Featured: Agriculture

Located in the heart of Nebraska, James Hansen takes pride in his farming operation.

“I was raised around here and farmed with my dad for years,” he says. He took a number of years away from the farm to work as a diesel mechanic for the state of Nebraska, but when his father retired, he stepped back in. “I took kind of an early retirement from the state of Nebraska and went into full-time farming and haven’t looked back since.”

“When I’m farming, I feel like I’m working for myself, and you take a lot of pride in it,” says Hansen.

That sense of pride translates into a job well done. When it came time to choose a new door for his farm shop retrofit, Hansen did his research. “I heard a lot of good things about Diamond Doors,” he says. “I’ve seen your website, I started doing more research on AgTalk, different websites on farmers who’ve dealt with different styles of doors and had very good reviews on Diamond doors as far as quality.”

Hansen added a few important options to his bifold door package. This included the insulation package, bifold door trim and cladding to complete his building upgrades, windows, and a square cut corner.

“The ceiling height was a huge thing for me,” he says. “I needed that… I have a 14-foot header height [on the building] and I could not drop below that because of the combine.”

Because Hansen uses his farm shop to do maintenance on his combine, it was important to make sure that his door offered at least a 14-foot clear opening. Typically, this isn’t an issue, as Diamond bifold doors mount above the clear opening to provide the full clearance needed. However, the overhang around Hansen’s building limited the available options.

That’s when Diamond Doors suggested a square cut corner, which allows the door to open to the fully without running into the overhang.

At the end of the day, Hansen is pleased with the door. “Very good quality product,” he says. “I’m happy with it. Very happy.”

And since customer satisfaction is our measure of success, we’re happy too.

At Diamond Doors, customer satisfaction is our measure of success. We’re available by phone toll-free at 866-325-7600 or by email at info@diamonddoors.com. Contact our sales team today to get free pricing on your bifold hangar door.

Video Transcript

After countless paint jobs, Richard Hanson decided it was time to do something about his barn.

Built in 1889, Hanson’s family originally used the barn as a cattle barn, hay storage, and shelter for the farm’s workhorses. 136 years later, it was time to either tin it, or bulldoze it.

Hanson, who farms 3400 acres in  with his son, father, and brother in western Iowa, hired contractor Elmer Salazar to do the work.

“We were talking about something on the doors one day,” says Hanson. “I’m like, I’d really like to put a better door on here. [Elmer] says, ‘Well, I sell doors.’”

Elmer Salazar has been a dealer for Diamond Doors since 2023, selling and installing bifold doors across Iowa. “I like installing doors,” he says with a smile, “and the customer likes Diamond doors, so it’s a good thing.”

But while the hangar-style bifold door was exactly what Hanson was looking for, he wasn’t sure if it was the right fit for his old barn. “That’s an old, old building,” he says. “It doesn’t get much older than that.”

This didn’t concern Salazar, since he installs bifold doors on everything from pole barns to brand new sheds.

Advantages of a bifold door on an old barn

A bifold door offers a few advantages for this kind of project. First, Diamond bifold doors are a good fit for retrofit applications, where a customer puts a new door on an existing building. The self supporting header option provides structural support to carry the weight and loads of the door, which is especially useful for older buildings where the cost of adding the required bracing and support is prohibitive.

The second advantage is the convenient use and operation for the bifold door. Unlike sliding doors, which must be opened manually and frequently jam or become loose in their tracks, Diamond bifold doors are easy to operate with the push of a button.

Finally, Diamond doors offer reliability and easy maintenance. In fact, Salazar says that “from the time that I had to be a dealer, I never had to come back for maintenance or something in the doors, and that’s something that I think makes Diamond Doors special for me. I mean, they work great.”

Hanson is quick to agree. “It’s well built. It’s quiet operation… and you can just tell the way they’re built that they’re high quality.”

Video Transcript

Moving an oversized cattle and hay storage building twelve miles to a new building site is no small task, but third generation farmer Andy Keen had a plan.

The original post frame building, constructed in 1976 by Andy’s stepfather’s uncle, was designed to serve as cattle and hay storage. However, in 2024, Andy realized that the now dilapidated building could be put to better use as storage for his growing farm equipment, but it would take time and hard work to get it there.

That’s when he partnered with Tim Friesen of Celerity Builders to make the vision a reality.

“Tim came on board,” says Andy, “and right away, I knew it was going to be good.”

The project had a few big needs, including some structural reinforcement and new doors to fit Andy’s equipment.

Door Options for Post Frame Buildings

There were a few things to consider when looking at door options for Andy’s post frame building, including pricing and design.

“Andy Keen’s door was unique because of the building… and the 50 foot clear width [that he needed],” says Tim. That’s where Diamond Doors came in.

The unique design of the building meant that width and height were limited for certain door styles, but a bifold door could easily maximize the size of the door’s clear opening. Pricing for other door options didn’t come close to what Diamond Doors could offer.

Tim had worked with Diamond Doors in the past, and Andy had heard about the company through a local Hutterite colony.

“We really like the design,” says Andy. He adds that it’s a light door, meaning that a Diamond door doesn’t put excessive strain on the building. “You’re not worried about the hardware and wear and tear.”

Plus, the overall design of the bifold door made retrofitting it to an existing building the simplest option.

“With the type of post frame building [Andy] had, we would have had to do other additions to the building [to accommodate] the weight of the other door styles,” Tim says.

But with a Diamond door? “We were able to just put the door up with a few minor alterations.”

A Bifold Door and Building That Will Last for Generations

Andy is proud of the finished project, saying that he “has a building that my son and my daughter will be able to use, and maybe their kids too.”

