Is Your Garage Door Properly Insulated?

To save money, many builders or homeowners neglect to buy insulated garage doors, either when the home is first built or when a garage door is replaced. While insulated doors can be more expensive, they also can save money on energy costs by reducing the amount of heat or cooled air that’s lost through the garage. In addition, insulated garage doors reduce noise from outside and can help sound proof your garage. Even if your garage door is new, you can still add insulation to the door to gain these benefits. 

Insulating An Existing Garage Door

There are insulation kits which can be added to a garage door. You can choose to buy your own kit and install it yourself, or call your local garage door service company to install one for you. For most two-car garages, you are looking at a couple hundred dollars to install it yourself. However, many homeowners choose to have a professional do it for them, as there often is not a large difference in price to have it professionally installed. 

Need A New Garage Door?

If your garage door is older and will need to be replaced in the next few years, it may be better to just replace the door with a new, insulated door versus spending money on insulation. There are many options in insulated doors, from carriage-style doors to heavy-duty steel doors that are both insulated and wind resistant. 

Talk to your local garage service company about what is the best insulation rating for your area and home. Whether you are adding insulation or buying a new insulated garage door, you want to ensure that you have the right amount of insulation for your home.

Posted on behalf of Legacy Garage Doors

Add A Touch Of Class To Your Garage

A great way to give your garage and home a new look is the addition of a carriage-style garage door. While a functional device, garage doors can also be an aesthetic enhancement to your home. With new technology, you can have a classically beautiful, carriage-style garage door with all the modern features to which you have become accustomed. This can increase the curb appeal of your home and add a touch of class to your garage. 

Old Carriage-Style, New Features

Some of the most beautiful new garage doors are not the basic overhead variety that we think of today. While an average roll-up overhead garage door is functional, it is not necessarily as aesthetically pleasing as the carriage-style garage doors which were common in the early 1900’s. However, with new technology, you can have the look of these classic doors with the new features of modern design. 

Newly designed carriage-style garage doors may look like a traditional carriage door with two-swinging doors; however, they can roll-up like modern doors. This gives the style and class of the classic design with all of the conveniences of modern technology. These can be steel or wood with an overlay that has the carriage-style design, and can be matched with a garage door opener just like any modern door. 

When you are looking for a new way to transform your home and garage, giving it a classy and traditional look, carriage-style garage doors might be just the perfect solution. These doors come in a wide variety of colors and styles, with one that will surely compliment your home. The combination of classic design and modern features can make the perfect addition to any garage.

Posted on behalf of Legacy Garage Doors

Protect Your Investment With a New Garage Door

For most Americans, buying a house will likely be the most important asset you own and the biggest investment you make. Regular maintenance and upkeep is the best way to help protect your investment against devaluation and the constant threat of home deterioration, which naturally occurs during years of wear and tear on the average house. 

One major component of home maintenance is assuring your attached garage is safe and secure with a modern and state-of-the-art electric garage door. Why compromise the safety of your home, the safety of your vehicles and the safety of your family with any garage door but the best? Why bother with a garage door that isn’t updated, modern and at the same quality level as the rest of your home in order to maintain it’s value? 

Scheduling an appointment with your local garage door professional is the best way to ensure the garage door you have is functioning properly, safely and is securing your garage and home from outside threats. A licensed technician can assess the current state of your electrical mechanisms, remote controls and keypad, the structure of your door, along with any windows it may have. 

When you have a safe and secure garage door, you can truly rest assured that no home invaders will enter through your garage due to negligence on your part. You can also enter and exit your garage by vehicle without risking damage to the automobile by a falling or malfunctioning garage door. Your home and vehicles will be more likely to maintain their value because of your decision to have your garage door professionally updated, maintained and if needed, replaced all together.

Posted on behalf of Legacy Garage Doors

High-Tech Garage Door Features

Modern technology has changed the face of today’s world. More and more of the tools we use every day are finding themselves subject to a major facelift. Garage doors are another area in which technological innovation is making major waves. These days, garage door features go far beyond the visor clip on the back of an opener remote or a keypad entry system. 

Smartphone apps and home automation technology now allows you to open your garage door from anywhere in the world. You can let a repair technician into your home, even when you’re not there, by opening the garage door from your office when he arrives. Monitor your kids’ comings and goings when you’re away from the house by tracking how often the door is open and closed. Bluetooth-enabled garage doors allow you an unprecedented level of control and safety. 

