If your garage door is in good shape and opens and closes, you probably don’t really give it a second thought.
But, maybe you should be paying it more attention, after all, it represents, on average, a third of your home’s façade, it’s the largest moving component of your home, and most people use it as the main point of access.
Most people will just live with things until they really need repairing or replacing, and only take action when they get so irritated with something they want to pull their hair out. These are the kind of factors that should be driving you to changing your garage door. We’ve listed the top seven reasons why you should change your garage door.
Feeling cold
If you use your garage for your DIY projects, as a gym, or even as your kid’s play area, and you’ve started noticing it’s really not warm in there, you should invest in a well‑insulated and weatherproofed garage door with at least an R‑12 level thermal insulation. Weather‑stripping should be placed between door sections, at the bottom of the door and around the edge of the door, but should not be placed on thermal bridges.
Spending too much time repainting it
If you’re constantly having to repaint your wooden or old metal garage door it’s likely time to invest in a newer model. Most garage door manufacturers now carry garage doors with baked‑on, weather resistant paint. Ask the manufacturer about how many coats of paint have been applied to the door, and find out about the galvanization type.
Straining to open and close the garage door
You should be able to open and close your garage door using one hand, as a well‑balanced door should only weigh somewhere between 8 and 10 lbs (2.5‑4.5 kg). Your garage door probably has a garage door opener, which can lift up to 250 lbs (110 kg), but which is actually only designed to replace human strength, so still should not be lifting more than 10 lbs.
It’s past its best
If your garage door is reducing your curb appeal, perhaps it’s time to invest in a new one. It’s definitely something to consider if you plan on selling your home soon. It’s the first thing potential buyers see when they pull on your driveway, and real estate agents can back us up: your home will sell faster with an attractive garage door.
You can find a whole host of different styles and models today, so you should have no problem finding one that ties in with the rest of your home. Why not go the whole hog and add windows that match your front door?
It’s noisy
If your garage is making a horrible grinding sound, it’s time to find out why. Not only is it irritating you, but it could be a sign of something worse and you could be compromising your family’s safety. If you don’t have the time to check yourself, call a specialist and schedule a tune‑up service call.
Spending too much time repairing it
If you’re constantly having to call garage door experts to repair your door you probably need to replace the door system. This article from tune‑up service call reports that a new garage door is the third best return on investment for home renovations. The average garage door costs $1,650, and if you sell your house within a year, you’ll recoup over 90% of your investment!
A broken door opener
What’s the point in having an electric door opener if it doesn’t work? If it’s old and unreliable, it might also be unsafe; now’s the time for an upgrade! For close to 25 years, door openers have come equipped with 2 automatic reverse systems and a rolling code system, increasing security. And since 2014, you can buy door openers that are smart phone compatible so you can open your garage door from anywhere in the world! Some door openers even come with an emergency battery so you can access your garage when the power’s out.
If you’ve been nodding in agreement…
It’s time to give us a call, or send us a request for an online quotation.
If you’ve got your heart set on a new garage door, have a look through our image gallery for inspiration or play around with our Design Centre tool.
Call us at :
- London: 519-685-9797
- Mount Pleasant: 905-304-9700
- Guelph: 519-821-4400
- Goderich: 519-482-3251
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