Building doors for the basement entrance

[Maveric77]

Hello everyone!

I have a "project" starting in the next few days, where I am going to attempt to build doors for my basement entrance. It looks like the picture, (though this picture is not my basement) but currently, I have no doors there.



My entrance is a bit larger, which of course means the doors will be wider and thus heavier. I am considering using gas struts/gas springs to facilitate opening/closing, similar to the kind used on car trunks. A more or less slight pull upwards and then the strut helps to open the rest of the way. Also, when closing, the strut holds against it to prevent the door from slamming shut. I plan to use fairly thick planks for the gates to ensure they hold if a playful child should decide to walk on the gates, even though one is obviously not supposed to walk there. Once the gates are built, I'll have to "weigh" them in some way to see how strong the struts need to be or if I need multiple struts on each side.

What do you think of this idea? Or are there simpler solutions to this first-world problem? ;-)

 

[Taxen]

It can be difficult to find the right pistons in length and adjustment of these. You probably want the doors tilted when they are open so they stay in place, and then the pistons need to be long enough and able to fold away when you close them. I'm considering if this type of helper springs might work. http://www.jula.se/catalog/bygg-och-farg/beslag/fonster-dorrbeslag/dorrstangare/dorrstangare-379026/ There's also the type where you see the spiral spring and where you attach one part to the door and the other to the frame. Another option is to place a post with a pulley at the top and attach a wire to the door and an appropriate weight to the other end. When the door is closed, the weight is up and then helps lift the door with its weight.

 

[Maveric77]

Thanks for the input!

The option with a post and weight is something I've considered, but it unfortunately doesn't work for aesthetic reasons since there is a window above the basement entry, and the post would be right in front.

I'm thinking of placing the pistons on the hinge side, on the underside of the door, attached to the concrete wall which is cast together with the basement stairs. The length of the piston could, of course, be an issue, but the closer to the hinge side you place the mount for the piston, the shorter it can be. However, the weight that the piston needs to lift becomes significantly larger the closer to the hinges you place the mount. Hard to explain, but I'm sure you understand...! ;-)

 

[Philip W. da Silva]

Hi!

How did it go with your doors? I'm planning to build something similar. I would really love to see how it turned out and get some tips!

Best regards,
Philip

Thanks for the input!

I've considered the option with a post and weight, but unfortunately, it falls short due to aesthetic reasons; there's a window above the basement entrance, and the post would be right in front of it.

I'm thinking of placing the pistons on the hinge side, underneath the door, attached to the concrete wall that is cast together with the basement stairs. The length of the piston can certainly be an issue, but the closer to the hinge side you place the mount for the piston, the shorter it can be. However, the weight that the piston has to lift becomes significantly greater the closer to the hinges you place the mount. It's hard to explain, but I'm sure you get it...! ;-)