Even if you don’t opt for today’s high-tech systems that allow you to open and close your garage door while you’re on vacation or in the office, you can still take advantage of some relatively new technology. You’ll never have to worry about forgetting to close the door behind you again if you spring for a timer, because it will automatically close the door at the predetermined time. 

Speak with a garage door installation and repair technician in your area today to discuss all the ways you can treat your garage doors to a high-tech upgrade of their own. Ride the wave of the future, and take the time to research all the ways that an experienced professional can turn your boring garage door opener into something fresh and exciting.

Considerations for Garage Door Repair or Replacement

Garage doors are one of the essential elements of any home or building. It protects the people living inside. It also adds beauty to the house or building.  If you have a home or building needing a new garage door or your current garage door repaired, then it’s highly recommended to hire a Garage Door Repair company.

When you search for garage door repair companies, you’ll discover numerous companies.  Therefore, your next step is to decide upon the best company.

Consider these three (3) factors:

  • The quality of the service to be provided
  • The warranty
  • The price (your budget)

Select a garage door repair company that has been in business for many years.  Avoid going with a company that does general construction or contracting because they lack the specialized experience necessary to provide you with quality service.

Different Types of Garage Doors

If you decide to replace your current garage door with a new one, you’ll need to choose among the various types.  Garage doors have different characteristics depending upon the type.

Wood Garage Doors

Wood garage doors are environmentally friendly. They offer many awesome technical features, including:

  • Insulation
  • Good ventilation for garage

Furthermore, wooden garage doors can be decorated. For example, garage door carving is now quite popular.

Nevertheless, wooden garage doors require regular preventive maintenance such as cleaning and painting. Additionally, wooden garage doors require chemical protection to minimize or avoid damage caused by:

  • Water
  • Fire
  • Insects (different kinds)

Metal Garage Doors

Metal garage doors are durable and widely used for both homes and buildings. This type of garage door provides you with:

  • Solid protection
  • Durability
  • Reliability
  • Long-term use
  • No special treatment required

Perhaps, the most important part of metal garage doors is having them professionally installed and insulated.  For more help in getting your current garage door repaired or replaced, contact a professional garage door company.

Is Your Home’s Garage Door Secure?

While we may keep our overhead automatic garage doors well maintained and repaired when necessary, few of us look at that modern convenience as a weak link or vulnerability when it comes to our home’s security. It is one of our most vulnerable places because it can provide intruders with easy access to our home. Furthermore, garages are often targeted because most of us Americans typically keep many of our expensive valuables there such as cars, motorcycles, sporting equipment, and tools, to name a few. 

One of the major things you can do to ensure the security of your garage is to keep the door closed. As simple as it sounds, people often habitually leave their garage door open when they are home, in the neighborhood walking the dog, or a quick trip to the corner store. Leaving your garage door open, for any length of time, is an invitation to a potential intruder. This can be especially true if you are in the habit of leaving your internal entry doors into your home from the garage unlocked, thinking that they are safe as long as the door is down. If this is familiar to you, check to make certain that your garage windows are secure from easy access. 

You may also wish to call your local overhead garage door professional to check on the technology of your garage door opener. Since automatic garage door openers first became the “must have” item in most homes, technology has made some advancements that make it harder for would-be intruders. For instance, the code used to unlock automatic garage doors today is usually a revolving random number that cannot be obtained by another remote.

Garage Ventilation for Safety

With all the emphasis by garage door makers and even the Environmental Protection Agency on R ratings and insulation, the tendency might be for a homeowner to want to heavily insulate not just the garage door, but the entire garage, especially if the garage is being used for purposes other than storing an automobile, such as a workshop. 

But while insulating can save you a few dollars on your energy bills, over-insulating or insulating your garage without proper ventilation, however, is a disaster waiting to happen. Just read your local newspaper. There are numerous stories every year of explosions caused by storing combustible materials or running generators in the garage without proper ventilation.  In many cases, the damage to property and the injuries could have been avoided had the property owner taken a few simple precautions. 

1. Don’t treat your garage like a room. Garages are meant for storing automobiles. Many people have gotten into trouble by using half their garage for car storage and half for a workshop. 

2. Don’t store combustible materials in your garage and if you ever do work with the chemicals in the garage, do so with the garage door and all doors and windows fully open. Fires have been known to ignite even with garage doors partially open. Also, unless you absolutely need to store hazardous chemicals for use, consider getting rid of them safely through your local authorities. Why keep something around if it’s a danger to your family and property? 

