A commercial pilot for a well-known short-haul package holiday airline can now extend his flight time from the comfort of his own home, thanks to garage door manufacturer Hörmann and installation company, Foremost Garage Doors.
Mr Henry Brewis, 50, of Bury St. Edmunds has been flying since he was 19, and as such, owns a private four-seater Jabiru aeroplane, which he houses in a purpose-built 105 sq.m cart lodge. As well as Henry' light aircraft, the cart lodge is also home to plenty of overhead storage and his family's four cars, which all fit neatly under the Jabiru's 8.12m wing span.
After keeping his plane in a nearby airfield, some 20 minutes drive away, Henry decided it was time to invest in his own personal aircraft hangar.
The Brewis' old listed farmhouse was renovated 20 years ago with the oak-framed cart lodge/garage built in 2014 to an architect's specifications and Henry's vision of creating a door opening wide enough to park his beloved plane.
Once planning permission had been granted, the structural ground works started in November 2013, but due to wet weather, the building completion was delayed until Spring. With specialist 6x2 lengths of Glulam (laminated timber comprising of strong bonded layers) and locally sourced 9in.sq beams of oak support the roof structure, it took just six weeks to build above ground level from start to finish.
When Henry began the specification process, he sourced quotes from commercial door companies, however, he decided they were far too heavy and expensive for domestic use. With a brief for an affordable, attractive garage door to fit a 12m wide opening, he approached a couple of specialists with his unusual request, but unfortunately they could not offer any help or guidance.
After a recommendation from a fellow friend, he was introduced to Andy Simmonds at Fore-Most Garage Doors in Ipswich, who was very positive about the proposed challenge, on the proviso that he could source the relevant products from Hörmann, and seek advice from the manufacturer's domestic engineer and UK resident expert, Alex MacKay.
The clean white finish of the garage doors matches the Jabiru perfectly, and if Henry decides to upgrade to a six-seater aircraft, he can easily do so, as the current width and height of the doors were specified to allow this future eventuality.
For Andy, working with Henry's architect and builder was key to ensuring the construction was completely level, in order to safeguard an accurate installation. As with any garage door fitting, it is of the upmost importance for the door openings and side walls to be correctly aligned for smooth operation, and for the relevant clearances to be left in the reveals to enable the door to function properly. Since the proposed sectional side-sliding doors needed to be so significant in size, the boom tolerance, lintel strength and load-bearing weight had to be factored in so that the space could provide ample support.
Henry agrees that a team effort is required for a successful build: "By using the necessary skills and inside knowledge of a door specialist from the outset, meant that we knew the exact specifications required to undertake such a project," he commented.
"I particularly liked the 'can-do' attitude of Andy at Fore-Most, as nothing was too much trouble. The doors work incredibly well; they are exactly as I expected, so I am very pleased with the end result.
"I would advise anyone to thoroughly do their door research and enlist the help of experts early on for both the purchase decision and installation."
Renting the field next door from a local farmer has meant that Henry, his wife Hayley and two daughters can fly from home at short notice, virtually taking off from their back garden, which has been a blessing when travelling the 200 miles to Somerset in 1.5 hours to make the most of their Summer holidays.
www.hormann.co.uk
www.foremostgaragedoors.co.uk
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