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How much is a new garage door? Wow! That is a loaded question if I ever heard one! However, I hear this question nearly every day. The answer has several variables that must be considered. The cost of your new garage door can be determined though with a few simple questions.
The first question is what size is your garage door. To determine the size simply measure the old door from side to side first, then measure its height. The smaller the garage door the less it will cost. This due to less materials cost, and less labor in installation. A standard one car garage door is 9×7, and a standard two car garage door is 16×7.
The next question to be answered is whether or not your new garage door will be insulated. To determine whether or not you should purchase an insulated garage door consider if the temperature in the garage is important, or not. If you have a workshop in the garage, or if you keep pets in the garage, you will probably want some degree of insulation in your new garage door. If you have living space directly above the garage, you would benefit from having an insulated garage door. The room above the garage is typically the hardest room in the home to regulate the temperature.
The third criteria in determining garage door cost is whether or not you want one with windows. Windows will allow more light into the garage and add character, especially if the garage faces the road. However, if you get an insulated garage door you really need insulated glass in these windows, or you are somewhat defeating the purpose of insulating the garage door. Another reason to skip windows is security, especially if the garage door is on the back side of the home.
By far the biggest factor in determining a new garage door cost is style! The simpler the design, the lower the cost. The more exotic the style, the higher the cost. The least expensive style is the traditional raised panel garage door. Next is the stamped carriage house style, where they press the pattern into the metal of the garage door and they use decorative hardware on the outside of the door. After that, it is the true carriage house looking garage doors, where they attach a clad design to the outside of the door along with the decorative hardware. And the most expensive styles are custom wood designs, and especially those that will be stained.
All of these criteria involved will determine the cost of your new garage door. Remember that your garage door is an investment, though. A basic single car garage door will start at around $500, and can the most elaborate can be more than $5,000. Two car garage doors start around $700, and can be more than $7,000 for the most custom of designs. Installing your new garage door, no matter the cost of the unit itself, will save you a couple of hundred dollars.
I get people calling every day that want to know how much a new garage door opener will cost. I better question would probably be “How much should I expend spend on a new garage door opener?”. There is a range of answers to this question that will shock many people.
To begin with you need to decide whether you are going to purchase and install your new garage door opener yourself, or if you are going to purchase from a garage door installation company and have them install it. Installing a garage door opener yourself is not that difficult if you are so inclined and take the time to read the directions to install it properly. If you go the do it yourself route, you can expect to save between seventy five and one hundred and fifty dollars. If that is worth your time and are not worried about being able to install the unit properly, then by all means save the money!
Whether you choose to use a professional or do it yourself, do not go the cheap route and purchase an off brand unit. The extra twenty dollars will be well worth it. Choose a style that fits your needs. If you need a keyless entry pad or multiple remotes, you can expect to spend about twenty to fifty dollars more than a stripped down model. Additional garage door opener remotes can be purchases separately, but are more expensive. Simple chain drive units are the cheapest, screw drive units are slightly more, and belt drive garage door openers are the highest of the traditional models.
As for actual price, well if you are going with the d-i-y method you can expect to pay about one hundred and fifty dollars for a base model chain driven garage door opener. If you are looking at a professionally installed unit it will be more like two hundred and fifty dollars for a base model. A screw driven garage door opener will likely run upwards of two hundred dollars retail, and about three hundred dollars installed. Belt drive garage door openers will be about two hundred fifty to three hundred dollars retail, and three hundred fifty to four hundred dollars installed. Keep in mind that if you go the D-I-Y route you pay sales tax, and you may need to purchase hangers or other supplies as well.
Are you thinking about replacing your garage door? One of the questions that you should ask yourself is whether you want a garage door with windows! There are many reasons both for, and against having windows in your new garage door.
Let’s take a look at some reasons against having windows first. The first reason to think about is security. Someone could break into the garage through one of the windows. However, this would probably only be the case if you lived in a secluded area, or if the garage door was on the back side of your home. Most likely, if the garage was on the front, or the near the front of your home, a theif would find an easier was into your home. Another reason that you may not want windows is the loss of insulation through the glass, especially if you have a well insulated garage door, however insulated glass is an option. One big reason that someone may not windows in their new garage door is that they add cost to job, and the nicer they are the more they cost!
