Your garage doors have a significant impact on your home’s curb appeal, as it can take up as much as 30% of the front of your home. New garage doors can also help provide energy savings and security benefits. This guide will help you explore garage door options.
Reasons to replace your garage door
A garage door needs to be functional and look good. Consider replacing your garage door when:
- There is damage and the door is warping or showing signs of decay
- It’s noisy when opened and closed, despite being properly lubricated
- It’s hard to open and close
- There are frequent and costly repairs
- You want insulated garage doors for improved energy efficiency
- Security features are lacking or no longer working properly
Benefits of replacing your home’s garage door
There are several benefits to replacing your garage door, including:
- Lower energy costs, particularly with insulated garage doors
- Spruce up your home’s curb appeal
- Added value to your home, in some cases as much as 4%
- Increase your home’s security
Residential Garage Door Options
One of the most popular garage door materials is steel. It is cost-effective, durable and comes in a wide range of looks. Whatever style of home you live in, there’s a garage door to complement its appearance.
When shopping for new garage doors, some of the features include:
Garage facade: You can go traditional, with a standard panel and window design, or you can choose a specialty door. Specialty doors may include contemporary doors that are sleek and modern. There are carriage house-style doors that look like wood and there are also garage doors designed to look like shutters.
Whatever style of garage door you select you’ll have plenty of design choices including:
- Panel options with square or rectangular patterns
- Color options to complement, or match, your home’s exterior
- Windows and custom options, like frosted glass
- Designer hardware options if you choose a specialty door
Insulation: You can buy garage doors with or without insulation. What you choose will depend on: if the garage is attached to your home, and how you use the space. If your garage is attached to your home, or if you use your garage as a workspace, you may want to consider insulated garage doors.
Degree of insulation: If you choose to buy a garage door with insulation, how well you want to insulate the garage is next. You can buy insulated garage doors with a wide range of R-values. R-value represents how well insulation minimizes the flow of heat into and out of the home. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation which usually means better energy efficiency.
The R-value will depend on the thickness of the insulation. It’s also affected by the number of layers in the door’s construction. For example, you can buy a garage door with two layers (where the front is steel followed by insulation) or three layers, where the insulation is between two layers of steel. For some specialty doors, there could be as many as five layers, offering optimal comfort.
Get a free, no obligation quote for your garage doors
When it’s time to replace your garage door, trust SERVICEfinder professional contractors to get the job done quickly and effectively. Get a free, no obligation consultation today from a specialist who will help you select garage doors that are stylish and complementary to your home’s overall design, all with expert installation.
