Overhead door for laundry room?

[MushCreek]

I must amuse the heck out of you folks with my wacky ideas, but here's another one. In laying out my future house, the plan I'm working with now puts the utility room in a hallway. It's really more of a closet than a utility room; just enough room for a washer and dryer. The only thing I don't like about the location is that I need a 5'+ doorway of sorts to access both machines. If I use bi-fold doors, they will jut out into the hallway quite a bit when open. There isn't enough wall space to use a sliding door. I started to wonder if I could use an over head door, like a garage door, only smaller and more stylish for a home. I found a company that makes them; I bet they're real spendy, though! They're basically a tambour door with wire cables inside the slats. I do have the wherewithal to make one, if I were so inclined. The house is going to have 10' ceilings, and the opening to the laundry only needs to be 6'8", like a regular door, so there's plenty of overhead space for the door to roll up. The hallway only leads to the master bedroom, so it's not a high traffic area, and I drew it up about 4-1/2' wide, so you could get past a laundry basket in the hall. I'd like to be able to close off the laundry both for appearance and to keep the sound contained. Does this sound workable? Any idea if it would be a code violation somehow? You wouldn't be able to actually get in the laundry area; it would be all machines. Any thoughts before I head back to the drafting board (again!)

[MountainDon]

With a hall that wide and a low traffic area to boot I'd likely go with either bifold doors or a double door setup. The left and right halves of the double could open flat against the wall (depending on other factors).

That's me.

[poppy]

Have you considered stackable W/D?  Wouldn't need as wide a door.

[Redoverfarm]

Seems like a perfect oppurtunity for Pocket Doors.  Either 2-24",2-30",2-32", 2-34" or even go the distance with 2-36" solid 6 panels.   

[Don_P]

Why run the tambours up? Open 'em like an acordian door?
Don't forget the dryer run length 

[MushCreek]

All good suggestion; none of them will work. Bi-fold doors will sort of work if the track is on the inside of the frame, and I don't mind walking around them. I'm pretty sure they will be open most of the time, if it goes like it does at this house. I can't open a regular door 180 degrees, because one door would hit the bedroom wall, and the other would block the cellar stairs. The wall of this utility closet is only 6-1/2' long, so pocket doors won't work at all- there's no where for them to go. I don't think my vertically challenged wife would be too happy with a stackable set, and I don't like the limited selection of machines. I suppose the tambour could go the other way, if there's enough room to snake them around the machines. They would be easier to open, if I could get them to work smoothly. The ones I saw on a website were electrically operated, with a manual back-up in case of power failure (ain't gonna do the wash if the power is out, though).

The dryer vent run would be about 14'; I would run smooth rigid duct for most of it. Will it work OK at that distance? The two most frustrating things to fit in a small house design are stairs and laundry rooms, and I need both of them! That, and the missus is adamant about two bathrooms; she will NOT have guests in the master bath!

[MountainDon]

When I suggested bi-fold doors I may have made an incorrect assumption. I've seen so many laundries set up with them here, it never occurred to me to state a pair of bifolds. One bifold on the left and one bifold on the right. When open they would stick out about 18 inches, not at all bad for a wide hallway.  

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Smaller spaces sure are more difficult to work with/around. Might need a compromise, like shutting the doors more. 


It's likely just me, but I don't like complications like tambor or roll up doors. maybe I haven't seen a good one. Or maybe I don't like the idea of spending what a good one might cost.

[MountainDon]

Do you have a link to the one you found?

Most I found don't even list example pricing.
http://www.accordiondoors.net/Jobs_Album_5.htm

I did find one link with sample pricing, but it's downright frightening!  It is commercial grade though.
http://www.accordiondoors.net/Roll_Up_Doors.htm

[MushCreek]

Here is the one I looked at  http://www.woodfold.com/ - no pricing, though. I was thinking more along the lines of building my own- engineering challenge, etc. I measured the machines, and you could probably get away (barely) with a 60" opening. Also, the closet is 36" deep (inside measurement), and the machines only about 27", so I could recess the door jamb more than normal, and put the door tracks as far inboard as possible. Putting the tracks 6" in from the wall cuts down a lot on the protrusion into the hallway. Using 16" panels for a 32" bifold gives a 64" opening (less the thickness of the doors) and would only stick out 10" into the hallway. It looks like bi-fold would be a workable solution- I still like the 'cool' factor of a roll up, though!

[MountainDon]

I understand the aspect of the challenge... and the cool factor.  


Those sites (yours and mine) are related. Some of the same images at least.

[Rover]

How about a curtainrod within the wall opening or on the wall in the hallway.  Then curtains split in the middle.  It takes up little space, cheap, easy, quick quick to operate and should muffle some sound of the laundry machines. 

[Onkeludo2]

What about a gas-strut assisted vertical bi-fold.  You want wacky...It would work and depending on ceiling height and opening height, it could tuck against the wall above the opening or against the ceiling out of the way.