As for some reasons for having windows in the garage, there are several of those as well! The biggest single reason is asthetics. If you choose a garage door with windows it can really dress up your home, especially if it is on the front of your home. A second reason for using window is the option to let light into the garage. This is a good idea if you have a basement garage, or a lack of other windows in the garage. The biggest reason is that the reasons above will add value to your home if you may be considering selling at some point.
If you do decide on windows on your new garage doors, you will not be sorry! Whether or not they are functional for light, or just for decoration they can definetly change the look of your home. From basic rectangular windows, or ones with the plastic inserts to match the look of the windows on your home, or something more ornate like the Clopay leaded glass look, you have many options.
How many of you have thought to yourself “Man is that garage door noisy!”? I hear them every single day. I also am asked about how to get garage doors to not be so noisy. More often than not, this is an easy problem to remedy.
The first consideration is, when was the last time that you actually maintenance your garage door? This is by far the easiest option to help with a noisy garage door. As I have talked about in earlier posts, many people do not even realize that they are supposed to maintenance their garage doors! A five dollar spray can of garage door lubricant is all you need, and will last for several services. Start by lubricating all the hinges and rollers on the garage door. Next move to the springs. After that lubricate the carrier bearings on the end plates if you have a torsion spring system. If you have an extension spring system, then lubricate the bearings in the sheave pulleys that the cables wrap around.
If simple maintenance does not solve your noisy garage door issue, there are still other options for you! If you have a non-insulated garage door, you should consider insulating the unit. You can purchase do-it-yourself kits, sheets of foam insulation, or you can have a garage door service such as mine install a professional kit for you. This will not only absorb much of the creaking noises from the garage door, it will also make the garage door a little more ridged and help with the temperature in the garage.
A third option is for you to consider replacing the rollers and hinges on the garage door, especially if you have a builder model. Most of these units have the cheapest hinges and rollers that you can get. Try upgrading to commercial grade hinges and high end polymere rollers with ball bearings. The commercial hinges will not flex like the cheaper hinges, and the high end rollers will not only have bearings, but they nylon will not have the metal on metal effect that the cheap rollers have. This should make a world a difference without breaking your wallet.
You could also consider adding struts to your garage door. This option makes the garage door more ridged. Most garage doors already have some sort of stiffener across the top of the garage door to reinforce it for the added stress of a garage door opener. It only stands to reason that if you reinforce the rest of the door it will be stronger and there will be less flexing of the sections, which causes a lot of the noise that the garage door makes.
I hope these suggestions will benefit your noisy garage door!
Does your garage door leak like a sieve? Or, maybe you get water in the garage during heavy rain fall. There are things that you can do, or have done to help seal up the perimeter of the garage door. Do not be unrealistic with your expectations though, a garage door is not ever going to be air tight! Just by the nature of how they have to operate, it is just not possible. They should keep the majority of the weather out, but they are never as tight as a pedestrian door.
Is your garage door a one piece door? If it is, there is not a whole lot that you can do to seal these types of doors. With the door having to swing though the opening, there has to to be space on either side and the top of the door in order for it to operate. Still though, you can put a sweep along the bottom and top of your one piece door. Also, along the sides you can make sure that the door is adjusted properly so that it attains the best possible seal.
If you have a sectional, or overhead style garage door, then you have many more options than those with one piece doors! Sectional garage doors naturally do not seal even as well as one piece doors, however if you have them professionally installed then you should have perimeter seals installed as well. If you do not, or did not, have your garage door professionally installed, then you will need to purchase the garage door weatherstip. Sectional garage doors do come with a bottom seal, called astragal, already included. Unless you go with a wood door, then you will have to purchase the foam rubber that is used for this type of garage door.
