How to Choose The Right Garage Door

The Right Garage Door

How to Choose the Right Garage Door

When you’re looking to add charm, sophistication or any other quality to your home, few updates can make as big of an impact as a new garage door. Even if you are replacing an older door for functional reasons, there’s a lot to consider about your choice. We’ve provided a series of considerations for choosing the best garage door for your home.

Tips on Choosing the Right Garage Door

Most people don’t purchase more than one or two new garage doors in their life, and it’s common not to know where to start with the process. Keep these three essential tips in mind as you browse for residential garage doors.

Tips On Choosing Garage Door

1. Consider Your Style

While your new door must be functional, you shouldn’t neglect garage door design. The door will take up significant real estate on your home’s exterior, and can be the largest single influence on the appearance of your home.

The classic garage door is a sectional with multiple panels that roll vertically to open and close. These doors often have a few options for panel size and shape as well as windows, and they blend in with most home aesthetics. They are typically steel and don’t make a huge visual impact. 

If your home has a distinct style, such as craftsman or modern, you may want to consider choosing a unique look that can boost your home’s curb appeal.

2. Decide on Your Budget

It’s always tricky to pinpoint a budget range for a big project like garage door replacement. However, it’s encouraging to learn that garage door replacement has a return on investment of 97.5%, the highest of all home improvement projects. If you intend to sell the home, it may be worth it to extend your budget due to the exceptional value of replacing the door. 

It’s quite common for people to assume a new garage door is more expensive than it is. The national average cost of a new garage door is $1,020, with most people spending between $771 and $1,420. Naturally, the cost fluctuates based on whether you need a one or two-car door and the materials you choose.  

3. Think About Insulation

Bare-bones garage doors offer little in the way of insulation, which can lead to your garage experiencing dramatic fluctuations in temperature depending on the weather. If you only use your garage for parking, this is less of an issue, even in Minnesota’s bitterly cold winters. However, if your garage pulls double duty as a rec, utility or laundry room, proper insulation is crucial. 

A frigid garage attached to your home can cause your energy bills to swell, and you may be surprised how much you can save by choosing a door with a high R-value.

View Our Garage Door Collection

 

What to Consider When Choosing Your Garage Door

Once you’ve thought about your style and circumstances, it’s time to narrow down your range of options. Finding the right garage door comes down to three key elements.

1. Materials

The variety of materials available in garage doors has grown over time. Today, you have multiple options to choose from, each with distinct strengths and weaknesses. These are your main options. 

  • Wood: The most striking material option, wood offers many choices, including grain pattern and texture. Wood is more expensive and more susceptible to inclement weather. 
  • Steel: If you select this durable and affordable option, prepare to have it painted, clad or powder-coated to prevent rusting. Steel doors are available in a vast array of designs and R-values.
  • Aluminum: Lighter than steel, aluminum is more resistant to rust and dents. Aluminum does cost more than steel. 
  • Fiberglass: This material is highly resistant to moisture, insects and warping, yet can convincingly mimic wood. 
  • Vinyl: A smart option for those who want a lightweight material that requires little maintenance.

It’s possible to paint or stamp almost any door material to produce the look of wood, so even if your climate and budget aren’t suitable for the real thing, you can still get the look you want.  

2. Configurations

While most people opt for a single roll-up panel door, other options can add an extra bit of panache to the appearance of your home. Carriage doors, for example, are perfect for homeowners who want to make a statement. However, these side-hinged doors need a lot of space to swing open and closed, which won’t work if you have a short driveway. 

Although rare, some garage doors are completely flat and tilt up, while others act like a typical sectional turned on its side ⁠— retracting horizontally to cover the wall, rather than vertically up to the ceiling. No matter what configuration you choose, discuss the benefits and disadvantages with your installer before making your decision. 

3. Opener Features

Look for other features that can make your new garage door a more seamless and convenient part of your home. One of the central elements in all garage doors is the opener. Manufacturers keep adding options that increase the convenience of your door, including:

  • Miniature remotes that attach to a keychain and fit in your pocket or purse
  • Connectivity with home automation systems
  • Built-in Wi-Fi to link the opener to your home’s wireless network, allowing you to use a mobile app to control the door without an automated system
  • Compatibility with smart devices that enables you to monitor, open and close the door
  • Vehicle compatibility, allowing you to open and close the door through your car’s onboard systems
  • Auto-closing, which eliminates the problem of doors left open by closing after a set period
  • Locks that allow you to prevent the door from opening when you don’t want it to, even if the person has a remote
  • Softer start and stop on the motor helps extend the longevity of the door and makes its operation quieter

Various manufacturers offer different features and functionality for openers, so if you have a specific set of needs in mind, it may narrow down your options.

Browse Our Garage Door Openers

 

Complete Your Home with Crawford Door Sales

Complete Your Home With Crawford Door Sales

When you’re embarking on a project like replacing your garage door, you need to work with a company you trust. Crawford Door Sales has been providing homeowners in the Twin Cities area with quality garage doors since 1958, and we’re proud to carry on our tradition of impeccable service. 

If you’re interested in a new garage door, you can fill out our estimate request form. If you need repairs or maintenance on your current garage door, we’re also more than happy to provide you with prompt, professional service. Call Crawford Door Sales today at 651-455-1221.    

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