You may channelize all your energy to your house’s front door but it is really your garage door that occupies the most area of your home’s visual space. As you pull over the driveway, the large garage door is the first thing your eyes rest on. Therefore, you might want to choose the best garage door to visually enhance your living space.   

The different types of garage doors are:

1. Sectional garage doors: As the most popular type of garage doors in the United States, these doors are made of panels that are connected by hinges. There are wheels at the edge of each panel which roll in a vertical track as the door opens and closes. These doors are low maintenance, made from steel and can be customized to include window inserts, textures, color and other hardware.

• Roll-Up Garage Doors: More suitable for commercial rather than residential applications, these are no-nonsense design options occupying minimum ceiling space. These are meant to withstand excessive usage. 

• Side Hinged: This is the old fashioned design, where they resemble large barn doors and are typically made of wood. Galvanized steel is also used these days.

You may choose a garage door depending on your preference, cost availability and usage. To know more, visit: securegarages.com

Garage doors have certainly evolved over the years, starting from manual roll-up to automatic door openers, single-layer steel to insulated multi-layers; you have numerous options to take your pick from. A garage door replacement is one of the top home improvement projects you can do to get the biggest benefits when it comes to cost vs. value.

Here are the reasons to get a new garage door right away:

Enhances Value and Appearance

With the multitude of colors, finishes and design elements available, your purchase of a garage door can be all about style. Installing a completely different garage door will drastically change the look of your home. Once you choose a door that blends in with the overall them of your property and improves the appearance of the exterior, it boosts curb appeal. The market value improves, so you can sell off the house faster.

Improves Energy Efficiency

The older your garage door, the more likely it is that you are wasting money when it comes to energy costs. Unless you don’t use your garage for anything but parking your vehicle in, heating and cooling costs will be an important factor in your garage door replacement. You can most likely reduce your energy costs just by getting a new well-insulated door and get a full return on your investment over a few years. The R-value for insulation represents the power the material has of keeping the heat out and the air conditioning in, so check it properly before selecting the material of the garage door.

Better Safety of Your Home

The designing and manufacturing of garage doors incorporates various security features to make your garage door as secure and safe as possible. The safety factor deals with keeping you, your family and your possessions safe and sound. A modern automatic garage door opener is engineered for the safest operation. Another big advantage to a garage door replacement is limiting access to your home, so intruders can’t barge in easily. A drafty or damaged door will allow extreme weather conditions to directly affect items stored in the garage, but a new door guarantees protection. Remember, a garage door is a practical investment, and even if it takes a few years to get the returns, it is certainly worth it, especially if you are looking to amp up resale value. Conduct research about design and construction elements before making up your mind!

Choosing a garage door that meets all requirements and doesn’t stand out like sore thumb when it comes to the exterior of your home isn’t an easy task at all. Remember, a front-facing garage door takes up almost 20% of the front façade. A worn-out, beat-up garage door can damage curb appeal, which creates problems if you put up the property for sale.

Take a look at the most common garage door materials:

Wood

Wood offers a charm and authenticity that other materials merely mimic. Wood doors can be made locally in whatever size you need, and they stand up well to bumps from basketballs. The downside is that they require frequent repainting or refinishing, especially if you live in a damp climate.

Wood doors can range from being moderately priced to expensive, depending on whether they consist of a lightweight wooden frame filled with foam insulation and wrapped in a plywood or hardboard skin (the cheapest) or are true frame-and-panel doors made of durable mahogany, redwood, or cedar. Wood doors usually carry a short warranty, perhaps only one year. 

Steel

Metal is a better choice than wood if you don’t want to spend much on maintenance. Steel leads the pack because it is relatively inexpensive yet tough. Bare steel rusts and gets dented, so you need to touch up scratches promptly, and get them fixed respectively. Minimize this risk by choosing doors with sturdy 24- or 25-gauge panels rather than 27- or 28-gauge (the higher the gauge number, the thinner the metal). You can also opt for a steel door with a fiberglass overlay, which resists dents and doesn’t rust. Fiberglass will need periodic repainting or re-staining, though, because the color fades over time.

High-quality steel doors may have lifetime warranties on the hardware, laminations between the steel and any insulation, and factory-applied paint. Budget doors tend to have shorter warranties on some components, such as paint and springs.

Aluminum

Inexpensive aluminum doors, once common, have largely been replaced by sturdy counterparts with heavy-duty extruded frames and dent-resistant laminated panels. Rugged and rust-proof, these are a wonderful choice if you are willing to spend $10,000 or more on a garage door.

Less expensive aluminum doors have aluminum frames and panels made of other materials, such as high-density polyethylene. Due to its light weight, aluminum is a good choice if you have an extra-wide double door; it won’t put as much strain on the operating mechanism.

Study the pros and cons of each material so you can make an informed decision about the proper garage door for your home!

Picking out garage doors isn’t an easy task as there are quite a few styles to choose from, but roller are an increasingly popular choice, offering a space-saving alternative to sectional garage doors.

Automatic motors
Installing roller garage doors mean automatic motors, so the door becomes much easier to use for everyone, whilst maintaining safety as well. With a battery powered door sensor within the garage door, keeping your garage secure is completed easily. The unique automatic system of roller garage doors even adjusts to offset an uneven floor. This ensures that the garage does not reopen or need magnets installed to keep the door shut and secured

Space
Due to their ergonomic design, roller garage doors are ideal for anyone who has a small driveway or is looking to save space. Most roller garage doors systems are compact enough to still permit the use of the garage ceiling too – for lighting or extra storage. Because of their vertical opening mechanism, cars can also be placed right up against the garage doors, saving you even more space.

Insulation

Garage doors take up a larger surface area than windows or other external doors so it is important that they are properly insulated to minimize heat loss in your home. A well-insulated roller garage door will also help to reduce noise levels from both inside and outside the garage, so it is ideal for anyone who uses their garage as a workshop. Unlike traditional doors that are prone to rattling in the wind, roller garage doors are strong enough to not be affected by the weather.

Smooth operation
Garage doors that become difficult to operate and open correctly, not only cause problems but cost more money too. Roller garage doors stop regular problems from occurring within your garage, while providing a smooth transition when closing and opening the garage door. Whether you choose an automatic opening or remote control, roller garage doors provide easy access, without the risk of repairs being needed on a regular basis.

Aesthetic appeal
A lot of homeowners feel garage doors detract from the overall look of the property – it isn’t an exaggeration because garage doors can be an eyesore at times. However, roller garage doors are available in a range of styles and finishes so you are sure to find one that matches the look of your home, increasing its curb appeal. Doors with glazes windows are in huge demand these days!

So what are you waiting for? Start looking at roller garage doors right away!