Product
Ultra Model Raised Waterproof Doors
The Ultra Model is our raised waterproof sidewalk door - the frame sits on a welded steel curb that lifts the opening above the surrounding grade, so standing water runs past the door instead of into the cellar. It is the door we build for properties that have taken on water at street level.
Every Ultra Model is measured on site and fabricated in our Brooklyn shop: welded curb, gasketed leaves, heavy hinges and locking hardware, all sized to your opening and finished for the street.
Ultra Model raised waterproof doors solve a problem flush sidewalk doors can't: sidewalks and areaways that pond during heavy rain or coastal flooding. Steel Masters has fabricated raised waterproof doors for NYC cellars and vaults since 1972, building the curb height and gasket detail around the water history of each specific opening.
Why NYC Owners and Managers Choose Steel Masters
- Raised welded curb - the frame sits on a curb welded above the surrounding grade, so the opening itself stays above ponded water rather than at the same level as it.
- Curb height set from your site - curb height is measured and fabricated to the specific grade and flood history of the opening, not a stock dimension.
- Gasketed leaves - a continuous gasket compresses at the full perimeter of each leaf against the curb frame when closed and latched.
- Welded, not bolted, curb-to-frame joints - the curb and frame are welded as one assembly, leaving no bolted seam for water to find a path through.
- Heavy-duty hinges and hardware - hinges and locking hardware sized for the leaf weight and for repeated opening under load-rated sidewalk traffic.
- Fits existing vault openings - measured to the existing opening and vault so a replacement doesn't require rebuilding the sidewalk structure underneath.
- Primed, painted and installed by our crew - doors ship primed and painted, and are set, sealed and adjusted on site by Steel Masters installers.
How the Raised Curb Stops Water
A standard sidewalk door frame sits flush with the sidewalk, so any water sitting on the surface is already at door level. The Ultra Model's frame sits on a welded steel curb raised above that grade, meaning water has to rise past the curb height before it reaches the door leaves at all. Curb height is set from the site's actual flood behavior - a few inches for a block that ponds occasionally, more for a location with a documented flooding history.
Fabrication and Sealing Details
The curb and frame are shop-welded into a single unit, not assembled from bolted pieces, so there is no mechanical seam where water pressure can work a path through. Leaves carry a continuous gasket that compresses against the curb frame the full perimeter of the opening when the doors are closed and latched.
Hinges and hardware are sized heavier than a standard sidewalk door's, since the leaves see repeated opening and closing under sidewalk loading. Doors are primed and finished before delivery, then set, sealed at the curb-to-vault joint, and adjusted by our own installation crew.
Where the Ultra Model Gets Used
Cellar entrances on blocks that pond during heavy rain, sidewalk vaults below the level of the curb line, coastal and low-lying properties with a documented flooding history, and replacements for older flush doors that never sealed against water intrusion. It is a direct swap into an existing vault opening, not a full sidewalk reconstruction.
Every job is measured in the field and built to that opening - we fabricate in our own Brooklyn shop and install with our own crew, the same way we have since 1972.
Related Steel Masters Product Lines
- Sidewalk & Cellar Access Doors - standard flush doors for openings without a flooding concern
- Bulkhead Waterproof Doors - the vertical waterproof door line for bulkhead openings
- Hydraulic EZ Lift Cellar Door System - powered lift doors for the same class of opening
Serving All Five Boroughs, Long Island & Westchester
Steel Masters fabricates in Brooklyn at 135 Liberty Ave and installs with our own crews across Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island and Westchester. Call (888) 577-8335, send us your plans through shop drawings and plans, or contact us online for a quote on ultra model raised waterproof doors.
Frequently Asked Questions
A standard sidewalk door sits flush with the surrounding grade. The Ultra Model sits on a welded steel curb raised above grade, so water on the sidewalk or areaway has to rise past curb height before it can reach the door leaves.