Sid Morris, Cornelius, NC Carriage House
The Carriage House on the lakeshore property of Sid Morris, Cornelius,
NC is very likely the most unique in America! It doesn't house horses
and horse buggies. It doesn't house antique autos. Instead it houses
his R44 helicopter. And that chopper gets to the Carriage House by first
landing on a helio pad on the end of his 200' dock. A small electrically
driven dolly then gently lifts the chopper with operator then guiding the
chopper to its proper stall inside this remarkable 4-star carriage house.
Beautiful Waterfront View
One of a Kind Boat Dock / Helio Pad
Creative genius and caretaker of this incredible property is Sid Morris,
CEO, Morris International, a 4AAAA advertising/marketing organization
headquartered in Davidson, NC which does sports marketing for NASCAAR,
NHRA and other high-profile accounts. He's also into commercial development
of offices, restaurants, marinas, etc., at his home port of Cornelius
hugging the shoreline of beautiful Lake Norman, about 80 miles north of
Charlotte via Interstate 40.
"I've been into building design and architecture all my life. My father
was a builder and I guess the genetics just kept on working," Morris modestly
acknowledged. He's actually a design graduate, East Carolina University.
So how did this remarkable Carriage House happen? More modesty perhaps but
Morris simply said, "This was just a piece of dirt and for a few years I'd
been thinking about how to make this more useful. I've got a place in the
Virginia mountains where I built a runway for my airplane. Then I got a
helicopter, built a helio pad and hangar up there."
But it was still a two-hour drive from his mountain retreat to his home on
Lake Norman. "So wouldn't it be great if I could fly home. I started
tinkering with the idea of putting a landing pad on top of the boat house.
But I didn't want to leave my helicopter sitting outside. After about three
years of doodling various ideas, we decided on the concept of an elevated
dock running directly to the carriage house. Or perhaps more accurately
my helicopter hangar."
Hangar indeed! As these photos so superbly illustrate this would most
certainly qualify as the most unique helicopter airport in the world!
Morris got his student pilots license when he was sixteen16 and has 40-years of fixed-wing experience. About five years ago he got his helicopter
license and now flies his own R44, a beautiful four-passenger bird with
'cruising speed' of about 110 mph. "It's now 45 minutes to my Virginia
mountain top place," said Morris.
His carriage house encompasses about 2500 square feet and includes a
rather spectacular 24' long x 12' wide 'bonus room' over the shop. The
center section which houses the helicopter is 10' wide; another 14'
section complete with model train displays sits to one side; on the
other side a 12' wide x 24' long 'miniature model shop' suggests
another of his hobbies.
Parking space for his helicopter is provided by a 43' long and 16' high
center concourse area. Two Schweiss hydraulic doors, each 10' wide by
12' vertical provide access to this remarkable structure.
Both the Schweiss doors are designed with French doors on the exterior.
"So when these doors are closed, they match perfectly with the rest of
the exterior design. You don't have any impression of looking at a
garage door."
R44 Helicopter Rolls Down the Helicopter Runway Towards the Hangar.
Two Helicopters marching Towards the Hydraulic Door.
Morris already knew about Schweiss doors. His mountain hangar is fitted
with a 40' x 18' Schweiss bifold. "Delivering that door up a 4,000 ft.
mountain was quite a task but the Schweiss guys got it there. It was
through the woods, up the hills, over the bridges, etc., but they got the
job done.
"So it didn't take much thinking to go Schweiss for my carriage house too.
I needed a 12' vertical clearspan and didn't want to build higher to hook
up bifolds. So these two hydraulics are perfect. No loss of headroom. Very
well built. Just lots of structural integrity.
"I see the Schweiss guys each year at Oshkosh for the big experimental air
show. Plus I see their doors at hangars wherever I go. They make a very
good product and we've been very happy with their service. The doors were
delivered on time as scheduled.
"It's the only door I would consider," concluded Morris. Coming from a business
man with a history of building name recognition across America for the best of
NASCAR certainly also speaks well for the Schweiss name.
Contractor for this impressive facility was an old friend Dominick Ristino,
Metropolitan Builders, Charlotte, NC. Morris bought a puppy, a Springer
Spaniel named Roscoe, from Ristino 16 years back. That's when Ristino
told Morris he was a home remodeler. "At the time we were remodeling our
house which used to be a 900 sq. ft. A-frame structure. We got Dominick to
take on our house project, and from there eventually came this carriage
house. So he's a great friend and a great builder," noted Morris.
Getting Ready for Take off!
Fancy Wood Lining and Window Trim on The Hydraulic Door
Hydraulic Door Opening on Carriage House
Double Decker Deck/Helio Pad Saves Space and Allows for Easy Access to the Boat and Helicopters
And how did that 2-story dock come into being? Basically because it had too. The original dock included an A-frame house boat. Ristino, Morris and crew removed the A-frame; engineered some I beams structures fastened to the boat house footings and from there constructed the new dock and helio pad 12' higher and directly above the existing dock.
|
Carriage House helicopter hangar is very likely the most unique in America!
