Two Cost Factors of Garage Door Repair

Your garage door is one of the main entrances to your home.  Therefore, it’s important to be certain your garage door is in good working condition and also secure. 

If you’re experiencing difficulty with your garage door, then it’s usually best to call on a garage door professional. This way, you can quickly determine whether your garage door can be repaired, or if you need a new garage door

Two common cost factors of garage door repairs are:

  •  Style
  • Materials

Style of Garage Door

The style of a garage door can affect its repair costs. It all depends on the garage door’s style. Some garage doors are more easily repaired than others.

  • Older garage doors that “tilt-up” can be more difficult to repair. The reason is that parts for these older model garage doors can be hard to find.
  • Single wide garage doors that “roll-up” are generally quite affordable to repair. 

Custom sectional garage doors tend to be more expensive. In fact, solid-wood custom garage doors are typically the most expensive to repair.   

Garage Door Materials

The quality of garage door materials varies.

  • More expensive garage doors often cost more to repair and/or replace.
  • Wood garage doors tend to be more expensive to repair than metal or steel garage doors. 

Nevertheless, there is a wide range of wood and metal (or steel) garage doors. This means that you’ll likely find a replacement door constructed from quality materials that meet your budget. As a general rule, replacing your current garage door with a better insulated (premium) garage door will cost more.

For more help in determining the cost of repairing or replacing your garage door, contact a professional garage door company. They’ll be able to not only cover cost factors of style and materials, but other cost factors such as garage-door openers and garage door finishes.

Need a Custom-Sized Garage Door?

As homes, garages and the cars we drive have all become larger, so have the need for custom-sized garage doors. The garage doors that previously came standard with newer homes is no longer sufficient for either the size of the actual doors or the items needed to fit into our garages. Many of today’s homeowners are looking at these type of problems and decisions in purchasing custom garage doors

Standard sizes for garage doors today typically range from 8 to 20 feet wide, in heights of 7 or 8 feet. Today’s builders will usually suggest a new garage door width of 9 ft. However, if happen to drive a large truck with mirrors protruding on both sides, or a snowplow on the front during winter months, you will find it difficult squeezing into a 9 ft. wide opening.

In this scenario, you may wish to opt for a 10 ft. wide door with a height of 8 ft. Of course, deciding the size of your garage door is much easier to accommodate when you are building a new garage. However, increasing the size of your existing garage door opening is another matter. In fact, to do so may be nearly impossible without extensive remodeling, increasing the size of the entire garage, which may even necessitate raising the roof. In this case, your best option may be to build an entirely new garage. 

Consult with your local garage door professional about these options when considering what course of action may be best for your individual needs. Whether it is a new bigger garage door or a newly constructed garage, you can be assured of adding value and functionality to your home.

Benefits of Getting a New Garage Door

Some construction and development companies cut corners when building a new home in order to reduce their costs.  For the builders, this might be great; however, if they cut corners on your home’s garage door, you might be stuck with a door in constant need of repair and maintenance. Eventually, you’ll simply need to replace it with a new higher-quality garage door. 

The good news is that along with your new garage door, come some big benefits for you such as increased home value, better security, and a cleaner home.

Increasing Home Value

Your new garage door will usually boost your home’s value. The reason is doors that more modern last longer, require less maintenance, function better, and add greater appeal to your home. Should you ever choose to sell your home, having a new garage door will make the process easier because it provides better security, energy efficiency, and more for the new homeowners.

Better Security

A well-chosen garage door can provide better security and protection for your vehicle(s). More importantly, it protects your family, considering that most garages have an entry door directly into the home. You can select a new garage door that’s equipped with a security keypad for entry and remote control opening. With such features on one of today’s insulated and sturdy garage doors, your home will have an added layer of security.

Cleaner Home

Once you have a new garage door, you’ll likely find it to be a convenient alternative to your front door. Entering your home through the garage gives you a sheltered location when coming indoors from messy weather, yard work, or dirty jobs. Once inside your garage, you can strip away your dirty or soiled clothing before entering your clean home.

Will Your Garage Door Withstand the Storm?

Every year there seems to be more violent and vicious storms that hit different areas of the country. Even some areas that generally do not see hurricane force winds have had to deal with the aftermath of what Mother Nature can do. When it comes to wind force, not all garage doors are made the same. Having a garage door that can stand up to the next big storm can help protect your family and property. 

The first step in storm proofing your garage door is to find out what the wind load requirements are for where you live. Your local building authority or even a garage door company can let you know what the minimum requirements are. You can then check your model or have a professional technician do a safety inspection on your current door. 

If your door is not up to the wind load that is required or may be needed, there are two options. In some cases, you can buy “add-ons” to reinforce your existing door before a storm. This involves installing poles inside the door before the storm and then removing them after. 

The second option is to replace your existing door with a storm ready reinforced garage door. The reinforcement for storms is part of the door and all that is usually needed is to lock the door before a storm hits. This can add piece of mind for those who need to evacuate or have vacation homes in areas with frequent storms. 

Just like all storm preparedness, garage doors need to be ready before a storm hits. Once the storm is on its way it may be too late to get your door up to standard. Take the time now to find out what your door can handle and make the appropriate upgrades.

