One of the quickest ways to freshen up your home’s look is with a new garage door, but the experience of shopping for one can be a little overwhelming.
What should you be looking for in a garage door? If you’ve been out of the housing market for a while, or never purchased a garage door as a standalone before, don’t worry.
This handy guide to choosing the right new garage door will help keep it simple so you end up with a beautiful garage door that will serve you well for years.
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This isn’t a purchase you should make online. Your home is unique and your garage likely has its own quirks that an experienced garage door installer will be able to take into account. Given the number of options available, your best bet is to find a trusted resource who can guide you to a new garage door you’ll love.
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Check out manufacturer’s websites to test drive different designs. Many garage door manufacturers include tools that let you upload a picture of your home and overlay different garage door designs. You can explore different materials, colors, window configuration, even what direction they open from.
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Consider the care requirements of materials. Depending on your location and the materials you choose, your garage door may have pretty stiff care requirements. Wood, for instance, will need to be refinished fairly regularly to keep it looking fresh. Steel will withstand almost everything – except the salt air along the coast. Composite materials can often split the difference, providing the look of wood or metal without the maintenance.
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Insulate? And how? In nearly every home, the garage door is the largest opening. And uninsulated door can leak energy (and money) in hot and cold seasons. Moreover, depending on your location, it might benefit you to spend a little more on better quality polyurethane insulation instead of polystyrene. This is another area where a trusted garage door company can really help you out. In milder climates, polyurethane might be overkill. In extreme heat or cold, a lack of insulation or the wrong insulation type might cost you more than you think.
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A new garage door is a great time to replace your garage door opener. All machines eventually fail, and if you’re replacing a garage door, it’s a good time to take some inventory and decide whether to replace the opener as well. Maybe it’s fairly new and in good shape, but if you can’t recall how old it is, consider taking the opportunity to upgrade to a new, quieter model that you can trust for years to come.
These are the important things to think about when you’re shopping for a new garage door, starting with hiring someone local that you can trust to answer your questions and deliver top quality installation and service.
Review sites in your area should give you an idea of which companies are truly a cut above. Once you choose the one you like best, you’re well on your way to transforming your home’s curb appeal while also boosting energy efficiency.
About the Author: Vince Scarlato is Co-Owner of Cincinnati Door & Window, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. His company sells and installs garage doors & openers, Windows & Doors and other home building products.
Cincinnati Door & Window
4030 Mount Carmel Tobasco Rd
Suite 327
Cincinnati, OH 45255
(513) 231-0540
https://www.cincinnatidoor.com/ -