The Carriage House on the lakeshore property of Sid Morris, Cornelius, NC is very likely the most unique in America! It doesn't house horses and horse buggies. It doesn't house antique autos. Instead it houses his R44 helicopter. And that chopper gets to the Carriage House by first landing on a helio pad on the end of his 200' dock. A small electrically driven dolly then gently lifts the chopper with operator then guiding the chopper to its proper stall inside this remarkable 4-star carriage house. |
|
Artists architectural glass door was perfect for Martha's Vineyard studio and guest house
At 27 years of age, film maker/artist/author Travis Wood appears to be adding architectural design to his intriguing resume. Evidence of this new dimension is a most unique structure, a combination studio/guest house that he and his father are constructing on their vacation property on Martha's Vineyard, hugging the south shore of Massachusetts. |
|
Funky Brooklyn Store Front Perforated Steel Bifold Doors add touch of class and security
Hugging the southwest corner of Long Island, New York, Brooklyn's earlier identity was mostly hitched to Coney Island beach and the Brooklyn Dodgers of baseball immortality. Today the city is enjoying a renaissance of rediscovery by artists, retailers, ambitious contractors and creative landscapers including the Andre Kikoski Architect firm which just wrapped up the complete renovation of two empty, abandoned warehouse buildings on 22-28 Wyckoff Ave. |
|
Multiple stores and doors are key to Arnold Company farm implement business expansion
Consolidation is that aggressive word which has been enveloping agricultural business for several years now. In simple terms, it results in fewer but bigger. And that certainly is the recent history of the farm implement business, which used to pride itself on having eight, 10, even 12 or more dealerships per county. Today three or four farm equipment dealers per county is more the usual. But ownership of farm implement stores today often includes multiple locations throughout an entire state. |
|
Former Alaskan has Bifold hangar doors for fishing and flying from private airstrip
Flying since he got the bug when working the fishing canaries in Alaska, Eric Hutchins, Grand Rapids, MN, has a rather diversified agenda these days. For example he runs a year-round Dairy Queen in this bustling tourist center town. He also does some part-time law enforcement work and occasionally flies fire detection with the MN DNR. When time permits, high on his agenda is getting together with his snowmobile buddies for a few miles through the beautiful lake and woodland country of Itasca County. |
|
Large 108 ft. Schweiss Bifold Strap Door is finishing touch for hangar renovation
In September of 2009, we started the rehabilitation of Hanger 155 at Chippewa County International Airport in Kincheloe, MI. Our first step was to remove 60 years worth of lead paint from the existing steel substructure and miles of asbestos-containing material. When the building was safe to work in, our demolition subcontractor started on the roof system. |
|
Midwest John Deere dealership and store installs a Schweiss One-Piece Door
It's big, 43,500 square feet. It has a special floral display unit out front courtesy of the employees and the general contractor. You walk into an 'eye catching' 100' x 160' 'Consumer Display' section complete with a 10' high shelf showcasing various John Deere 'consumer goods'. And greeting you at the retail counter is a colorful prairie scene with an old country barn, woodlots, fields of corn and wheat plus a depiction of the original 1-bottom plow that launched the John Deere machinery company. A show place of sorts? Yes, indeed. |
|
Classic Florida hangar home Schweiss wall/porch door is drawing national attention
Well, it's all of the above for 62-year-old Daniel Shaw, a plumbing contractor at Geneva, Fla. Who has given new meaning to the term "hangar home." The structure is 50' wide x 60' deep x 30' tall, all metal/ However, a 45' x 15' Schweiss hydraulic door sporting a wrap-around porch with decorator railing, table and chairs, a "walk through" door with stylish window, and veranda "roof" gets your attention. |
|
Schweiss doors open things up at the Renville County Fair
Schweiss Hydraulic and Bifold Doors recently installed four new hydraulic doors at the Renville County Fairgrounds located in Bird Island, MN. The Renville County Board approached Schweiss looking for a way to open up the event building located at the county's fairgrounds. The event building is used to host live bands, beer gardens and public auctions by Henslin Auction Services. Hydraulic doors seemed like the perfect solution to open up the building and allow easy access to the building for large groups of people. |
|
Minnesota Implement dealership spike in business calls for new facility liftstrap bifold doors
We're no longer just selling iron. Today we're selling precision farming products and that requires special training of both our personnel and our farm customers," says Paal Haug, general manager of Haug Implement with stores at Willmar and Litchfield |
|
Radiation-shielded Bifold Door designed specially for industrial x-ray system firm
The creativity of customers continues to be a driving force for many manufacturers. Take for example North Star Imaging, Inc., a Rogers, Minnesota manufacturer of industrial x-ray systems which are enclosed by a radiation shielding cabinet and access door and used by manufacturing firms in the aerospace, military, automotive, medical device, electronics, even the genetic seed industry and many more. |
|
Stylish North Carolina Target store Bifold gates serve dual purposes
How do you make the loading dock area for your store secure, yet still easily accessible and stylish? This Target store in North Carolina found the answer with two 39' x 17' bifold gates for their loading area. Give us your idea and we will get you the door. |
|
Unique Schweiss Bifold roof-door designed for East Coast sandblasting chamber
What looked like a near impossible situation without some totally new engineering design instead turned out to be a remarkable solution to an extreme challenge. The challenge? How to fit a "roof door" over a 20' by 30' sandblasting chamber used by SMS Millcraft, Oil City, PA. This firm specializes in refurbishing component parts for various Pennsylvania steel mills. |
|
Farm Air spraying operation relocates and builds new hangar with 76 ft. hydraulic door
It is rare that an Air Tractor dealership changes hands. It cant be done without an approval from Air Tractor, Inc. This requirement became all too apparent to Bill Taylor of Farm Air in Fairfield Illinois. Bill was starting to think about retiring from the business he formed in 1976. Shortly after forming Farm Air, Bill saw a need for Air Tractors in the Midwest, and approached Air Tractor about becoming a dealer. Over thirty successful years later, Bill decided it was time to sell Farm Air with its Air Tractor dealership intact. |
|
|
TGIF puts custom-made Schweiss Bifold glass doors on patio bar
This custom set of Schweiss Bifold Doors was the perfect solution to provide a unique dining experience for this restaurant's patio bar customers. |
