Buying a Home : Choosing the Right Garage Door
Most people don’t even think about garage doors when they are buying a home. But the look of the garage, particularly an attached garage, can make or break the look of your house. You might purchase a home with a nice garage that matches the color and look of your home, yet the garage doors just don’t seem right. They might be old or outdated, the paint might be peeling, etc. Choose wisely and find the right garage door to match your home.
Garage doors come in a variety of styles, materials and modes of operation. There are pros and cons to the different styles, the materials to be used, and which system you choose to utilize in order to open your door. Style variations include plain and simple varieties with no trim or windows, ornate Mediterranean styles fitting of Italian or Spanish style architecture, classic and colonial styles that work well with Saltbox, Craftsman, or plantation style homes, and sleek modern styles that coordinate well with contemporary design.
Also, a wide variety of materials are available including wood, steel, fiberglass or aluminum. Wood ones are elegant and lovely but require a bit more maintenance than those made of the other materials. A wood door will need to be re-stained or repainted annually in order to keep it from warping, cracking and deteriorating. A steel one is heavy duty and not easily dented. It weighs quite a bit, however, and will require a strong opener to be able to maneuver it. Aluminum doors are lighter weight and fairly economical but can be easily dented. Fiberglass is also on the lower range of budget options, is lightweight, won’t dent, but may not last as long as the other options.
There are three different types of mechanisms to hoist the garage door open and closed. There is the Screw Drive system, the Reinforced Rubberized Belt system and the chain drive. The Screw Drive system is slow moving but very strong. This is a good system to open heavy doors such as the steel option. The Reinforced Rubberized Belt system is very quiet and top of the line. It also is the most expensive. The Chain Drive system is the most economical of the three options. It is fairly noisy though, which must be taken into consideration.
When selecting a garage door, it is wise to take all of the above options into consideration and then decide what your top requirements are. Look through design magazines to see how architects have paired certain style doors and homes, calculate your budget and visit reputable dealers in your area to begin your shopping process.
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