Living in an airport community is a dream shared by many pilots. It's a unique life style that few ever get to experience. The homes in such communities are called hangar homes. Their design is unique and if you're looking to do it you should hire a professional designer experienced in that type of design. Here is a checklist of several considerations to keep in mind when considering designing a hangar home.
1.Most airport communities are developed neighborhoods with their own covenants. These covenants will cover architectural styles, home sizes and, in the case of airport communities, hangar sizes, rules for blending the hangar with the home, space considerations to accommodate the wings of the aircraft that are Taxing nearby and the like. As with any design it is important to become familiar with these deed restrictions.
2.Because lot sizes vary from large to small, setbacks may be an issue. Another factor is whether or not the site is level or has a slope. Sloped sites are quite workable but present unique challenges that must be considered. Generally on sloped lots the hangars are placed on the lower section and the home on the higher section which allows the home and hangar to blend with one another nicely.
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.A key decision that needs to be made regarding hangar homes, is whether or not to connect them to the main house or to build them separately. Each has its advantages. Connecting a hangar to the home can be convenient, and is an obvious choice in areas where one is looking to stay out of the weather, and, to many people, connecting it to the home is just plain cool. However, separating the two can be the better choice. Building a separate hangar is probably the way to go if one is planning on building projects (like building an airplane) because such activities can lead to smells and sounds that one wants to keep separate from the home. Also in situations where the home is going to be very small compared to the hangar sometimes separating the two structures can enhance the balance of the project.
5.Hangers are not only for airplanes. While almost all hangers eventually become storage bins of some sort, many are used quite intentionally for functions such as workshops, storing their boats, storing race cars and, quite, commonly, to store motorhomes. Motorhomes and airplane sizes are usually the determining factor as to how high to make the ceiling of the hangar. Motorhomes, especially the modern ones, are usually taller than 13 feet in height. So when considering the design of your hangar keep in mind any uses you intend to put it to beyond that of storing your precious airplane.
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 airport communities are developed neighborhoods with their own covenants. These covenants will cover architectural styles, home sizes and, in the case of airport communities, hangar sizes, rules for blending the hangar with the home, space considerations to accommodate the wings of the aircraft that are Taxing nearby and the like. As with any design it is important to become familiar with these deed restrictions.
2.Because lot sizes vary from large to small, setbacks may be an issue. Another factor is whether or not the site is level or has a slope. Sloped sites are quite workable but present unique challenges that must be considered. Generally on sloped lots the hangars are placed on the lower section and the home on the higher section which allows the home and hangar to blend with one another nicely.
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.A key decision that needs to be made regarding hangar homes, is whether or not to connect them to the main house or to build them separately. Each has its advantages. Connecting a hangar to the home can be convenient, and is an obvious choice in areas where one is looking to stay out of the weather, and, to many people, connecting it to the home is just plain cool. However, separating the two can be the better choice. Building a separate hangar is probably the way to go if one is planning on building projects (like building an airplane) because such activities can lead to smells and sounds that one wants to keep separate from the home. Also in situations where the home is going to be very small compared to the hangar sometimes separating the two structures can enhance the balance of the project.
5.Hangers are not only for airplanes. While almost all hangers eventually become storage bins of some sort, many are used quite intentionally for functions such as workshops, storing their boats, storing race cars and, quite, commonly, to store motorhomes. Motorhomes and airplane sizes are usually the determining factor as to how high to make the ceiling of the hangar. Motorhomes, especially the modern ones, are usually taller than 13 feet in height. So when considering the design of your hangar keep in mind any uses you intend to put it to beyond that of storing your precious airplane.
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, has been creating Hangar Home Plans for since 2003. He is an awarding winning designer and engineer with over 30 years experience in the design, engineering and construction industry.Learn About Living with you Airplane today.
No comments:
Post a Comment