Hangar Home Living: Fly In, Fly Out in Harmony with Schweiss Doors

In the vibrant city of Chandler, Ariz., you can find the newest luxury gated community known as Stellar Airpark Estate II, a 14-lot subdivision for fly-in, fly-out living. Custom-built Stellar Airpark Estate is tailored specifically for aviation enthusiasts.

Unlike typical homes, every residence includes a hangar, seamlessly connected to the residence. Lot 7 covers just under 20,000 square feet and features a newly built hangar house constructed by Forte Homes of Chandler with the door installation completed by Evans Overhead Doors of Phoenix. Both Forte Homes and Evans Overhear Doors are familiar with bifold and hydraulic doors, having completed many projects with doors from Schweiss Doors.

On the back of the home, the hangar features a 60-foot wide by 17-foot tall Schweiss bifold door. The new bifold hangar door operates by using advanced liftstraps developed by Schweiss Doors in the early 1990s. Inside the hangar door, there are six bottom-driven lift drums that open the door by neatly wrapping the strap around the drum and on top of itself.

The design eliminates tangling issues commonly associated with cables. The improved liftstraps system offers several benefits over traditional cables. With the straps wrapping around themselves, it allows for the bifold door to open faster and close slower. Liftstraps are not only easier to maintain but are also four times stronger than cables.

Another advantage of the liftstraps is that they are pliable, resulting in less wear over time. Metal cables do not naturally want to wrap around a drum, which results in guaranteed fraying with use. Liftstraps outperform cable lifts in durability and longevity. Liftstraps ensure a longer lifespan and reduced maintenance for the hangar owner, one of the many reasons hangar homeowners choose Schweiss liftstrap bifold doors. The liftstrap bifold door also features an internal truss providing extra support while preserving a sleek minimalist design to continue the clean and luxurious theme of the property.

The bifold door offers safety features, including two photo eye sensors on the building columns that detect obstacles and prevent the door from closing on something or someone in the way. Standard on every Schweiss door are limit switches which dictate the door’s range of motion. An additional jiggle switch was added as a backup to the limit switches. If the limit switch was adjusted or failed and the door wanted to over-travel, the jiggle switch would stop the door from opening beyond its limitations.

The face of the liftstrap door is covered with grey metal panels from McElroy Metal, enhancing the modern aesthetic of the hangar home, while providing durability and a sleek, uniform appearance. Located on the left side of the liftstrap bifold door is a walk-through door, for easy access without the need to open the bifold door. Positioned directly on the taxiway, the hangar offers convenient access through the bifold door, making it simple for the owner to enter and exit the hangar with ease.

Evans Overhead Doors of Phoenix, owned by Rob and Mike Evans, completed the installation of the bifold door. With more than 25 years of installing a variety of doors, Evans Overhead Doors brings substantial experience.

“I’ve been working with Schweiss Doors for a long time and they have truly come a long way,” Rob Evans says. “When installed correctly, Schweiss doors are the Cadillac of doors. Schweiss truly makes a beautiful door.”

Evans takes pride in installing Schweiss Doors and is thrilled with the Estate hangar project. He says the door was engineered wonderfully, as always, and performs flawlessly. Given Arizona’s intense heat, weather stripping was installed around the door. Evans says the seal works perfectly, effectively keeping the hot air out when the door is closed.

“I even see Schweiss doors on TV,” Evans says. “There was a Hawaii Five-O episode where they were in a hangar that had a Schweiss liftstrap bifold door. Schweiss doors are just about everywhere and it’s cool to see.

“Schweiss is the best door out there. I’ve installed sliders and other bifold doors and let me tell you, Schweiss is just the best built door. The structure, functionality and application are better than the other doors. Overall, Schweiss doors are the cleanest doors out there.”