Make a custom garage screen door

Hello folks! My latest project goes through process of designing and fabricating a custom screen door for a garage bakery. The screen door is custom made for the bakers needs with 2 smaller zipper doors that can be easily opened to roll out racks of fresh bread to take to market or easily carry in supplies for another baking session. The key element in the design plan has baking al fresco in the hot summer and fall months without allowing any “nature” to wander or blow in. Designed to be sturdy enough to withstand the natural elements as well as the constant use of the zippered doors- this screen door should stand the test of time.

This is my friend Andrew of Hawk and Sparrow Bread. He’s the local artisan bread baker in our town and all around great guy. He converted his garage into a bakery and needed a way to cool off the bakery during the hot months.

We brainstormed ideas and took into account his specific needs. A design with two smaller zippered entrances for quick and easy entry and exiting is what we decided on.

Making a plan then purchasing supplies

All of the supplies- screen, zippers and velcro were purchased at Sailrite. The khaki green outdoor canvas that just so happened to match the outside color of Andrew’s house was found at the local thrift store.

The project was pretty simple, the scale was the trickiest part. Using the backyard lawn to layout the project was very helpful.

Sewing a project this big also took patience. Working in steps as much as possible was a great way to keep the scale workable as long as possible.

It wasn’t until the zippers had been installed that I realized my mistake. In hindsight, I should have stepped backed and puzzled through the zipper conundrum a little longer. The zippers were installed facing down, so they zipped up too close. I should have mounted them so they zipped down to close. I could have avoided the separating zipper issue I ran into. Hindsight is 20/20!

The finished project looked great and checked all of the boxes of necessary features. Check out my video and the process of making this screen door should be useful in brainstorming helpful ideas for your own custom garage door screen or any other screen situation you may have in mind. Thanks!