There are few more unique lifestyles than living in an airport community. The designing of a hangar home is a unique skill and one best handled by professional designer well experienced in the subject. In this article we will cover a few specific points that you will value as suggestions to consider.
1.Most aviation communities have architectural covenants. It is important to know these rules. Many are unique to these types of communities such as issues regarding street sign heights, taxiway clearance and the like. Most covenants include requirements for sizes of the homes and even the hangars themselves. Some communities dictate whether the hangar can face the runway directly or not. Some address issues such as whether or not the hangar must blend in with the home. These are all factors that need to be considered before one begins the adventure of designing and building a hangar home.
2.If you're looking at owning a large airport community lot setbacks are usually not a factor. However the smaller sites where the edges are close together will require a close understanding of the setbacks required. Lots are sometimes flat and sometimes have slopes to them. If your site has a slope it is usually best to place the hangar on the lower area of the slope and the home on the upper regions of the slope. This allows the architecture of the hangar and home to blend nicely. There are always exceptions but these are common considerations.
3.If you're looking to build a hangar greater than 2000 ft., and most areas of the United States this fact will kick in codes which exceed standard residential codes. Keep this in mind when choosing a size. Deciding on the size of your hangar will be hinged upon how many airplanes you plan to store as well as their sizes. Also you may intend to use your hangar for other purposes besides storing aircraft. See below for further considerations. If you can live with a size of 2000 ft. or less that will have its advantages.
4.You'll have to make a decision whether or not to connect the hangar to the home or to build it separately from the home. There are several considerations. Hangars that are connected to the home tend to be slightly cheaper to build, and are considered quite desirable by many pilots. An advantage, of course, is to be able to avoid the weather and walk straight from the house into the hangar to see your airplane. If you intend, however, to build projects in your hangar then separating it from the house may be the most desirable. Building projects often create sounds and smells which are best separated from the house. There are also architectural factors that come into play when connecting a hangar in a home and these, too, should be considered. Hiring an experienced hangar home designer will make this easy.
5.How do you intend to use your hangar? Obviously, one intends to put an airplane in the hangars but many folks user hangars for other functions as well. Hangars usually become storage bins. Like everything else this can be controlled. But common uses of hangars include workshops, storing boats, storing cars - especially if you're looking not to build a separate garage, and storing motorhomes. Regarding motorhomes, modern motorhomes are generally greater than 13 feet in height above the floor when you consider their air-conditioner. That and the height of your airplane may be the determining factors as to how tall to make your hangar ceiling. These also affect the height of the door. When considering your hangar make certain that you predict, as well as possible, its ultimate uses.
6.There are many kinds of hangar doors. Deciding which type to use is an important part of the hangar design. There are three main types. One is called a hydraulic door, another is an accordion door, and the third type is called a bifold door. Hydraulic doors are usually lifted with some sort of hydraulic machinery and are hinged at the top and open is one large slab. They open horizontally and can act as a nice bit of shade on a sunny day. You can place any type of siding that you wish on these types of doors. Bifold doors are, perhaps, the most common. These are generally split into an upper and lower slabs with a hinge between as well as the top. These the open outward like a bifold door. These are usually lifted with chains or belts. Accordion doors are perhaps the least common are preferred by many people. The big advantage of these is that they can be opened and closed by moving them them left and right thus avoiding the need for electrical hookup.
7.What kind of a beam one is going to have over the hangar door is an important factor. Hangar doors are, typically, well over 40 feet wide and often as wide as 50 to 55 feet. Spanning that distance over the top of the door can become a structural problem. One way to solve it is to place a steel I-beam over the door and let the I-beam support the weight of the roof over the hangar. This can be cumbersome in the fact that the beam will have to generally extend down into the space of the hangar thereby requiring the ceiling of the hangar to be significantly higher than the top of the door. An excellent way to handle this, is to use a gable or a modified gable crossing over the opening. With a properly designed roof a gable truss, generally several plys, can be placed over the hangar door and act as a beam and a major advantage of this is that the bottom of this beam does not protrude below the ceiling level of the hangar. In this instance the hangar door can be pressed more closely to the ceiling and give one greater clearance for motorhomes or airplanes.
8.Another thing to consider is fuel. Do you want to keep fuel in a fuel tank that you will keep inside your hangar? Perhaps there is fuel on the property that is maintained by the Association; this can be an excellent way when available. Of course, one can always fly out for fuel and this is workable most of the time but it does require careful organization of one's flights and fuel stops.
There are, of course, many other details to consider. Hangar home design is different than the design of regular homes. If you're searching the Internet looking for plans you will undoubtedly be frustrated. If you're considering investing into a hangar home and having one build it is, hands down, advisable to hire a designer to create a custom design for you. Due to the unique aspects of hangar homes design it is best to deal with somebody who has had ample experience in this field. Ideally your designer will live in a hangar home his or herself and be able to gain from personal insight and that of close neighbors. If you decide to design and build a hangar home you are in for one of the most fulfilling and thrilling adventures of your life.
