Thinking of sprucing up the exterior of your home? Why not start with your garage door? Garage doors typically make up about 30% of the home’s front and are the primary entrance to most homes. You can easily get overwhelmed with all the choices garage door manufactures provide; it helps to identify your budget, lifestyle, and design desires.
Budget will often times limit your options; but with the market’s demand for a greater variety, most styles are accessible for any price range. Make sure you take in account your lifestyle needs to know where your priorities lie when creating your budget. Do you spend lots of time in your garage? Do you have children? Is your garage attached to the house? These questions will help you determine the material you need for your garage door to be durable and enjoyable. If your garage is attached or you spend a decent amount of time in your garage, insulation will be key. If you have children, a thick-gauged steel door might be desirable as it can withstand bikes, balls, or anything that could cause a minor dent.
While each manufacturer has their preferred building techniques, all doors stick to 3 basic skeleton structures: single-layer, double-layer, and premium. A single layer door is simply an outer skin of steel, fiberglass, or wood; it is low-cost and low-weight but low on insulating factors. Double layer doors are more rigid in construction and have an interior layer of polystyrene or polyurethane between two layers of steel, fiberglass, or wood; these doors are mid-range in insulation value. Premium doors are similar to the double layer’s construction but are made with a higher quality outer shell material and thicker polystyrene, making these doors the maximum insulation.
All garage door companies provide an array of styles but don’t drown in the options. Most garage door brands have online visualizing tools that help you picture what your dream door looks like. Another place to start minimizing options is deciding what material fits you best. Aluminum and glass doors are frequently being used for their contemporary and modern appearance but can break easily and have low insulation values. Steel doors have the most versatility of all materials, as they can be embossed with a wood grain or stucco texture, have carriage style overlays, or even be primed and painted with any exterior house paint. The gauge of steel determines the price, dent durability, and the insulation value. Wooden doors easily create a beautiful and classic appearance. They are made from moisture resistant wood but will still need periodic maintenance. Wooden doors are on the lower end for insulation and the higher end of price.
When you take all of these things in consideration, you should have a good grasp on what you want and need from your garage door. Knowing that the garage door you pick fits you functionally and aesthetically is the best investment you can make.
