Given that Gliderol is one of the long-standing brands in the UK market, questions of whether their doors fit in smaller spaces occur often enough to deserve a proper answer.
Space plays a factor when a customer is deciding whether a roller door is useful in smaller garages, but the answer depends to some degree on the conditions and limitations involved.
Why roller doors are ideal for smaller garages
Less clearance is needed for roller doors in compact garages, and this is perhaps the most fundamental reason roller doors are ideal for compact garages. An up-and-over door swings open at the base, so you need more space in front of the garage and more room at the back to accommodate for headspace. Gliderol roller doors, however, open and coil above the door, into a compact barrel, which keeps the garage space more open and allows you to park closer without obstructing the door.
The more space that is lost with depth, the more valuable that space becomes, and this is true for a large majority of single garages in the UK. Whereas traditional doors provide only marginal gain, roller doors provide much more than that.
What does a Gliderol Door require?
When getting a Gliderol roller door, you need a clean space above the garage door area where the door is installed, where the barrel and drive mechanism can be above the door. This may lead to issues if the garage has low lintels. Different sized doors have different requirements in terms of space. For example a door that is 10 foot wide has a different requirement to a door that is 6 foot wide. As a rough estimate though, you are looking at about 200 – 300mm of space above the door you are installing to give housing for the door system. If the lintel is sitting flush with the ceiling, you must check this before moving on to all the other tasks.
According to some people, the width of the doors may be an issue. This is not true. Gliderol make doors to suit a wide range of sizes and widths. The UK single garage opening width has also been sized to suit this as opposed to being scaled down versions of wider commercial products. This is a positive change in how they operate and have functionality in reality as opposed to most of their competitors.
For the smaller garages that can be used as a workshop or utility space, air volume is a common problem. The smaller the volume of air, the more they feel the temperature extremes of their environment. Smaller garages that may be used for more than just storage also tend to feel the extremes more. In Gliderol’s isolated slats, this is an important consideration, while they can not make a room warmer than it is, they can make the environment more comfortable and reduce condensation, that is an abundant problem in the winter months. This commonly occurs in the structure of a garage that has no insulation.
If you are just using your garage for parking cars, or short term flat packed storage then a non insulated door would be a suitable and cheaper option.
Small Spaces
Small garages can create some issues that are not evident right away. Often, the door can be obstructed which makes fit the side guide channels and the side mounting brackets tricky. This isn’t really a reason to not go for a roller door option, but you want to mention it to someone quoting the job so they plan for it rather than figuring it out the day of the install.
The servicing side of things can also be an issue. In smaller garages, the axle sits further back which can make servicing the mechanism a little more difficult, but it isn’t something to worry about.
Best Option Available
For the majority of smaller garages in the UK, a Gliderol roller door is going to be your best bet. Other options are out there but the Gliderol is going to do the best job at integrating with the space you have available. They also have a large enough selection to suit almost all standard opening sizes. If you are looking for a more insulated roller door, Gliderol is also a suitable option. They have been around long enough that you can also find parts and servicing quite easily.
