FAQ’s

We will need your shipping address, phone number, method of payment (Visa, MasterCard, American Express or check) and your signed authorization (sign the bottom of the quote where it says accepted and fax or scan & email to us or reply to this email stating “I accept these measurements and approve this order” and type your name.)

Angled doors have a 1 ½” flange around the inside length and width to keep the fasteners internally mounted. You should also use the 1 ½” wide step plate and the 1” flange going up the building to mount fasteners. For flat doors you will drill through the steel frame that lies flat on the foundation as well as through the step plate.

We use a polyurethane caulk around the outside of the door once it has been mounted. It is paintable and moves well over a wide temperature range.

All of our custom made doors come with a hold open rod. This is a rod on the left hand door that, when the doors are in the open position, you swing over to the right hand door up across the header; latch it in place and it ties the two doors together preventing them from closing. All single doors will have an auto hold open rod which will lock into place when the door is open, you must release the latch to close the door.

It’s hard to tell exactly before we actually make the door. The height of the door and the double torsion springs we place on each hinge also affect the effective weight of the door. If you are concerned about the weight of large doors please ask us and we can calculate the weight or help you with ways to make the doors lighter (make them smaller, add gas pistons, etc).

We make every effort to meet your needs. The lead-time is stated in the lower right of your quote – if you need your door sooner please let us know and we will do our best to help. We offer a $100 rush charge to have the door made within four business days if you need it that quickly.

We only use 12 gauge (roughly 1/10”) hot rolled sheet steel in our custom made doors. This is the heaviest gauge steel door you can buy – other companies use 13, 14 or even 16 gauge steel.

We use ¼” x 2” lead anchors with a nail drive – you drill a ¼” hole over 2” deep. Drop the anchor in the hole and hit it with a hammer. Each fastener has 1800 pounds of pullout strength. When going into wood we use ¼” x2” self-drilling screws with a hex head.

To be technically correct, we use a product called galvannealed which is corrosion resistant steel that is designed to be bent and painted. It is the same material that most exterior car body panels are made from. It is not rust proof, but it is far superior to regular steel in inhibiting rust. We still prime the galvannealed doors in our primer ready for your final coat of paint.

On angled doors we typically add a one-inch flange going up the building. This gives you something to fasten into and allows you to bring the siding down over the top (if applicable). Again, we can build whatever you want, so if you don’t want a flange or want a longer one – just let us know.

We can make the door to any dimension you want. Often we take 2-3 inches off the outside length and outside width. There is little benefit to getting the door to fit the outside of your foundation and by pulling the door in slightly you reduce the chance for problems with installation. But remember, we can make whatever you want – you know the situation best. The initial quote is simply our best guess on what we think you need.

The horseshoe hinges we use swing down & in (towards the foundation) when the doors close. They take up 2 ½” on each side. In order to avoid the hinges hitting your foundation and not letting the doors close, we need to make room for the hinges.

Absolutely! If you have access to a camera phone or digital camera just email the photo to [email protected] and include your phone number and we will call you to discuss it right away.