Another good thing about sectional doors, as opposed to one piece doors, is that they can be adjusted to the slope of your garage floor. As long as the floor is not too far out of level, then we can drop one side of the door or the other. Also, with sectional garage doors you can adjust the track system so that the door is tighter to the wall if neccessary. If your sectional door does not stop rain from seeping under it, then you can glue garage door storm shield to the pavement to damn the water out of the garage.
Everyone has had a weekend project at one time or another. Installation of garage door opener is often on people’s to do lists. And yes, you can install a garage door opener yourself. The question is, do you really want to spend all day installing a garage door opener in order to save $99? That is what we charge at Aaron’s Garage Doors to install a garage door opener, and in most cases we can complete the installation in about an hour.
I have heard from people who have installed their own garage door openers, that it has taken them any where from four hours to a whole day. Also, they obviously did not enjoy the process, or they would not have called me to replace there garage door opener! The process is a lot like putting together a puzzle. Expect there to be a few left over pieces when you are finished, also that you will not be able to complete the installation only with the pieces in the box. The unit comes with some very small, thin hanging material that I definitely do not recommend using. It is just not sturdy enough unless you are only suspending the unit less than a foot from the ceiling.
Another issue to consider when you are thinking about garage door installation, is what will the finished product look like? I have seen many installations over the years that you could tell immediately when you entered the garage that a homeowner had installed the garage door opener themselves! I have seen wads of wire hanging from the wall and ceiling. Wires wrapped up around 2×4′s, and other unsightly messes. If you do have a taller ceiling, how will you suspend the unit? You would not believe the contraptions that I have seen garage door openers hanging from!
The really important factor to consider when you are going to tackle garage door opener installation is, how confident are you that the installation will be completed correctly when you are finished? Again, I am not saying that you should or should not tackle this project yourself, but is it really worth it? If you do not follow the instructions precisely you can not only have a garage door opener that does not work when you are finished, but you may also do serious damage to the garage door if you do not! It would not be the first call that I received after someone did not complete the installation correctly, or did not adequately reinforce the top of the garage door before they used their new garage door opener.
Have you ever thought about how hot or cold that it gets in your garage during extreme temperatures? I know that I have. Most homes that were built by tract builders have non-insulated garage doors. Even some homes that I would think were custom built do not have insulated garage doors. I guess that the builders are more concerned with the counter tops in the kitchen and light fixtures!
Insulating your garage door, or replacing it with a new insulated garage door can be beneficial in many ways. How many of you use your garage for more than just parking your car in? Many people keep there pets in the garage. Others have workshops or even small businesses set up in the garage. I have seen other people with greenhouses and other gardening, even if was just bringing certain plants in doors for the winter. Having an insulated garage door will make the garage more comfortable for you during these temperature extremes.
Not only can you keep the temperature in the garage more consistant, but there are other benefits as well. The room directly over the garage is typically the hardest room in the house to regulate the temperature in. This is due in large part to not having an insulated garage door. Even if you just take the time to insulated your existing garage door you should be able to affect this problem. However, if you were to purchase a new insulated three layered garage door, you could correct the problem. There are models available now with R-values as high as 17.2, which is good as most exterior walls.
Another benefit to replacing your garage door with a three layered model is durability. The insulation in a two layered garage door can be easily torn. I have seen garage doors that children, pets, and even a trapped wild animal have ripped to shreds. With a three layered garage door you have a durable steel skin on the inside. It is also smooth, so it is more attractive than exposed insulation.
The last major benefit to having a well insulated garage door is noise reduction. Not only from outdoor noises, but from the garage door itself. Non-insulated garage doors have what we call the tin can effect. They creek and pop and these noises are amplified by the hollow cavity of the garage door. With an insulated garage door, these noises are eliminated due to the insulation and the added ridgidity of having the extra layer of steel. This will be a blessing to those of you with living space directly over, or adjacent to the garage. You won’t have to hear the door open and close every time!
This is the time of the year when we replace a lot of chain driven garage door opener gears. Yes the the cold weather has something to do with it, but it is usually just the last straw to an existing problem. Many times there is another underlying problem that the cold weather just lets you know was there.
