Replacing the Garage Door
When considering improvements to your home especially to increase the value of your house, keep in mind that a garage door, being a large and prominent visual aspect of your house, can add significantly to curb-appeal. The attractiveness of your house can lead to an easier sell and willingness of a buyer to pay top dollar when you are ready to hopefully move on to bigger and better properties.
Replacing a garage door is one of the better home improvement projects you can do to terms of recouping value when the house sells. A properly well-matched and good looking garage door can tip the scale for a buyer, in particular, when the garage door is front and center of the house.
In addition, remodeling by updating the garage door will generally ensure smooth operation. Since Americans use the garage door more than any other entry into the house according to surveys, a well-oiled, balanced garage door is very important in improving the daily life of the home-owner. A well-running garage door is not noticed when it’s working fine, but it can cause tremendous aggravation if it squeals, repeatedly goes off its track, or stops sporadically midway up, especially when you need to take your car to be someplace!
The cost ranges for garage doors
Installed costs for a standard garage door in either wood or steel will typically fall in the range between $550 on the low side to $1,650 on the high side. For a double door, it will range from $800 top 2,500. Additional garage door features such as heavy-duty aluminum or custom design with special wood can cost up to $10,000 or more.
Garage door openers adds an additional $150 to $250
Different Types of Garage Doors
There are four major types of garage doors, those that roll up, slide to the side, swing out, or swing up.
Carriage house doors that swing out or sliding barn doors keep the ceiling clear and usually have a distinctive look. The most common and popular option is the roll up garage door.
The Right Style of Garage Doors
If you are replacing your garage door, be careful to pick a garage door that matches the style of your house. For example, if your house is contemporary and modern looking, you want a modern looking garage door, not a craftsman bungalow that emulates the style of houses from years gone by. On the other hand, if your home is an in the style of an older New England home, you want a garage door that matches the style. Modern roll up garage doors are now made to mimic many different styles including faux strap hinges, swing doors, and handles flanking deep grooves in the center.
Panel options, trim and other detailing are features available for most styles of garage doors. Many have glass panels which are attractive and brightens up the interior of a garage. These glass panels come in shatterproof or frosted plastic depending on the look you may want to achieve.
What Garage Doors Are Made Of
Wood doors can be charming and authentic, but often need maintenance such as repainting or refinishing, and they cost from midrange to very expensive.
Steel doors are low maintenance, are relatively inexpensive, and tough. However, bare steel rusts so you will need to touch up any scratches promptly. In addition, steel can be dented. You can reduce the risk of denting by selecting doors with the sturdier 24- or 25-gauge panels, or getting a steel door with a fiberglass overly. The overlay will resist rusting and denting, although fiberglass needs periodic repainting or restaining because its color fades.
Aluminum doors are relatively inexpensive with aluminum frames and panels of other materials such as polyethylene. It is light weight and a good choice for extra-wide double doors since it will put less strain on the operating mechanism.
