Polycarbonate Clad Bifold Door Gives Hangar Exclusive Look

With a decorative star and patriotic blue front, it leads one to believe the home may be owned by Captain America.

Jim Weitman of Weitman Excavation in Sherwood, Ore., along with his wife Star, live on a private grass airstrip just outside of North Plains, Ore. Their hangar is 40 by 40 feet and attached to their home. The Schweiss Doors bifold liftstrap door on the hangar offers a clear opening width of 38 feet and a height of 9 feet, 8-3/4 inches. It is equipped with automatic latches, electric photo eye sensors and a remote opener.

“With the exterior enhancements, including a new roof, cedar siding and a colored concrete apron, we really wanted to replace the old-style twin 20-foot metal garage hangar doors with something that really stood out and complemented our lifestyle,” Weitman says. “I love the bifold and the appearance of the door. Even on the inside it has clean lines. I love to open up that door on a sunny day, even on a rainy day, my wife and I sit out in the hangar shielded from the elements and watch the clouds go by.”

Weitman says flying brings balance to their lives, with preferences toward free (unpowered) flight and freedom to break on through to sunnier skies. He has been flying for 29 years and when it comes to powered flight, Jim and Star share the skies with their 1946 Cessna 140. Plans are to add an Experimental Vans RV-14 to their hangar.

The blue polycarbonate cladding really brightens up the exterior of the door.

“Star and I were looking for an energy-efficient, lightweight product with light transmission qualities to clad the door” Weitman says. “We had worked with polycarbonate products in similar arenas in the past and decided on the interlocking 40mm Lexan Polycarbonate system for this application. Besides having high-impact qualities, this product provides a thermal insulation of 4.47 R-value, a UV-protected outer surface and a 10-year limited written warranty against long-term weathering conditions.”

Weitman added that depending on the color of the product, one could expect 20-59 percent light transmission. With his application, they chose the color blue that allows for 20 percent light transmission. Finally, the weight of the product made for easy installation and fell well within the design criteria of the door.

Several years ago, Weitman was introduced to Schweiss Doors by a neighbor who was installing a bifold door himself. They became interested in the quality of the product and design and reached out to Schweiss Doors to design his door.

“We did check with other door manufacturers before deciding on Schweiss Doors,” Weitman says. “It wasn’t a long review process. We quickly understood that Schweiss Doors set the benchmark in their industry for hangar door designs, customer service and support. Price wasn’t a factor in our decision. We were looking for quality and functionality of the finished product.”

Weitman pointed out that his bifold door, as manufactured, is designed to seal well in all types of weather and mentioned that special attention to accurate dimensioning during the framing process is a must. Installation details enhance the inherent sealing qualities designed in the door itself.

“As contractors ourselves and acting as our own general contractor/installer, we chose to install the Schweiss door ourselves and it went well,” he says. “Separate from the door installation itself, retrofitting an existing opening provided its own unique journey. Working with a local structural engineer, we designed a steel-framed system to fit within an existing wood-framed structure to carry the operational loads of the door. The system complemented the door so well, we look forward to utilizing the same process on future new and retrofit hangar homes.”

Weitman gave a thumbs-up to the helpful staff at Schweiss Doors and mentioned the door arrived on time and in good condition.

“Now that our door is installed, the benchmark Schweiss Doors set early on as the industry leader in design, customer service ad support processes, followed their product with quality, on-time delivery and the attention to details, all surrounding safety and functionality,” he says. “We were very impressed.”