If you think buying a garage door is a quick job – think again.
But don’t worry, it’s far from boring! In fact, because garage doors are such infrequent purchases for most people, gaining the opportunity to check out the options can be pretty exciting.
This is partly because there are far more types of garage door than most people realise. Consequently, you can fine tune your choice to match your home’s aesthetic and the use case for the garage itself.
So, before you go ahead and spend your hard-earned money, here’s what you need to know when buying a garage door.
First considerations
Before you even look at the types of garage door available, you need to think about how you’re going to use it. So, note down the answers to the following questions:
How often are you going to need access to the garage?
Do you need to park your vehicle close to the garage door?
Do you park your car inside the garage?
Can you enter the garage from within your home without using the garage door?
How much time do you spend in there, and what do you use the space for?
The answers to the above questions will then help guide you towards the perfect garage door for your requirements.
If you don’t have much space
If, like many people, you don’t have oodles of space in front of your garage, having a garage door that protrudes onto the drive could be a real pain.
Think about it – every time you want to open the garage door, you’ll probably have to move the car (or forget and end up damaging your car!).
In such scenarios, a roller garage door or sectional garage door will be perfect. It takes up no space on your drive and recesses completely into a little box above the door opening.
If you keep your driveway free
Let’s say you keep your driveway free most of the time, or it’s big enough to enable you to park the car further away from the garage.
In this instance, a traditional up-and-over garage door will work brilliantly. They’re still very popular for a reason and a great, cost-effective choice if you don’t want to spend too much on your garage door.
If the garage is a usable space for you
Lots of people convert their garages into home offices, gyms, recording studios, or kids’ playrooms.
If you’ve done that, you’ll need to think carefully about how your choice of garage door might impact the room’s intended use.
A sectional or insulated garage door is your best bet here. This is because they both do a great job at keeping the cold weather outside and the warmth inside.
That insulation serves a dual purpose, though. Beyond the added comfort, they’ll also keep external noise out and the noise you’re making inside.
But what if you store expensive stuff in your garage?
Obviously, no one wants to have their garage broken into, but if you’re storing particularly valuable stuff in there (a classic car or the family jewels, for instance), we’ve got some good news.
All modern garage doors are built with security in mind, right from the start. Pick the right supplier and installer, and there’s no such thing as a less-secure garage door these days.
So, let’s get you off on the right foot! If you want to talk garage doors in more detail, just get in touch with the friendly Horizons team!