Tips For Buying a New Garage Door Opener and Garage Door

Many garage doors have an opener or control panel to help the entryway open or close automatically. However, over time, both the door and its opener may need replacing. If you’re looking for a new garage door and opener, continue reading the tips to help you with your selections.

Tips for Buying a New Garage Door

1. Know the Cost

Perhaps, the first thing in your mind when you’re about to buy a new garage door is the cost. You don’t want to go over your budget after the purchase and installation of the new entryway. But take note that garage door prices may vary depending on numerous factors. 

Here are a few garage door styles you might consider, along with a rough estimate of their prices:

 

• Aluminum Garage Doors

 

Aluminum doors might be an ideal choice for homes in humid environments. The material is rust-resistant, and it provides a suitable level of durability for that added layer of security. 

The average cost of a 16×7 double door garage might be in the $1,500 to $2,000 range. For those figures, aluminum garage doors might also be ideal for homeowners searching for a mid-range option. 

 

• Steel Garage Doors

 

Steel doors might be excellent for garage door buyers on a tight budget. You may obtain a satisfactory steel garage door for about $750. 

However, steel doors might also be a high-end option if you want extra features that come with the material. Inexpensive steel might offer less durability than higher-end models. However, you don’t have to risk spending more money than intended. 

Conversely, high-end steel may offer exceptional durability for excellent home security. Garage doors made from thick steel may also provide insulation to the room. This way, you can help keep your garage warm during the cold winter months. 

 

• Wood Garage Doors

 

Wooden garage doors are ideal for people looking for that vintage aesthetic. Many garage door manufacturers use moisture-resistant wood like cedar, cypress, or redwood. However, wood needs more care than aluminum or steel. 

As for the cost, you might obtain a quality wood garage door for about $1,200 to $4,000 with dimensions of 16×7 feet. 

 

• Garage Doors Made from Composite Materials

 

Aside from aluminum, steel, or wood, specific manufacturers may like to mix different materials in the creation of their garage doors. These doorways may have decent durability and might need less maintenance compared to when using wood. 

You may find garage doors on the market made from a mixture of real and faux wood. Consequently, you might prefer a garage door made from eco-friendly yet still durable materials. 

But the average cost of composite garage doors might be similar to wooden doorways. Still, these doors might be excellent choices for homeowners looking for mid-range options. 

The Internet might be your best friend for additional info for various garage door prices. One excellent place to start is https://okdiscountgaragedoor.com/Edmond-Garage-Door.

2. Select the Opening and Closing Mechanism

Different garage doors call for varying opening and closing mechanisms. Both automatic and manual models may present household members with varying ways of how the doorway functions. 

Here are a few examples of the different opening and closing functions you may find in garage doors:

 

• Roll-Up

 

Roll-up garage doors will have its sections curl and unfold when it functions. These doorways tend to come in wood. The rolling motion may look amusing in the eyes of individual household members and guests. However, the wooden material might not be an option for people who don’t like constant maintenance. 

 

• Swinging Motion

 

These garage doors have an in-and-out swinging motion as it functions. It’s akin to the double doorways, in particular, of residential and commercial establishments. 

However, one problem with swinging garage doors is that it needs a large area to swing. So, it might not be an ideal option for homes with small spaces. 

 

• Tilt-Up

 

Tilt-up garage doors might be the most common model you might find on the market. These doors motion like flipping the pages of books halfway. 

3. Measure the Opening

As you may have already seen, a new garage door can become an expensive investment. Perhaps the last thing you’d want is to buy a garage door with the wrong dimensions. Thus, it’s crucial to measure the opening before you buy the door model. 

Here are the things you need to measure and note for the garage opening:

• Height and width of the open area
• Height of the headroom
• The left and right sides of the opening
• The surface area of the ceiling and floor of the garage

If you don’t know how to measure these areas, or if you have difficulty in doing this task, you can call a garage door technician to help you. Also, the professional may give you options on the best garage doorway for you to buy. 

4. Don’t Forget About the Windows

Many homeowners like optimum security. It’s with that reason that their garage doors might not include openings or windows. However, you might not be like those property owners. Instead, you may value natural light coming into the garage. 

Hence, don’t forget about the windows when choosing your new garage door. Here are a few extra tips to help you choose the glass for your garage doorway:

• Consider buying insulated glass if your heating system reaches the garage. 
• Only install glass at the top panel if you want natural light, but you don’t want to compromise security. 
• Match the design of the window to the garage door and the rest of the house. 

5. Consider Safety as a Priority

Many individuals consider garage doors as symbols of safety and security in different dwellings. These doorways are thick, heavy, and durable. 

The garage door you pick should help protect your home from intruders and the wrath of Mother Nature. Select a doorway that can help secure your house from cold, heat, and wind damage. 

Also, choose entryways with extra bracing and heavy gauge tracking, along with other pieces of the necessary hardware. These items help hold the large door in place, especially when facing strong winds. 

