Bespoke Garage Door System

A system, not a standard door

This project is a study in integrated design: an outward-opening pair of garage doors that performs thermally, is repairable, and remains achievable — by a joiner or in the studio workshop. The strength is in the systematic approach: all components are designed to stock dimensions, so each part can eventually be replaced without a bespoke order.

The leaves are a layer build-up: Douglas featheredge cladding on the outside, PIR insulation, birch plywood inner skin. The frame is Douglas throughout, in rift-sawn stock profiles from Houthandel Bunnik. Glass, rebates and hardware will be confirmed via a trial detail.

Material: Douglas fir

Chosen for Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii, FSC/PEFC) — stable in exterior use, available in heavy stock sections, suited to air-dried supply. Douglas weathers to an even silver-grey if left untreated, provided detailing is correct: sufficient overhang, drainage and ventilation around the frame. Leaving it untreated is a deliberate choice, not a default.

Technical specifications

• External dimensions: 2390 × 2135 mm
• Frame: Douglas 75 × 150 mm rift/quarter-sawn AD
• Leaf stiles and light rails: Douglas 100 × 100 mm 4-sided AD
• Heavy rails: Douglas 120 × 120 mm 4-sided AD
• Cladding: Douglas featheredge 19 × 135 mm working width, KD
• Leaf build-up: approx. 80 mm total
• Insulation: approx. 50–53 mm PIR — confirmed via trial detail
• Inner skin: 9 mm birch plywood
• Glazing: HR++ approx. 24 mm — glass, rebate and seals confirmed via trial detail

Current status

Prototype — production preparation — first build phase. The design is fully worked out to assembly level. Timber delivered, first parts are being cut and planed to size. Glass, rebates and hardware will be confirmed via a trial detail. The prototype is being built in the studio workshop; execution by a joiner is a documented alternative route.