San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
NEW GARAGE DOOR DO’S AND DON’TS
Want to seriously improve the curb appeal of your home? Worried that bad actors may steal your car or infiltrate your stuff in storage?
If so, you’re probably overdue for a garage door replacement. Because a worn or compromised entry barrier to your garage can put you at risk of at least embarrassment, at worst a costly theft or injury.
“Once a garage door experiences years of wear and tear, it’s time to replace that door with a newer, more efficient model,” recommends Stephanie Eck with Green T Services in Aurora, Ill. “A worn-out garage door can present safety hazards, such as problems with opening and closing the door that can cause a serious injury or damage to your car. It’s time to start considering garage door replacement after 10 years of use, depending on the amount of use, weather conditions and quality of the door.”
Volodymyr Barabakh, co-founder and project director of Chicago-based BM International Builders, seconds those sentiments.
“You should look into getting a new garage door, or at least having it inspected, as soon as its open-and-shutting mechanism starts to become erratic. This can include the door taking longer to open and shut, getting stuck at certain points when opening and shutting, or making unusual noises when shutting or opening,” he cautions.
Even if your door appears to be safe and working properly, swapping it out for a new one can increase the value of your home.
“If you’re thinking about selling your home, replacing your garage door is a great project to add to the list. It has a return on investment of nearly 94 percent, per Remodeling magazine’s 2021 Cost vs. Value report,” says Bailey Carson, home expert at Angi.
Fortunately, modern garage doors have
significantly improved upon previous models and technologies. Barabakh notes that, in the past, garage doors were often secure using a system with just one lock and cables. That meant, if the single lock failed or was broken, the garage could be broken into.
“Modern garage doors now have two to three lock points, and rods are used today instead of cables; rods are much harder to break,” he explains.
There’s also a much wider variety of materials to pick from nowadays.
“The most common materials for garage doors are aluminum, which is rust-resistant and a great option for homeowners in more humid climates; steel, a versatile choice that offers plenty of options regarding color, insulation, and price; wood, a flexible material that can be molded for specific or unique designs, but which can rot, shrink or crack; and composite wood, which is moisture-resistant, insulated and can be painted or stained,” Carson says.
Other garage doors are made of vinyl, fiberglass or GRP: a composite of glass and plastic that will not rust.
Keep in mind that some materials require more maintenance than others.
“Wood, for example, needs to be recoated every few years and re-sanded, and steel requires a code of protective primer once a year to prevent rusting,” says Barabakh.
In addition to the material, “think about the door style you would like. There are a lot of options here, such as single tilt-up, single roll-up, custom roll-up, and solid wood custom models,” adds Carson.
Garage doors have also become more secure in recent years; windload requirements have increased, and newer technologies have helped manufacturers create stronger and more storm-resistant garage doors.
“Garage doors are one of the most vulnerable parts of the home during high winds, which can push a garage door inward – allowing pressure to build inside the garage and jeopardize the roof and surrounding walls,” says Anne Cope, chief engineer with the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety in Richburg, S.C. “Modern building codes require garage doors to be wind-rated. When shopping, look for a label on your garage door that shows it’s rated for wind pressures in positive and negative pounds per square foot, signifying inward- and outwardacting pressures, respectively. Without this label, you won’t know if the door is wind-rated or not, or how highly it is wind-rated.”
According to Remodeling magazine’s 2021 cost vs. value report, the average cost to replace your garage door is $3,900. Shop around carefully and get quotes from several different vendors and installers.
Note that the expense to replace your garage door won’t include a replacement of your garage door opener – which is usually a separate purchase from the door.
“It’s recommended to replace a garage door opener and tracks at the same time you replace the door itself, unless you have a relatively newer opener that’s working well,” notes Carson.