How critical is it that you choose the correct garage door to install into your garage? Whilst it may be one of those things that keep getting pushed down the list of home improvement jobs, a new garage door will instantly add to your homes kerb appeal without breaking the bank.
Drive around any residential neighborhood and you will notice that whilst a home with a shabby garage door may be in good general repair, the fact the door is in poor condition somehow gives the impression the rest of the house is too. This is because the garage door forms a major part of the homes elevation when viewed from the street.
Now this has been established, rather than putting off replacing the door, a number of factors must be taken into consideration in order to install a new door that will add to your homes kerb appeal and also add value to your property.
Selecting the type of door
Available in many forms from roller garage doors, side hinged garage doors, up and over doors and even sectional garage doors, purchasing a new door is a major decision that must be thought about. With each type of door presenting its own benefits and drawbacks, take time to look at all the possibilities.
If looking to save some money and install the door yourself, then the ideal door types are roller garage doors or simple up and over doors because they require no specialist tolls to install. When compared to sectional garage doors, which have many parts to fix together and install, the above 2 types of door will be simple.
Another thing to think about is how frequently the garage space is used. For only occasional use, it is generally not worthwhile adding automation to the doors as the benefits will not be gained in full against the price of installation of the garage door motor.
Where the garage is used daily for parking the car inside or where constant access is required, then the addition of a remote control system is essential and will leave you wondering how you ever managed prior to owning an automatic door.
Selecting the correct materials
Doors are available in a wide range of materials that were simply not available at the time the original door was installed. With doors being made from not only steel and wood the choice is pretty endless but the most common forms are aluminium (generally used for manufacturing insulated roller garage doors and roller shutter doors) GRP (glass reinforced plastic) and ABS (same material that plastic double glazed windows are manufactured from)
The drawback to these modern materials is the cost and for that reason tend to be specialist products that do not suit every home owners budget.
With steel being the most popular, many garage door designs are still available to suit virtually every property type imaginable. In addition to this, whilst steel is in itself not a good insulator, the addition of a foam filled core will create an insulated garage door that once installed into the garage opening will help to reduce energy bills by restricting the amount of heat leaving the garage and restricting the amount of cold air able to penetrate through the door panel.
Although more expensive than traditional steel garage doors, the additional energy saving benefits will pay you back in the reduction of heating bills in around 2 – 5 years, which when you consider the average life span of a garage door being a minimum of 20 years is a very appealing and cost effective proposition.
Conclusion
The key to investing in new garage doors is to consider all the options and pick the design and style that best suits your home and budget. With many retailers offering many types of roller garage doors online all with discount garage door prices and efficient nationwide delivery, no longer is there a reason or excuse for not replacing the garage doors.