Quality Garage Doors for Your Home

Most homes are designed to incorporate double garage doors in their construction. In many cases contractors and builders install contractor grade garage doors to save money and reduce the cost to the homeowner. Choosing a cheap door is probably not a very good decision. Using garage door pricing to judge the quality of a garage door does to some degree make sense.

Deciding what garage door you will need will depend on where you live and what weather conditions your home will have to endure. If you live in an area that has long cold winters with heavy snow then you should be looking for a garage door with a high R-value and that is relatively maintenance free. Look for a steel garage door that is constructed using at least 25 gauge steel with 2 inches of polyurethane foam sandwich in between. In most cases a door of this quality will allow you to heat or cool your garage without breaking the bank. A well insulated garage will allow you to climb into your warm vehicle on the coldest morning. In addition you will be able to use your garage based workshop year around. Some people are interested in garage doors that are constructed of wood. Wooden garage doors are very beautiful to look at and depending on the type of panel construction will be very secure. Garage doors constructed entirely of wood are possible but do not have the strength and durability of a steel frame panel garage door.

However, you can achieve all the beauty of a wood door by using a steel framed door that is over laid with Cedar. Wooden garage doors will require a regular routine of intensive maintenance that includes staining and/or painting. A wood garage door can also be expensive.

The bottom line is when looking at garage doors, it really is penny wise and pound foolish to purchase and install a relatively inexpensive garage door. A quality garage door will make your home more secure and energy efficient and add great curb appeal.

JUNE IS GARAGE DOOR SAFETY MONTH

Here Are The Top 10 Door and Opener Safety and Security Tips

1. Make sure garage door opener control button is out of the reach of small children.

2. Do not let children play with garage door remote controls.

3. Consult the owner’s manual and learn how to use the garage door’s emergency release feature.

4. Visually inspect the garage door each month. Look at springs, cables, rollers and pulleys for signs of wear. Do not attempt to remove, adjust or repair these parts or anything attached to them. A trained garage door professional must make adjustments to these parts, which are under high tension.

5. Test the garage door opener’s reversing mechanism monthly by placing a 2 x 4 board or a roll of paper towels in the door’s path. If the door does not reverse after contacting the object, call a qualifed garage door professional for repair. If the opener has not been replaced since 1993, seriously consider a new one with auto-reverse as a standard feature.

6. Never place fingers between door sections and explain the dangers to children.

7. Do not leave the garage door partially open. When activated again, it may travel downward and come in contact with an object in its path. This also impacts your home’s security as well.

8. While on vacation, unplug the garage door opener unit or use a wall vacation lock console security switch, which renders remotes unusable and is an optional accessory to most openers.

9. If the opener does not have rolling-code technology, which changes the access codes each time the opener is used to prevent code grabbing, be sure to change the manufacturer’s standard access codes on the opener and remote control, or consider investing in a newer model with more safety and security features that are now standard.

10. A new trend in home invasion is gaining access to the home by stealing the opener or car. Never leave the remote control in the car or with a parking attendant. Consider using a key chain remote and always lock the entry to the inside of your home – especially if your opener is programmed to your vehicle.