There’s much to consider when choosing the perfect garage door for your home. The options are endless, from design, style, and color to insulation and smart functionality.

The most popular choice is the sectional garage door, which has horizontal hinged sections that roll up and back along the ceiling. It’s easy to open manually or with a remote. Contact Garage Doors Newcastle now!

Regarding your home, curb appeal is your first impression to guests and potential buyers. While factors like manicured lawns, brightly painted walls, and a well-kept landscape garner the most attention, your garage door significantly elevates your home’s aesthetics. In fact, according to Remodeling Magazine and Zonda, a new garage door replacement ranks as one of the top 5 projects with the highest return on investment when it comes to enhancing your home’s appearance and value.

With a home’s front facade covering up to 40% of its visual impact, the garage door is an important feature that can enhance or detract from your home’s overall appearance. The key to achieving the best curb appeal is in pairing your residential garage doors with modern architectural features and designs that align with the style of your property. A great way to do this is by upgrading your garage doors to include contemporary styles, window panes, and colors that blend seamlessly with the rest of your house’s exterior.

For example, if you have a Craftsman-style house with a modern twist, you can achieve the right look by installing wood look plank garage doors in Walnut that will complement your exterior. In addition, the inclusion of frosted windows on a single garage door can help prevent nosy neighbors from peeking inside while adding a stylish flair to your exterior.

Another way to elevate your home’s curb appeal is by incorporating exterior lighting around the garage and driveway. This will illuminate your home for safety and security purposes while highlighting its architectural details in the evening. Additionally, choosing lights that coordinate with your home’s paint color will ensure that your lighting design is complementary.

With a few simple maintenance and enhancement efforts, your garage doors can continue to contribute to your home’s curb appeal for years to come. Tightening loose hardware, lubricating moving parts, and touching up paint can go a long way in retaining your garage door’s quality and appearance, while preventing further damage over time.

Energy Efficiency

The cold, frigid weather of winter is a reminder to check your garage door to see if it needs to be replaced or has sufficient insulation. Insulated garage doors offer a number of benefits, including lower heating and cooling costs, and increased comfort in the home.

When choosing an insulated garage door, consider its R-value and U-factor. The R-value tells you how well the material resists heat flow, with a higher value offering more efficiency. The U-factor is the inverse, measuring how much energy is lost by the door.

Besides the R-value, look at the thickness of the insulation and its composition. You want the insulation to be thick enough to keep the cold from coming into your garage and the hot air out. You also want it to be moisture-resistant, especially if you live in a wet climate.

If you choose a steel garage door, you may be able to find models with up to two metal layers and a panel of insulation in between. You can also find steel garage doors that have a one-layer construction with polystyrene between the skins, which is a cost-effective option. Polystyrene is a great insulator, but it doesn’t have the R-value of polyurethane foam. Polyurethane foam expands to seal gaps, creating a tight thermal barrier that will keep your garage warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Full-view glass garage doors are attractive and let in plenty of natural light, but they don’t offer as much insulation. You can minimize their effect on your energy bill by using tinting to reduce the amount of direct sunlight they receive and installing shading devices, such as overhangs.

If you choose a wood garage door, it’s a good idea to have it professionally installed. Quality installation ensures that the insulation is properly installed and sealed around any joints or seams. A professional can also help you choose the best insulating materials for your specific climate and use of the garage. He or she can also help you select a color and finish that suits your home’s aesthetic and complements your landscaping.

Security

Garage doors are often a weak point in a whole-home security approach and can give criminals shelter once inside. Fortunately, many homeowners can improve their garage door security by taking several simple steps.

Make the switch to a smart garage door opener. These systems are easy to set up and offer convenient control, but their best feature is their enhanced security. Options like the Chamberlain B970, the beamUP, or the Skylink Atoms ATR-1611C have top-notch security and voice assistant compatibility, which will keep your home safe from intruders.

Use a security camera with a screen that shows your garage door. These cameras are relatively inexpensive and can be connected to a smartphone app for alerts and video recording. Some options also offer facial recognition, which will help identify any unfamiliar people.

Consider installing a door sensor in your garage. These sensors work by detecting movement and vibration, and some even have a built-in alarm. A door sensor can be connected to a standalone system or to an existing security camera, and it can be programmed to send you notifications any time your garage door is opened.

Don’t leave your garage door clicker on the visor of your car. This is a temptation for thieves to break into your vehicle and steal the keychain remote to your garage. You can prevent this by keeping your clicker in your house and attaching it to a key chain.

Secure your garage door by locking the emergency release cord. Some burglars use a technique called fishing to push a wire hook through the gap at the top of your garage door and pull on the emergency latch, which opens the door. This method isn’t foolproof, but securing the emergency latch will at least slow them down.

Never leave your garage door open, and get in the habit of always locking it when you go out. Also, don’t leave service doors or the door from your garage into your house unlocked. These are the most common entry points for burglars. If you want to take your home’s security to the next level, consider adding a deadbolt to these doors and a reinforced strike plate with 3-inch screws.

Maintenance

It’s important to have a plan in place for periodic maintenance of your garage door. Routine monthly and yearly maintenance helps prevent the need for costly repairs in the future, and ensures your garage door continues to work safely and efficiently.

Having an effective maintenance schedule can also help you identify potential issues before they become major problems that require expensive repairs or replacement parts. Performing basic tasks, such as a visual inspection and cleaning, can keep your garage door in tip-top shape for years to come.

Inspect all moving components of the door, including the springs, hinges, bearing plates and tracks, to look for signs of wear and tear. Ensure the garage door is properly balanced and aligned, which will reduce vibration, noise and stress on components. Lubricate all moving parts with a light spray lubricant. This will help the door move more smoothly and reduces the risk of friction damage, which can shorten the life of torsion springs.

Check and replace any broken cables or pulleys. Garage doors use a lot of cables, and they can be easily damaged by wear and tear or improper installation. If you’re unsure how to repair them, or are uncomfortable doing so, it’s best to leave this task to a professional garage door technician.

Clean the garage door tracks and remove any dirt, dust or debris that can interfere with the movement of the door. If left unchecked, dirt and debris can cause the door to become stuck in place or grind on the tracks. Regularly cleaning the tracks and removing any obstructions can help extend the lifespan of the door and reduce repair costs in the future.

Test the photo-eye sensors and mechanical auto-reverse features of your garage door to make sure they’re working correctly. This can be done by waving a hand in front of the sensor as it closes, or by placing a block of wood under the door to see if it reverses automatically when it hits an object.

It’s also a good idea to periodically inspect the entire door structure for any signs of damage, cracking or warping. Having a qualified garage door professional perform an annual maintenance visit can help keep your door in top condition for years to come.