Pole barn garage doors sized for the big stuff

Tall and wide doors for what lives in the barn

Pole barns get built for the things that don't fit anywhere else: the camper, the boat on its trailer, the tractor, the plow truck and the side-by-side. The door has to fit the biggest of them with room to spare.

Start by measuring the tallest point of what you'll park inside, including roof air conditioners, antennas, towers and ladders, and add clearance for pulling in without holding your breath. Width matters just as much, especially if you're backing a trailer through at an angle.

We install oversize sectional overhead doors in sizes well beyond standard garage doors, and we'll help you settle on dimensions before the building is framed, which is always easier than changing an opening afterward.

Two doors are sometimes better than one. A tall door for the camper and a standard door for daily use means you aren't running a big heavy door every time you grab the mower.

Insulated or not depends on how you use the building

If the barn is cold storage for equipment and toys, a non-insulated steel door is often all you need. It's lighter, simpler and does the job of keeping weather and critters out.

If you heat the shop, or plan to someday, an insulated door is worth it. Insulated sections hold heat, stiffen the door against wind and run quieter. Paired with good bottom and perimeter seals, they make a real difference in a Northern Michigan winter.

Many people build the barn cold and heat it later. If that's your plan, it's usually smarter to put the insulated door in from the start.

Headroom and framing come before the door

An overhead door needs space around the opening, not just the hole in the wall. Headroom above the opening holds the track curve and springs. Side room on each side holds the vertical track. Backroom is the depth inside the building that the door rolls back into when it's open.

Pole barns with trusses, purlins and bracing can crowd that space. Low-headroom hardware exists for tight spots, and in tall buildings high-lift or vertical-lift track can carry the door up the wall instead of across the ceiling.

The track and springs also mount to the jambs and header, so the framing around the opening needs to be solid where the hardware lands. Talk to us early in the build and we'll tell you what the door needs.

Openers built for big doors

A tall insulated door is heavy, and it needs an opener sized for the job. We install LiftMaster and Linear openers matched to the door, including wall-mount openers that drive the torsion shaft directly and keep the ceiling clear for high-lift track or a hoist.

Plan for power where the opener will mount, and let your electrician know before the walls are closed in. Out in the country, battery backup and an outdoor keypad are worth a look too, since power outages and lost remotes don't wait for a convenient day.

Built for snow country

Out in open country, snow drifts hard against doors and piles up where it slides off a steel roof. Sliding barn doors can freeze in their tracks or get buried, while an overhead door with a good bottom seal opens with the push of a button once the opening is cleared.

Always clear drifted snow and ice from the bottom of the door before running the opener. Pushing a heavy door against a drift strains the opener and can pull the door out of its track.

Wind matters out on open land too. A stiffer insulated door flexes less when a gust hits it, and good seals keep snow from sifting in around the edges.

Service for the barn doors you already have

Big outbuilding doors break the same ways home doors do: springs, cables, rollers, track and openers. We repair and service doors on pole barns and shops across Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Antrim and Kalkaska counties, and beyond on occasion. Every truck rolls out stocked, and most repairs are finished on the first visit.

Our office sits on S Blue Star Drive south of Traverse City, just off US-31, and we head out M-72, M-37 and the county roads to barns and shops all over the region.