1.Most aviation communities have architectural covenants. It is important to know these rules. Many are unique to these types of communities such as issues regarding street sign heights, taxiway clearance and the like. Most covenants include requirements for sizes of the homes and even the hangars themselves. Some communities dictate whether the hangar can face the runway directly or not. Some address issues such as whether or not the hangar must blend in with the home. These are all factors that need to be considered before one begins the adventure of designing and building a hangar home.
2.If you're looking at owning a large airport community lot setbacks are usually not a factor. However the smaller sites where the edges are close together will require a close understanding of the setbacks required. Lots are sometimes flat and sometimes have slopes to them. If your site has a slope it is usually best to place the hangar on the lower area of the slope and the home on the upper regions of the slope. This allows the architecture of the hangar and home to blend nicely. There are always exceptions but these are common considerations.
3.If you're looking to build a hangar greater than 2000 ft., and most areas of the United States this fact will kick in codes which exceed standard residential codes. Keep this in mind when choosing a size. Deciding on the size of your hangar will be hinged upon how many airplanes you plan to store as well as their sizes. Also you may intend to use your hangar for other purposes besides storing aircraft. See below for further considerations. If you can live with a size of 2000 ft. or less that will have its advantages.
4.You'll have to make a decision whether or not to connect the hangar to the home or to build it separately from the home. There are several considerations. Hangars that are connected to the home tend to be slightly cheaper to build, and are considered quite desirable by many pilots. An advantage, of course, is to be able to avoid the weather and walk straight from the house into the hangar to see your airplane. If you intend, however, to build projects in your hangar then separating it from the house may be the most desirable. Building projects often create sounds and smells which are best separated from the house. There are also architectural factors that come into play when connecting a hangar in a home and these, too, should be considered. Hiring an experienced hangar home designer will make this easy.
5.How do you intend to use your hangar? Obviously, one intends to put an airplane in the hangars but many folks user hangars for other functions as well. Hangars usually become storage bins. Like everything else this can be controlled. But common uses of hangars include workshops, storing boats, storing cars - especially if you're looking not to build a separate garage, and storing motorhomes. Regarding motorhomes, modern motorhomes are generally greater than 13 feet in height above the floor when you consider their air-conditioner. That and the height of your airplane may be the determining factors as to how tall to make your hangar ceiling. These also affect the height of the door. When considering your hangar make certain that you predict, as well as possible, its ultimate uses.
6.There are many kinds of hangar doors. Deciding which type to use is an important part of the hangar design. There are three main types. One is called a hydraulic door, another is an accordion door, and the third type is called a bifold door. Hydraulic doors are usually lifted with some sort of hydraulic machinery and are hinged at the top and open is one large slab. They open horizontally and can act as a nice bit of shade on a sunny day. You can place any type of siding that you wish on these types of doors. Bifold doors are, perhaps, the most common. These are generally split into an upper and lower slabs with a hinge between as well as the top. These the open outward like a bifold door. These are usually lifted with chains or belts. Accordion doors are perhaps the least common are preferred by many people. The big advantage of these is that they can be opened and closed by moving them them left and right thus avoiding the need for electrical hookup.
7.What kind of a beam one is going to have over the hangar door is an important factor. Hangar doors are, typically, well over 40 feet wide and often as wide as 50 to 55 feet. Spanning that distance over the top of the door can become a structural problem. One way to solve it is to place a steel I-beam over the door and let the I-beam support the weight of the roof over the hangar. This can be cumbersome in the fact that the beam will have to generally extend down into the space of the hangar thereby requiring the ceiling of the hangar to be significantly higher than the top of the door. An excellent way to handle this, is to use a gable or a modified gable crossing over the opening. With a properly designed roof a gable truss, generally several plys, can be placed over the hangar door and act as a beam and a major advantage of this is that the bottom of this beam does not protrude below the ceiling level of the hangar. In this instance the hangar door can be pressed more closely to the ceiling and give one greater clearance for motorhomes or airplanes.
8.Another thing to consider is fuel. Do you want to keep fuel in a fuel tank that you will keep inside your hangar? Perhaps there is fuel on the property that is maintained by the Association; this can be an excellent way when available. Of course, one can always fly out for fuel and this is workable most of the time but it does require careful organization of one's flights and fuel stops.
There are, of course, many other details to consider. Hangar home design is different than the design of regular homes. If you're searching the Internet looking for plans you will undoubtedly be frustrated. If you're considering investing into a hangar home and having one build it is, hands down, advisable to hire a designer to create a custom design for you. Due to the unique aspects of hangar homes design it is best to deal with somebody who has had ample experience in this field. Ideally your designer will live in a hangar home his or herself and be able to gain from personal insight and that of close neighbors. If you decide to design and build a hangar home you are in for one of the most fulfilling and thrilling adventures of your life.
About the Author:
Ken Risley, the Engineer Designer, is an award winning designer and engineer specializing in Hangar Home Design. He can help you turn your residential design dream into reality.
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