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.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.The structure over the hangar door is an important consideration. Hangar doors are usually quite wide varying from a minimum of 40 feet on up to greater than 55 feet wide. The header or beam spanning across the top of the door needs to be considered structurally. One way to handle this is by placing a steel I-beam across the door which will hold the weight of the roof. There are several disadvantages to this including higher construction costs due to the steel fabrication issues. Another disadvantage is that the beam bottom will usually fall well below the ceiling of the hangar causing the hangar door to be shorter than the ceiling height. Another, perhaps better, way to handle this is to use some sort of a gable roof or a modified gable roof over the hangar door. This allows the truss system of the roof to act as its own beam. Often the truss that spans over the door is a multi-ply truss and its bottom can be even with the ceiling height of the hangar. This allows the door to be higher and nearly the same height as the ceiling of the hangar. When designing the hangar discuss this aspect with the designer engineer who will work with you to determine the best solution.
8.Another thing to consider is fuel. This usually does not affect the design of the hangar but it is something to consider ultimately. Fuel can be stored in the hangar in tanks usually about 500 gallons of fuel capacity. These are plugged in and have electric pumps and dials to indicate quantity of gas delivered and are very convenient in topping off the airplane before you leave for a trip. Some airport communities have their own fuel farm, this is likely less common but if your airport community has this asset it is probably the best. And, of course, you can plan on flying out to get gasoline at public airports. This is certainly workable but requires careful planning.
These are only a few points to consider in the design of your hangar home - there are many others. Due to the uniqueness of hangar homes design it is recommended that you choose a designer who has had ample experience in designing hangar homes and who preferably lives and a hangar home personally. If you're looking for designs on the Internet, you will likely become frustrated. If you're intending to invest in a hangar homes to be built, it is best to find a designer to custom design a plan uniquely for you. Regardless of what type of design you end up building, your decision to design and build a hangar home will be, without doubt, one of the most thrilling and fulfilling actions you will take a pilot.
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.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.The structure over the hangar door is an important consideration. Hangar doors are usually quite wide varying from a minimum of 40 feet on up to greater than 55 feet wide. The header or beam spanning across the top of the door needs to be considered structurally. One way to handle this is by placing a steel I-beam across the door which will hold the weight of the roof. There are several disadvantages to this including higher construction costs due to the steel fabrication issues. Another disadvantage is that the beam bottom will usually fall well below the ceiling of the hangar causing the hangar door to be shorter than the ceiling height. Another, perhaps better, way to handle this is to use some sort of a gable roof or a modified gable roof over the hangar door. This allows the truss system of the roof to act as its own beam. Often the truss that spans over the door is a multi-ply truss and its bottom can be even with the ceiling height of the hangar. This allows the door to be higher and nearly the same height as the ceiling of the hangar. When designing the hangar discuss this aspect with the designer engineer who will work with you to determine the best solution.
8.Another thing to consider is fuel. This usually does not affect the design of the hangar but it is something to consider ultimately. Fuel can be stored in the hangar in tanks usually about 500 gallons of fuel capacity. These are plugged in and have electric pumps and dials to indicate quantity of gas delivered and are very convenient in topping off the airplane before you leave for a trip. Some airport communities have their own fuel farm, this is likely less common but if your airport community has this asset it is probably the best. And, of course, you can plan on flying out to get gasoline at public airports. This is certainly workable but requires careful planning.
These are only a few points to consider in the design of your hangar home - there are many others. Due to the uniqueness of hangar homes design it is recommended that you choose a designer who has had ample experience in designing hangar homes and who preferably lives and a hangar home personally. If you're looking for designs on the Internet, you will likely become frustrated. If you're intending to invest in a hangar homes to be built, it is best to find a designer to custom design a plan uniquely for you. Regardless of what type of design you end up building, your decision to design and build a hangar home will be, without doubt, one of the most thrilling and fulfilling actions you will take a pilot.
About the Author:
Ken Risley, the Engineer Designer, is an award winning designer with emphasis in Hangar Home Design. He can help you turn your residential design dream into reality.
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