Double Shed Doors

Choosing the size and style of your shed's doors is more than just an aesthetic decision. A shed with a narrow doorway is often less functional than a design with a wider opening. Storage sheds need to open wide and say "aaahhhh," or you'll never be able to get everything out that you've wedged inside.

Michael wrote:

I would like info on building two doors for my shed, the opening is 5 foot so I would like to go with two 2.5 foot doors that open out away from each other. How would I build and hang them? I would like hinges to be on the inside so someone can't simply unscrew my hinges and find their way into my shed. I also would like to use T-111 siding as that is what is used for all my walls.

I need to apologize, as I've been off on summer vacation and away from the computer for a while. Your note came in just before I headed out. I've been mulling it over for a week or so. It just happens that I'm getting close to building a set of double doors for my shed ...

My shed was built with T-111 ten years ago. I tweaked the plans a bit and ended up building a single wide doorway. I winged the door framing, simply cutting a sheet of T-111 to fit the space, then I nailed 2x3s to the backside. The original door was completely under built, and while it's held up over the years, it's time for it to be rebuilt with more structural integrity. I'm going to open up the doorway by taking out a stud, in order to make room for a nice set of double doors.

Hiding the door hinges shouldn't be a problem. It's just a question of finding the right heavy duty hardware. I'm thinking that a good set of exterior door hinges should handle the weight of the doors. (It'll take some time in the hardware store, no doubt ... but there's no need to leave with any fancy brass hinges.) Once that's tackled, it's a question of adequate weatherstripping to keep out the critters.

In hindsight, I can tell you that doors should never be an afterthought. My new set of doors will be meticulously glued and screwed, rather than nailed together. (I admit that by the time I built the original door, I just wanted to get the project done.)

I'll drag out the video camera to capture the work in process. And if I'm lucky, I won't cut myself up or slam my thumb with the hammer ...