HECTOR, MINN. – It is a special thing to have a private airstrip in your backyard. Don Smith Jr. knew he wanted a similarly special hangar on his Pennsylvania property to go along with it. An average hangar with a simple door just wouldn’t be enough for what Smith had in mind.
“We wanted to have something that was nice to look at and fun to hang out in,” Smith says. “When it’s your backyard, you want it to look pretty good.”
Smith’s hangar, which also stores a luxury car or two at times, is 44 feet wide, 34 feet deep and 12 feet high. Built with precast concrete walls, red brick and grey stone veneer, it has a green metal roof and window trim. Inside, the steel roof trusses contrast against the wood vaulted ceiling. The exposed brick walls are adorned with photos of planes. Throughout the space there are bright metal accessories including a small bar and seating area.
These design choices alone are enough for the hangar to stand out, but it has another sleek aesthetic feature – a glass-covered hydraulic door from Schweiss Doors, measuring 41 feet, 3 inches by 9 feet. It’s the perfect frame to showcase Smith’s airplane, cars and hangar interior (https://www.bifold.com/)