The Diamond bifold door is a centerpiece of the entire post frame building, and an integral part of Andy’s day-to-day operations.

“These doors, they just work so smooth and so well,” he says. “You’re never worried about them.”

With the significant investment in the cost of machinery and farm equipment nowadays, it pays to have a place to safely and securely store it. “It’s something that we know pays dividends for our farm in the future,” says Andy.

As a reliable, easy-to-operate, and secure door, a Diamond bifold door plays a key role in protecting farm equipment on Andy’s post frame building.

When asked about ease of use, Andy says that you “hit the button, they open. Hit the button, they go down. That’s peace of mind. We’re glad we chose Diamond Doors.”

Video Transcript

Video Transcript

Diamond bifold doors give quonsets and other farm doors across North America new purpose and improved functionality. Here’s a closer look at a story close to home.

As a 5^th generation farmer, Brodie Durston understands the value of hard work. When his grandfather started the current farm location near Dauphin, Manitoba in 1959, he ran a mixed calf and grain operation. In the early 1960s, he built a quonset that housed his seed cleaning operation. But as the farm continued to grow, it became apparent that more space was required to keep up with the needs of the farm.

Now using the quonset as an unheated shop, Brodie found that the aging sliding doors couldn’t keep up with their needs. They were becoming difficult to move and frequently jammed with snow and debris, causing extra work and frustration. After all, running a mixed calf and grain operation makes efficiency and ease of use a priority in day-to-day operations.

That’s when Brodie started looking at options to upgrade the sliding doors on his quonset.

“A friend of mine suggested we look into a Diamond door,” he said. “They have two in use on two separate buildings and had been happy with them.”

The Project

A Diamond door was a good fit for this retrofit project, especially with the addition of the self-supporting header system. This door feature makes it possible to install a bifold door that is sometimes taller or wider than what the quonset would typically allow. In some cases, like with Brodie’s quonset, it can also provide additional structural support to hold the weight of the door.

Brodie also opted to add polycarbonate sheeting to the top half of his bifold door.

Polycarbonate sheeting is a great option to allow plenty of natural light into your building. For Brodie, it makes the quonset a much more pleasant place to work, as it is now brighter and more inviting.

Diamond Doors offers 10mm and 30mm polycarbonate sheeting options. The 30mm polycarbonate, also known as Therma Vu, provides an insulation value similar to that of standard double pane window.

Since Brodie chose to insulate his bifold door, the Therma Vu polycarbonate sheeting was the perfect complement.

While the quonset is currently unheated, the insulation package provides improved temperature control in the shop. Together with his bifold door, it makes the quonset a more comfortable place to work during the frigid Manitoba winters and ensures the building is ready when Brodie chooses to heat the quonset.

The Installation

Like many farmers, Brodie has had his share of experience in construction. He decided to tackle the work of installing the Diamond door on his own and found that it was a simpler experience than he expected.

Brodie says of his experience that “since this was our first door install, we were pleased with how it turned out. We were slow, but the materials and fasteners were all there and the in-depth instructions gave us confidence.”

Easy installation is a key part of the Diamond Doors commitment to our customers. Shipping the frame fully assembled, pre-wired, and with everything needed for installation makes the entire experience hassle-free and as simple as possible.

“The fact that all the door cladding was precut was a nice touch,” adds Brodie, highlighting another Diamond Door advantage.

When customers order cladding or trims through Diamond Doors, we provide the exact lengths needed. This saves time measuring and cutting during the door installation.

When questions did come up during the installation process, Diamond Doors was readily available to help. When Brodie called with a question about installing the polycarbonate panels on his bifold quonset door, he says that he felt supported by the Diamond Doors team.

In addition to a thorough instruction manual, we strive to be as accessible as possible. Our service department is always ready to answer your questions before, during, or after the installation process.

The Experience

“The door is great. [We are] very pleased with it and would not hesitate to order another one,” says Brodie. “The full opening height and width is a really nice feature.” He’s happy to recommend a Diamond door to other farmers.

Located in southern Manitoba and coming from a background of farming, Diamond Doors has built many strong relationships in the agricultural industry. Our rich history helps us understand the needs of farmers and agricultural producers across North America and provide door solutions for any building type.

If you have questions about your existing bifold quonset door or are looking for information about a new door, our team is always happy to help. Call our office at 866-325-7600 or email info@diamonddoors.com and you’ll hear back from us shortly.

The Loutchan’s own a third-generation family grain farm. This farm, originally founded by Ron Loutchan’s grandfather, is nearly 100 years old. With a quonset machine shop built in 1989, the Loutchans found that their biggest difficulty was fitting their large equipment through their old machine shop door.

Having lasted the test of time, quonset buildings (like the Loutchans’) are usually still structurally sound after many years. Despite the building being in relatively good condition, the quonset doors have worn, causing them to become difficult to open, or are too small to accommodate today’s large agricultural equipment.

“The reason I went with a Diamond Door is it’s well manufactured, it’s sturdy, very well built in my eyes. I really wish I could have installed this door when I built the shop”. – Ron Loutchan.

Due to the size of the quonset, a larger overhead door was out of the question. That’s where Diamond Doors came in. The clear opening of the door was maximized by using the Diamond Doors Self-Supporting Header, allowing the Loutchans to fit their John Deere 9860 combine into the quonset for winter maintenance, along with other large farm machinery and equipment.

Ron’s son Evan says: “The door helps us farm more efficiently. We can put machinery in there in the winter that we could not before and work on it when we have the time. It’s definitely paid for itself”.

The Loutchans now have a high quality bifold door that will last for generations to come.