Deciding on installing or upgrading your garage door has never been an easier decision.
Deciding on installing or upgrading your garage door has never been an easier decision. It ranks in at number two in the cheapest ways to increase property value with minimal investment required. Investing in a new garage door can have a dramatic impact in curb appeal, and with so many styles available, you are sure to find the right look for your home, and within the budget you were looking for.
How a home looks from the side of the road is one of the biggest selling points, and nothing is more noticeable than old and broken down garage doors. Also not to mention the strain and injury homeowners are subjected to just trying to open the garage doors every day.
Choosing to buy a garage door has never been easier, but choosing the right style and type of garage door can seem overwhelming. An automatic garage door is normally chosen in this day and age, but common questions normally asked are “what types of material should I use for my garage door?” or “Should I get a garage door with windows?”
These can be confusing questions for many homeowners trying to complete the project quickly. Luckily for you there is no need to worry. Contacting a licensed professional to help guide and inform you is the best thing a homeowner can do to make the best choice for their home.
The best thing a homeowner can do is look around various neighborhoods, check out the various styles online, or look at the photos that professionals have to offer as well. This way you can visualize what they will look like in your home better, and can be happy with the decision you have made.
Windows can really make a garage door stand out and it is normally not too big of a price difference. If you are planning on flipping the property, this can bring higher ROI. There are four basic types of garage doors and the first thing you should consider.
Basic Types Of Garage Doors
Swing out style garage door has a very distinctive look to it, and can be a rustic yet modern approach depending on the options available throughout the various manufactures.
Swing up style garage doors have that old school feel to them, where the garage door lifts in one piece and is not broken into different sections. Windows are normally added in order to compliment these large vertical doors, and are designed in modern, traditional, rustic, and various other styles.
For a roll up garage door, you can find these doors in many different styles like traditional, contemporary, and modern styles. They can help when space is a major concern for the homeowner or you don’t want the room lined with bulky machinery. Many styles of shatter-resistant glass are available as well for homes with little ones as their utmost concern.
Most people tend to be confused when we bring up sliding garage doors, which are normally suspended on rollers, and the door slides to the side. They come in bi-folding, single sliding, barn doors, and various other models as well. These can also be a great space saving option for homeowners thinking of installing a new garage door.
Bi-Folding or Accordion style garage doors give homeowners the ability to connect with the outside world, without heavy posts that can block your view. These also tend to be a lot quieter for those with sound being a concern. These also come in numerous styles like carport, showroom, and hanger, which all can have a different effect when considering how your garage will be used.
Multi-combination garage doors have many of the above discussed options included so the homeowner can choose how they want to open their garage doors for various occasions. They can bi-fold or open like a carriage or barn door, giving your home a distinct look that everyone can enjoy.
Whichever you do decide to go with, attempting to install a garage door as a do it yourself project is never advised, and should be left to a licensed professional.
Trying to figure out what is wrong with your garage door can be a complicated task with all the complicated components of a garage door. Here we will cover a checklist of items homeowners should check before calling a professional, as knowing what is wrong can lessen the price of costly inspections.
It is recommended that if you hear strange sounds emanating from your garage door or operator to have a professional look into the potential root causes, at it could prevent you from more costly repairs down the road.
Every homeowner dreads the day when they enter their garage, push the button on the remote, and the garage door does not open. Going through the checklist provided will help you determine what is wrong. Unfortunately, you cant always change the batteries in order to make something work properly.
One major thing homeowners should consider is that a broken cable cannot be repaired, and it must be replaced in order to proper functionally. Luckily replacement cables can be purchased through a licensed repairman or your local home improvement store. You should also consider changing the cones at the same time as well, as they are usually sold together in kits.
This is dangerous work and should be left to a professional, as broken cables can have small metal splinters that can cut or get stuck in your skin. Another great reason to use a licensed contractor is the unseen danger that many do not realize when attempting garage door repair themselves. The cable is set to offset the load on the spring, but if the cable is broken, there is additional weight on the spring.
The tension spring can be under a tremendous load waiting to bust at any second, and could send sharp metal particles flying around your garage. With so many potential dangers, please make sure to protect yourself, even when attempting to complete the checklist above, as the spring could pop at any moment.
If you don’t feel confident doing an inspection or messing with high tension springs, do not hesitate to call an expert, as they know how to defuse the situation correctly and safely. It is important that the tension is released before attempting repairs, and the garage door is completely open to prevent the door from slamming shut.
When your cable is being replaced, also remember to ensure their are no kinks in the cable, as it is wound around the drum. This could lead to the cable breaking again or uneven wear. If you have any further questions, concerns, or issues, please contact a licensed & bonded professional.
If your garage door ever becomes dislodged or comes off the track, we advise you not to attempt to use the garage door in this manner, as it could cause additional damage to your door and surrounding structures. Scraping metal can cause sparks and potentially fires depending on surrounding objects, chemicals, or vegetation.
While your garage door might be easily fixed, moving it could lodge it in place, and only further complicate the situation. Another thing to consider is that even a single panel can weigh hundreds of pounds, and is not something a person with little experience should mess around with. A garage door can come off the tracks for a number of reasons such as:
There are many things you can do to prevent this from happening in the first place. Making sure the operational pathways of the garage door – rollers, cables, torsion springs, or trackways – are clear is always a good idea. This will prevent the obstacle from impeding normal operation and causing the door to dislodge from the track.
Keeping your system lubricated is a great way to prevent wear and the additional strain of day to day operation. Keeping everything bolt fastened correctly is another way to keep your door from vibrating and loosening other bolts, which would also create additional wear on other components.
Annual maintenance is a major way to prevent this and other system failures from happening altogether. If you haven’t serviced your garage door lately, it might be a good idea to have your garage door serviced asap.
There are many different styles of homes, so matching a garage door with your home can be a bit overwhelming. The following is a list of various styles so you can see what goes best with your home.
There are a few more styles available, but this will cover the main types to choose from. You can also get these varieties in combinations, so you can have a slide or overhead carriage style door as well. We advise you to do more research and look at the various styles in the gallery to help better acquaint you with the different selections that are available to consumers.