Search for models built with storm-ready features. Ask reliable garage door suppliers to help you get the model that’s best for your home. 

Tips for Buying a New Garage Door Opener

1. Know Which to Buy First: The Door or the Opener

By the time you think about buying a garage door opener, you might find it confusing if you need the doorway first or the opening device. But it might also be an excellent idea to buy both products as a pair. 

However, if you need to upgrade your garage door but the opener is still functioning well, then perhaps buying the entryway first is the better choice. But if the door doesn’t have signs of damage yet your opener is acting up, then consider purchasing a new garage door opener first. 

Think about your choices, and don’t give in to temptation, especially if you see a garage door or opener model you like. Both of these selections can become expensive investments, so it might be best to consider which item to buy first. Otherwise, you might feel regret with the wrong purchase. 

Check this video to help you make the right decision in this regard

2. Consider the Type

Like garage doors, openers have different types. The cost and performance may depend on which kind of opener you obtain and install.

Now, here are a few garage door opener types you might see on the market:

 

• Standard Openers

 

The conventional garage door opener will have a motor that drives a carriage or trolley on a rail. The trolley makes the garage door move by pushing or pulling the doorway. 

 

• Chain-Drive Openers

 

While many standard openers use metal bars to open or close garage doors, chain-drive models use metal links. Connecting the trolley to the door is a metal chain. Once the motor in the device starts, the chain moves following the command. 

Many homeowners consider chain-drive models because these are economical choices. These devices may use less power than other opener types. But the chain may cause more noise and vibration than other garage door-opening units. 

 

• Belt-Drive Openers

 

Belt-drive models have a similar function with openers sporting metal chains. However, belt-drive units use a durable belt instead of metal links to move trolleys. Thus, belt-drive garage openers provide quieter and smoother operations than their chain-drive counterparts. 

Also, belt-drive garage door-opening devices have fewer moving parts than chain-drive models. Thus, it promotes lower maintenance needs. 

 

• Direct-Drive Openers

 

Like the belt-drive system, direct-drive openers also offer quiet mechanisms. This device uses the motor to open or close the garage door. Thus, it doesn’t need belts or chains to operate the garage doorway, resulting in smoother and quieter operations. 

3. Select the Horsepower

The amount of horsepower needed in the garage door is directly proportional to the weight of the doorway. So, if you have a door with a 20-foot width, then you need an opener with at least ½ horsepower. 

Also, the horsepower of the opener affects the speed in which the garage door opens or closes. Hence, the better the power of the opener’s motor, the faster the entryway opens and closes. 

Here’s a quick overview of the different horsepower ratings for garage door openers:

 

• ¾ Horsepower

 

Garage door openers sporting ¾ horsepower motors might be ideal options for opening and closing insulated garage doors. 

 

• ½ Horsepower

 

½ horsepower motors might be the most common power output for many garage door openers. Many individuals consider this figure to be the minimum output needed to open or close garage doors. 

 

• 1 Horsepower

 

Openers with one horsepower motors are ideal selections for lifting heavy doors. These devices can also open and close garage doors relatively fast. 

4. Check for Extra Features

There are the essentials when choosing garage door openers, but it might not hurt to have extra features to accompany these devices. Keep in mind that it’s still essential to follow your budget when choosing openers with added bells and whistles. 

Nonetheless, you might opt to buy door openers with these added functionalities:

 

• Automatic Reversing

 

With this feature, the garage door will automatically close after opening. But manufacturers also take safety into account when adding this functionality to their products. Thus, garage doors won’t close when they sense obstructions. 

 

• Rolling Code

 

This technology improves the security measures placed upon garage doors and openers. The feature works by randomizing the code sent by the remote or control panel to the opener with each operation. So, it lessens the risks of hacking into door openers significantly. 

 

• Backup Batteries

 

You don’t want to get caught not having to park your car in your garage when your area is experiencing bad weather. Imagine this scenario: you’re going home from a tiring day from school or work, and the rain is pouring down hard. But by the time you reach your driveway, you find out that there’s no electricity in your area. 

Without power, you can’t operate the garage door opener. So, consider buying an opener with a battery backup function. This way, you can still run the device even if there’s no power in your neighborhood. 

 

• Security Lights

 

A cost-effective solution is to buy a garage door-opening unit with security lights. These lights should turn on automatically once you activate the device. Hence, you might not need to use other lighting fixtures in the room, which would otherwise cause additional expenses for your monthly energy bill. 

Think When Buying Garage Doors and Openers Carefully

Use the tips posted above to help replace your garage doors and their openers. You can think about the factors needed when shopping for new garage doorways and their opening devices by yourself. Otherwise, you can consult professionals to help you.

Search for a reliable garage door company to help you select the best doorway and opener model for your home. These services might cost extra cash, but the expert assistance might help you gain more value from the investment. Select a firm with established background, along with a network of partners to help you find a worthy purchase when you buy a garage door and an opener.