Daily Archives: June 25, 2010

Horse and Carriage… goes together like a…

While you might not own a carriage, would you use your garage to create the impression that you do?

When choosing a design for your garage door, the number of options that you have is virtually unlimited. One of the most remarkable and attractive styles is one that resembles the door of a carriage house. While lots of us have taken peaceful carriage rides, we might be less familiar with a carriage house. What exactly is the style of these storage spaces for carriages, and why have they inspired carriage house doors?

These houses were the place where carriages that horses pulled, were stored. As you most likely have noticed, carriages aren’t as common today as they were in the past. But there’s that old saying that what’s old is new again. Many homeowners pick garage doors that resemble the door of a carriage house, to add a touch of class and flair to their homes.

What choices are there? There are two main options. One version basically just has the look of the doors on carriage houses. Meanwhile, they open overhead like the bulk of today’s garage doors. This differs from the actual doors, which opened outward. But that is not to say that this style of door doesn’t look authentic. In fact, they often are decked out with attractive pieces such as handles and doorknobs, to give them an genuine look.

The other major version duplicates both the form and function of the original doors. The authentic carriage house doors opened by swinging outward, rather than using the vertical style that is common among today’s garage doors. To make the doors seem as close to the real thing as possible, people often choose those made of wood, to give the doors a genuine look.

When choosing between the various options of garage doors that look like the entrance of a carriage house, here are some of the choices that you have:

1. Material

The original doors of were wood, so elect that material if you want your garage door to be as genuine as possible. But if you’re looking for a more durable material that’ll call for less maintenance, then you can also find such doors made from materials such as steel, fiberglass and aluminum In the end, the exact material used for carriage house doors is a matter of individual preference.

2. Operation

If you fancy the experience of opening the door of the real thing, then go for a door that opens by hand. The traditional models swung open sideways, vs. vertically in the majority modern garage doors. But if you want to have modern convenience, you can also find models with an automatic garage door opener… in my opinion I think the reliability of today’s overhead garage door is a better option.

3. Style

Carriage house doors are obtainable in an assortment of styles. This will make it easier to harmonize with the design of your house.

Even if you don’t own a house and carriage, it can make a wonderful addition to your garage!

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