Garage Door Buying Guide

Homes with front-facing garage doors often take up a large portion of what people see from the street and will have a big impact on a home's curb appeal. The garage door typically has the first impression on visitors. Because the garage door can take up to 30% of the front of the house, it is important to select a garage door that will compliment the other facade of your house.

According to the 2010 Cost vs. Value Report from Remodeling magazine, the garage door is one of the more popular home improvement project that has recorded an improvement in home value. In a buyer's real estate market, you will need an extra edge in curb appeal for your house to stand out in an over saturated market place.

Can you say CURB APPEAL? Simplistic but elegant modern design!
Ranch House Door's Model 705 made of real wood with Plexiglass backing.

The Internet is your friend

There are quite a number of garage door manufacturers in the USA offering all sorts of garage doors ranging from the inexpensive non-insulated models all the way up to the premium high end real wood doors and custom designed faux wood garage doors made of man-made composite materials offered by Clopay, and Ranch House Doors.

Fortunately for you, the research legwork is now easier than ever thanks to the internet. Garage door manufacturer websites are loaded with information on door styles, materials and options. It will take you literally weeks to go through all the manufacturer garage door offerings. However, it is still a big time saver compared to  having to visit each manufacturer's showroom in person. Imagine what your parents had to do when they shop for garage doors without the internet. 

A few manufacturers like Amarr, Clopay and Overhead Door have digital visualization tools that will help you sort through the different door designs and options with a mouse click. 

•  Wayne Dalton's Garage Door Design Center goes a step further by allowing you to upload a picture of your house which can then be overlaid with hundreds of Wayne Dalton door styles, window options and color. Neat!

Garage Door Design Center by Wayne Dalton

• The Door Designer tool from Amarr Garage Doors allows you to uploads a photo of current garage door facade which is then overlaid with Amarr's many door styles and options. It also allows you to select stock home designs that resembles your home and overlaid with Amarr door style and options you selected. You can print out the design, email the rendering design to you, or request a price quote from a local Amarr dealer.

Door Designer by Amarr Garage Doors

•  Overhead Door's DoorView allows you to choose a house style and different garage door styles and color options so you can see how the different combination looks like. You can upload a photo of your house and request a sales person call you for a personal phone consultation.

Door View by Overhead Door Corporation

Types of Garage Doors

• Single-layer garage door construction offers a simple outer layer of steel, fiberglass skin without insulation. The basic door is non-insulated, low cost, lightweight and easier to install. It's perfect for families with a low budget who are looking for a secure their garage space.

• Double-layer construction has a layer of polystyrene board for insulation and rigidity. The board is sandwiched between an inner thick back cover and outer skin layer. The insulation makes the door more energy efficient and increases soundproofing as well as structural integrity of the door. Typical insulation is between R4 and R7.

• Triple layer.  This is the gold standard of garage door. This construction has inner and outer layers of steel, wood or fiberglass sandwiched with a layer of polystyrene or polyurethane insulation for structural integrity and insulating values. Insulation R-Values varies depending on the thickness of the door but typically exceeds R-15. If you have extra budget and are looking for maximum energy efficiency, soundproofing and structural integrity and a quality built product this is the door for you.