Replacing windows with a full-view garage door

all1knew

Hello all,

I own a bar in a turn-of-the-century downtown building location. I am zoned as Enterprise meaning as long as I get the permit, and a licensed General Contractor, I can renovate my building.

With that being said I have three upstairs windows in the front that overlook the downtown area. Each window is 36" wide and is about 87" tall. They start around 26" off the floor and the ceilings are 10'6" high.

I'm looking to rip the three windows out and replace them with a full-view aluminum garage door. The overall dimensions of the space would be about 14' wide. I originally wanted to do a single 14' garage door but I fear the building may sag as there will be no middle support for the ceiling. My second thought was to put two 6' 6" wide garage doors in and build a 1' brick support on the front middle section.

Here are some photos to give you some ideas of what exactly I am talking about.

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all1knew

Hello again,

Here is another shot of the exterior of the 2nd story windows. I have also included an interior photo of the room where the demolition work will start.

In your opinion, do you think I could do an interior steel support beam up the middle on the inside of the 14' door or should I do two separate 6'6" doors with an external 1' bring support?

I would rather do a 14' door with an internal steel support structure as I would imagine it would be immensely cheaper than having new bricks built.

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all1knew

Hello again,

Can anyone help me estimate what the cost of something like this would be?

For both 6'6" W x 7'3" T full-view anodized aluminum frame garage doors it would be around $5,600.00 installed while a single 14' W x 7'3" T garage door would be $4,700.00 installed.

Can a support beam and a 14' combination be done without any ceiling or building face sagging problems?

Who would I contact to remove the old windows and bricks? (a General Contractor, a Masonry expert, a window installer, or perhaps a Demolition company)

What would the average labor cost for something like this be? I know there are bumps along the way but an estimate would be very nice.

all1knew

Hello again,

My next idea after the door(s) installation is to put up a chain link fence type deal to deter anything/anyone from flying out of the window and suing me out of existence.

Can anyone provide some ideas on what I could have? (hopefully something that would either roll up out of the way or simply pull down when needed) Is there a somewhat sturdy roll-up sun-screen option out there that you could still see out of and wouldn't block too much of the breeze?

A bar about 4' off the floor where I would put barstools bolted to the floor. This would get people sitting in front of the window looking out, not standing next to it.

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oh'mike

What you are proposing a a major structural change to the building.

Major---You will need an architect or engineer to see what will be needed to transfer the weight of the roof and brick face to the outside of the building and then down to the foundation.

I have no idea of cost but that change will be high.

Why id it that you want a garage door on a second floor?

If more light is your aim there will be cheaper ways than supporting the top of the building at the sides.

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all1knew

Mike,

Thanks for the comments, I do appreciate them. Could you give me some alternative ideas perhaps? The garage door is more of a window than a garage door and I thought it would be an interesting look; certainly it would bring in a lot of customers.

I was hoping to get out of this investment for around $10,000.00 said and done.

Bill

oh'mike

We've got a good designer or two here---Andy Gump (Tardif Design) comes to mind----

Let's see what an engineer or designer might suggest.

I like your open air idea,unfortunately the costs will be shocking---Mike---

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oh'mike

Are you in an area with cold winters or very hot summers?

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DannyT

if you have money to throw away im sure you could get someone to do it. would make the building look ridiculous tho and if you're lucky the front of the building wont drop very much. you realize how much that brick weighs that you want to take all the support out from under. better look for an engineer now and start saving your money. you're definitely gonna need some good engineers drawings to get a permit.

all1knew

Yes Mike, IL just like you!

They do it in Wrigley!!!

So the total investment including a $5,000.00 door would be over 10grand in your opinion?

What other suggestions would you have for making the upstairs a little brighter and more commercially appealing?

Bill

Ron6519

Nobody will give you a permit to put a garage door on the second floor of a building.
If you want more light, put in larger windows.

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Ron
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
B. Franklin 1759

CoconutPete

Outside of the fact that that would be a MAJOR structural change - that building is beautiful and I think it would look weird w/ a garage door up there.

Have you considered trying to replace the windows with something that might open more than 50% like the current ones? Even if you had something custom made that could be completely removed during opening hours in the summer I think that would make a decent difference. Then add a screen or maybe plexi glass to the lower 1/2 so adventurous customers don't go flying out of the window after one too many beers.