It’s tough as a homeowner, deciding which home improvement projects need the most attention. Our garage doors, the original doors that came with our home when it was built in the 1980s, were on my list of things to replace in our home. With a traditional look, we felt that the new design truly brought our home into more modern times, while alleviating the loud noise we experienced when they opened and closed.
Disclosure:Overhead Door™ Brand provided my garage doors complimentary, but the opinions expressed are my own.
Garage doors can increase the curb appeal of your home! Ours were 30 years old and we knew we had to replace them!
How to tell if a garage door replacement is necessary?
In my first home, I had a shoddy job done on the house and the garage doors were no exception. The wood doors were heavy and one side started cracking and I had to stop using it. It was only a matter of time before this would happen to the other one, so I decided it was necessary to replace the doors as it was a safety issue.
In my current home, safety was less of an issue when it came to replacing our doors. Though the wood doors were dated, they were not falling apart, but they would often get stuck mid-rise. That and the outdated look lead us to explore our options for replacing our garage doors. I’d heard from family and friends that Overhead Door™ Brand was what they used, so I started researching them.
Do you need a garage door opener too? Perhaps. Here’s how to determine if you need one.
Our garage doors, as I said, were the original ones that came with the house. But garage doors and garage openers work independently of one another. So, while the openers had been replaced, the doors were still original. One of the biggest reasons you would want a new opener is to take advantage of how quiet the openers have become in recent years. However, if you are going through a garage door installation process, and getting your garage doors replaced, it almost makes sense to install a new garage opener at the same time.
Tip: I didn’t know this, but our installer turned me on to this: Sometimes with newer garage doors if you are using energy efficient bulbs (you know those curly bulbs), they can sometimes interfere with the frequency of the garage door opener and cause it not to work. For that reason, it is recommended to use regular bulbs in your garage door openers.
Chain Garage Door Openers
This kind of garage door has a chain drive that runs off of a metal chain that is attached to a track. While this will be the cheapest option it will also be the loudest.
Belt Garage Door Openers
These openers operate on a rubber belts. If you have ever seen them in action in friends, neighbors or families’ homes, you know how quiet they are.
How to choose a garage door company for your garage door installation or repair?
How can you choose the best company for your garage door installation? Read reviews, ask for referrals, and talk to multiple people in the company
When it comes to home improvement, I do a lot of research before choosing a vendor. Obviously, first start by looking at the reviews that the garage door installation company has and ask family and friends. I also like to see that a company has been in business for many years. But can I tell you the one thing that I loved about Overhead Door garage door company? It was the polite, knowledgeable service from everyone I talked with. Plus, I could tell that this was a company that had actual employees that come out and do the garage installation vs. some third party.
With some other companies, it may be one person that sells you on your garage door replacement or garage door installation but what about the person or people that are coming into your home for such a project? Have they been properly trained and vetted? Did you know lots of companies outsource this part? I felt totally comfortable with everyone I spoke with at Overhead Door Company of Atlanta™ and my two installers, Micah and Chandler were great too.
Once I had chosen my garage door company, I had to choose my doors. How do you choose the best garage doors for your home?
Personally, I think that when you are replacing something that will be a once or maybe twice in a lifetime replacement, such as garage doors, it’s best to buy the highest quality. While Overhead Door™ Brand stands behind all garage doors, we chose the top of the line, Thermacore steel insulated doors. If you live in an area with lots of wind, they do make special doors for that too. While the carriage house doors are in style now, we went with an even more traditional look to match our home. Plus, the garage doors from Overhead Door come in a ton of color choices and the almond color matched our current trim perfectly.
What window inserts for your garage door should you get? Or should you get window inserts for your garage door at all? That’s really a personal preference.
Think of choosing garage door inserts kind of like choosing a font for your power point presentation. I found myself looking through these window inserts unsure of what to pick (There are A LOT of window inserts to choose from for garage doors!). So, I went back to the designer module of the Overhead Door site to see how different window inserts would look with different style garage doors. I also spent some time walking around my neighborhood spying on my neighbors doors to see how different styles looked in real life. It was relatively easy for me to pick. I like to go for classic, timeless looks. So, we went with the simple 3 panel window for our garage doors (see it in the final product below).
Of course, you may not want windows at all if you are concerned with privacy. However, that’s really not an issue as the windows are on the top level of the doors. This means that someone would really have to have a ladder or be exceptionally tall, like an NBA basketball player to peek inside your garage. I like having a little bit of light shine through, so I’d definitely recommend getting window inserts for your garage doors.
What is the garage door installation process like with Overhead Door for your garage door?
Our installation crew for our garage doors was in and out in about 5 hours!
It was smooth and easy. Unlike so many of the other transactions that happen nowadays, Overhead Door™ Brand was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful in not only educating me about the kinds of doors I should get but about garage door insulations and “R value” – believe me you’ll learn all the terms – even if you are not a home DIYer, it’s good to know these things.
I talked to several employees at Overhead Door™ Brand in selecting my garage doors. I even went to their Atlanta garage door showroom. It was nice to get a feel for how the doors looked. But I’d definitely recommend using the tool on their website where you can design your doors by color and style so you will get a feel for how they will look.
How to prepare for your new garage door installation
Obviously you’ll want to remove your cars from the garage, but beyond that they will need about 10 feet of clearance just to setup and have room to move the panels of the garage doors inside. That’s really all you have to do in preparation before your new garage doors are installed. Check out the before and after of my garage door replacement project with Overhead Door. It’s a vast improvement don’t you think?
So, what do you think of my new garage doors? I’m pleased as punch with how well they turned out. I mean, they really do make a huge difference in the overall appearance and curb appeal of my home. I can’t recommend Overhead Door™ Brand highly enough for incredible service and a terrific overall product.
Check out the Overhead Door website to get a preview of your dream garage doors.
