HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR NEXT GARAGE DOOR

Unless you have built your own house before, odds are you have never chosen your own garage door.

People usually accept the original, generic garage door on their homes for the sake of avoiding expense.

If, however, you feel you’re ready for your next garage door, you should consider a few things first.

What is your new garage door for?

Do you want to have a more personalized home with a garage door design that matches your aesthetic ideal?

Or do you simply want a door that works well, quietly opening and closing as you wish?

Whatever your reason, we have a garage door buying guide to help you make the best decision. We’ve detailed the advantages of different door features, including the different types, materials, designs, and openers.

You can use our guide to determine what you want from your garage door. This way, you will make an informed decision about your next garage door.

Material

Your garage door’s material goes a long way in determining its purpose. If you buy tougher materials, this means you care more about durability than style. Other materials do better when you have a certain style in mind. Use our guide below to find the right material for your door.

• Wood: Wood provides an ornate and stylish look to your garage and your home. You can order a handcrafted garage door that matches the overall design of your home. While they enhance aesthetics, wooden garage doors need more maintenance and cost significantly more than other door materials.
• Aluminum: This lightweight metal works great for larger garage doors. These durable doors resist rust and dents, which makes them better in areas with more extreme weather. However, the best doors are quite expensive. The less expensive ones use other materials to offset costs, but don’t have the same toughness.
• Steel: Steel offers another very durable option as a garage door. While steel can rust and form dents easier than aluminum, it requires less maintenance than wood. As well, you can add a fiberglass overlay to reduce your overall costs or have a thicker steel. Plus, steel doors can have multiple layers and insulation, which allows it to better protect your garage than other doors.

Design

The style of your garage door can help you personalize your home, even if you want a more practical door. The right style door combines all the features of your home to create a beautiful design. Here are a few ways you can capture the right style for your home.

Match Design with Architecture

Certain garage door designs go well with certain styles of architecture. If you pay attention to the specific architectural features, you can chose a garage door design that enhances them. Here are a few examples

• Victorian/Colonial: Older style homes do well with a carriage or barn styled door. Wood, or metal that mimics the look of wood, adds a level of sophistication that suits the Victorian era. You can add antique metal hinges and handles with wood panels to give your door an authentic look.
• Ranch: Ranch garage doors emphasize simplicity, but you can still add design features that enhance the look of your home. Create horizontal lines on your garage with wood slats or banding. Streamline the door and remove any handles or similar distracting features.
• Modern: Modern styles emphasize the minimalist features of your garage door. The clear lines of metal or wood slats go well with the contemporary look. Square frames with glass panels are also popular.

Add Features that Complement Your Home

Besides creating a door that goes well with your overall architectural design, consider adding little design features that add further beauty to your home. Use these helpful tips to really draw people’s attention.

• Match details together: If your upper-floor windows use four panes of glass, do the same with your garage windows. Match the handles of your garage with the handles on your front door. If you create unity of design through your whole home, you will have a much more appealing house.
• Use color to draw attention: You need a garage that goes with your home, but draws attention to its unique design features. Consider matching the color of your door with the trim of your windows. You can still enjoy contrast of the door with the siding, as well as having a unified design.

Garage Door Opener

Of course, material and style depend on a working garage door. New and powerful garage door openers make sure your garage door works quickly and quietly. Modern openers eliminate the rattle of the garage and even store power so you can still use the garage during an outage.

Your garage is an important functional and design feature of your home. However, you can simplify your decision with a proper understanding of the materials, designs, and modern features available for your door. Use our guide to determine what type of garage door
you want for your home.