of
> headroom. Total in the center should be 11+ feet, which should be more
> than enough.
I would call that "enough", but not nearly more than enough.
One of the most useful jobs of a hoist is stacking cars, and that
will only work in 11 feet if both cars are low slung sports cars.
> So, here's my question: does anyone here know anything about garage
> doors? Having 11 feet in the center won't do me any good if the door
> only sits 9 feet off of the ground when raised. I've only seen tracks
> that are parallel to the ground at the top. Is it possible to use
> tracks that follow the line of the joists so that the door is also 11
> feet high at the center? I'll be broke when I'm done with this and won't
> be adding a lift for a while yet, but want to keep the option alive for
> when the time comes and the budget allows.
I modified my standard garage door tracks to do exactly that. Instead
of going along the ceiling 1.5 feet away, it angles up so it's only 6
inches at the top. The spring will need adjusting.
I can send pictures offline if you wish. All I did was cut-and-shut
and improvised the brackets.
--
Trevor Boicey, P. Eng.
Ottawa, Canada, tboicey@brit.ca
ICQ #17432933 http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
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