3. Don’t over insulate. Sure, adding an insulated garage door may improve energy efficiency, but does the entire garage need insulation? Consult an expert about this because, depending on your home’s structure and design, you may not need an abundance of insulation in order to benefit from energy savings. 

4. If you do add insulation, make sure that you add ventilation at the same time.  This is most important of all. There are many ways you can add ventilation, including adding vents to the garage door. Talk to a garage door specialist about your options.

Garage Door Security

Believe it or not, your garage represents one of the highest security risks to your home. A garage door left wide open is an open invitation to a would-be burglar, who can steal lawn mowers and other high-priced items in a matter of minutes. The garage also typically provides access into the home, where the burglar can help himself to other valuables. 

However, it is possible to minimize the chances of a burglary by adhering to some of the following tips: 

1. Never leave the garage door open – Remember an open door, to the burglar, is an invitation. He can see what you have in your garage and how to access not just the garage, but your house as well. 

2. Block windows or replace your windowed garage door with a windowless door – Burglars can easily peek inside if you have windows, and all it takes is seconds to case the situation. 

3. Install lights near the garage – If the garage area is well lit, there is less chance of a break-in occurring at night. A light – or better yet a motion sensor light – will remedy the situation. 

4.  Make sure the remote for your garage door opener has “rolling code” technology – This is very important. Older automatic garage door openers allow burglars access to your garage through their use of an electronic device called a “code grabber,” which allows them to record the radio signal from your remote to the opener, which discloses the code.  A remote with rolling code technology sends a different security code each time you use the opener, thus foiling a would-be robber. 

5.  Be sure to lock everything – Lock all the doors, including the garage door and the door from the garage into your home. Also, have a garage door specialist come in to check the locks and security of your existing garage door, and make recommendations for improvements.

Garage Door Construction

If you are shopping for a new garage door, you should understand the basic types of garage door construction.  Except for custom built high end garage doors, the days of wooden garage doors are pretty much gone.  Most garage doors on the market today are steel garage doors. 

Modern steel garage doors are a big improvement over older wooden garage doors.  Steel garage doors are far more durable than wood doors.  Steel doors don’t rot, warp, crack, or split.  Steel doors are galvanized for corrosion resistance and can be ordered factory painted or you can paint them yourself. 

In addition, steel garage doors are more secure than wood garage doors.  A basic steel garage door consists of a single layer of durable steel without any insulation.  These are the least expensive option and provide good protection and security for unheated garages.  However, they are noisier than insulated doors so even if you don’t need insulation, consider an insulated door for quiet operation.

A two layer door has a layer of steel covered with a layer of polystyrene insulation.  These doors are a good choice where you would like to retain some heat in the garage for example if there is a room over the garage.  The insulation also acts to absorb noise so they are quieter to operate than non-insulated doors.  A quieter door may be an important feature for an attached garage.

A triple layer door has inner and outer layers of steel with a layer of insulation sandwiched in between.  These are the quietest, most secure doors and are an excellent choice when installed on finished or heated areas.

Modern New Garage Doors

Garage doors are something that most people only buy every 15 to 20 years.   If you are thinking about having new garage doors installed and have not been in the market for awhile, you may be in for a surprise.  Garage doors have come a long way in the past 20 years and its all good – today’s new garage doors are lighter weight, stronger, more stylish, and longer lasting than those made 15, 20 or 30 years ago.

The most noticeable change in garage doors has been the shift in emphasis from wood to steel.  Before the late 1990’s most garage doors were made of wood.  Steel doors were available, but they were heavy and expensive.  Wood doors were the more popular choice because of their lighter weight and relatively low cost. 

However, wood doors don’t last as long as steel doors and many mass produced wood garage doors from that era did not hold up very well.  If exposed to too much moisture, wood doors tend to rot, especially if they are not regularly painted.  Combined with the stress of improperly adjusted springs and a garage door opener dragging the door open two or three times a day, it’s no wonder many wood garage doors packed it in early.

The good news is that most garage doors on the market today are made of lightweight steel panels coated with baked on epoxy paints that last for years.  These doors are available in a wide variety of styles, most commonly manufactured with simulated wood grains.  Most standard doors are available with a variety of window options and can be purchased insulated or uninsulated.  Custom garage doors are available to fit any need.

This new generation of garage doors are versatile, look great, and many carry lifetime warranties.  There has never been a better time to replace those old, tired garage doors with modern steel garage doors.