Garage Door Replacement-What You Need to Know

Your garage door, just like any other part of your property, will need to be repaired or replaced at some point over the life of your home. In some cases, the garage door repairs will be minor ones like panel replacement or realignment, things that can be handled with relative ease and speed by a garage door repair technician in your area.

There are situations, however, that will call for a full replacement of your garage door. If the door is hit by a vehicle moving at a fairly high speed or subjected to abnormally severe weather conditions, repairs may simply be out of the question. As general rule, homeowners are advised to replace their garage door any time the total cost of repairing it is fifty percent or more of a full replacement. In the long run, a full replacement of your existing garage door may be actually be more cost effective than continuing to repair it over time. 

Even if your old garage door is still in reasonable working order, you should consider replacing it if you’ll be applying other upgrades to your home’s exterior. Springing for a new paint job or exterior home covering, shutters and doors will give your home an incredibly dramatic facelift, but the effect will be somewhat diminished if you’re holding on to an aging garage door.

Your local garage door dealer or repair technician can help you make the most cost effective and reasonable decision regarding your garage door upgrades, and choose the best option for your home. Even the most complicated replacements can usually be completed over the course of an afternoon, making a garage door upgrade one of the quickest ways to make a positive impact on your home’s exterior appearance.

 

Garage Door Installation: Not a DIY Project

Many homeowners enjoy handling home improvement projects themselves.  In addition to saving money, doing your own home improvement projects can be rewarding.  You can learn a new skill and enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.  However, some home improvement projects including replacing a garage door should be left to the professionals.

There are safety concerns that make tackling a garage door repair or a garage door replacement yourself a bad idea.  These include safety issues during the replacement process itself and also safety concerns dealing with the operation of the door after it is installed.

The main safety concern during the replacement process is that garage door springs are very dangerous if they are handled improperly.  Garage doors use torsion springs or extension springs to help lift the door.  These springs are under a lot of pressure and can cause severe injuries or death if the spring is mishandled.  The typical homeowner simply does not have the knowledge or experience to safely handle the garage door springs.

In addition, garage doors with automatic openers are equipped with various safety features designed to protect against a person, especially a child, being trapped under a closing garage door.  Many children have been seriously injured or killed in garage door entrapments.

These safety devices include reversing mechanisms and photoelectric safety eyes to detect obstructions in the path of the door.  If these safety devices are not properly installed and adjusted, there is a possibility of serious injury or death due to a garage door entrapment.

Finally, if the garage door is not properly installed and adjusted, there is a chance that it can jam in the opening or even come off of the tracks and fall, potentially injuring a person or damaging property.

Due to the safety concerns and the risk of severe injury or death, replacement of a garage door by the homeowner is not recommended. Garage door replacement is best handled by a trained garage door repair technician.

Wood Or Steel For Your New Garage Door?

When selecting a new garage door, you will have a wide range of styles to choose from.  When it comes to materials, your choices are likely to be limited to either steel or wood.  Although there are garage doors made from other materials such as aluminum or plastic, wood and steel are the most popular.

Twenty years ago, wood garage doors dominated the market.  Nowadays, most garage doors are steel except for high end and custom garage doors.  Steel doors are very strong and durable.  One problem with older, low end wood garage doors was their tendency to begin rotting at the lower edge where water could seep into the wood.  In addition, they needed to be painted every few years to stay looking nice.

Modern steel doors solve both of those problems with high tech baked on finishes that mean the door will not rust and never needs to be painted.  Some steel doors also have excellent insulating qualities that can be important if your family uses your garage for more than just parking the car.  If your garage serves as a laundry area, children’s play area, or workshop, an insulated steel door can help maintain a comfortable temperature in the garage.

Insulated steel doors have a layer of insulation applied to the back of the steel panel.  In addition to its insulating qualities, the insulation has sound dampening effects that make insulated doors quieter than non-insulated single panel steel doors. High end steel doors sandwich the insulation layer between an inner and outer steel panel for the ultimate in safety and comfort.

Wood doors occupy the high end of the market along with top quality steel doors.  If you want to achieve a certain look or need a custom made door to fit your garage, a wood door may be right for you.  High end wood doors are made from fine hardwoods and can be painted or stained to add elegance and beauty to your home.

Help Sell Your Home With a New Garage Door

If you are one of the millions of Americans trying to sell your home, you know what a tough market it is these days.  The huge backlog of residential re-sales on the market, strict mortgage lending requirements, and the seemingly inexhaustible supply of foreclosures all add up to create a housing market in which there are far more homes for sale than there are qualified buyers.

In order to move your home, you can either keep slashing the price or do something to distinguish your home from similar homes on the market.  As any real estate agent will tell you, “curb appeal” helps sell homes.  By investing in the appearance of your home, you encourage buyers to make an offer on your home rather than a similar, but less attractive home down the block.

At the same time, you want to spend carefully.  You don’t want to spend a lot of money that you won’t be able to recover from the sale of the house.  In that case, you are better off just reducing the price of the home.

One often overlooked yet cost effective upgrade is replacing a tired looking garage door.  A new garage door can significantly improve the appearance of your home and has a surprisingly high return on investment according to Remodeling Magazine.  Their most recent report indicates that a homeowner can expect to recoup more than 80% of the cost of a new garage door when the house sells.

Your net cost is only a few hundred dollars for a beautiful new garage door that can help your home move from “for sale” to “sold!”