The plastic drive gear in a chain driven garage door opener is a designed weak point in the unit. No, this is not done so that you have to continually purchase new gear and sprocket kits! The unit is designed with safety in mind. If the garage door were to close on someone or something, you would want the teeth on the gear to strip out rather than continue to push downward on the obstruction.
Unfortunatly, many people see a loose chain hanging from their garage door opener rail and think “That needs to be tightened!”. However what they fail to realize is that this is a sign of a larger problem. Chains as a general rule do not get loose, nor do they stretch. So, why is the chain loose. Well, the reason is usually that the bearing beneath the sprocket on top of the motor that the chain runs on, is going bad. After you tighten the chain, and especially if the chain is over tightened, the bearing goes even faster and the teeth on the gear strip even if the gear really was not bad prior to this issue.
Replacing the gear is not extremely difficult for a handy person, or someone that is mechanically inclined. Locating the gear may be the obstacle, but with the internet we are able to find just about anything that we need these days. One flaw in many people’s thinking is to just replace the worn gear. In order to replace the gear though, you have to remove the entire gear and sprocket assembly. The complete assembly is only a few dollars more than the simple gear kit, so splurge and get the complet assembly! Like I mentioned before, many times the bearing is the dirty little secret that is causing the problem! If you are not the do-it-yourself type person, we will be happy to help you with your repair!
Lets face it, just like every other type of product on the market, there are a lot of choices when it comes to purchasing a new garage door opener. Which one will be the best for your application, is the real question.
Genie and Chamberlain are the top two brands of garage door openers on the market. Both of these two brands offer a retail and professional version. Genie uses the same name for both versions, but changes the model numbers. The Only difference in the two is that the retail version has a multi piece rail, and the professional version is a solid one piece rail. Chamberlain markets their retail version as both Chamberlain and Craftsman. Professionally they market the Liftmaster and Accessmaster brands.
There are a few other brands on the market that are often found like Marantec and Linear. Both have been around for some time and have absorbed some older brands like Allister/Allstar, Stanley, etc. If you like German engineering, then you may like the Hormann brand. However they have a very limited line. Other brands of garage door openers that are common, are usually made by one of the first four brands that I mentioned. These brands include Challenger, Overhead Garage Door, Wayne Dalton, Raynor, Martin, etc.
Now that we have talked about the different brands that are available, lets talk about what type of garage door opener that will best fit your needs. If you have living space either directly over the garage, or adjacent to it, you will want to consider a quite model. Both belt driven and jackshaft garage door openers fit this bill. Both of these styles are on the higher end of the price spectrum, but there is still a wide range of standard to elite versions to consider. If noise is not an issue for your consideration, then either a chain or screw driven unit will be something to look at. Both are tried and true models that last for years on end, escpecially when you are talking about either Genie or Chamberlain makes.
When ever I am asked what my favorite choice is, I look to the Liftmaster by Chamberlain line. Yes, I do sell this brand, however that is because they are my first choice. After establishing the brand, I would spend an extra $50 for the belt drive unit every time. Not only are thy quieter, but they don’t require the maintenance that a chain or screw drive unit needs. As for whether to use the standard model 3280, or one of the elite series, it just depends on the situation.
Alright everyone, the topic of the day is garage door opener sensors and repair. Not a day goes by that I don’t get a call because someone’s garage door opener will not close the garage door when they push the remote control! Nine times out of ten, this is the most simple of garage door issues!
In most cases this is an issue that anyone with a few minutes of time can correct, but I have to charge customers $49 for a minimum service call. I have even had people get upset with me that I fixed the safety sensors in as little of a few seconds and I still have to charge them. Who’s fault is that we fixed what they could not, even if it only takes a few minutes or even seconds to fix. We can still do other things, like garage door and opener maintenance at this point to make them feel like they are paying for something!
When it comes to checking the garage door openers safety sensors, there are a few really easy things to look for! The first thing to look for is obstructions. I have personally shown up for this type of repair and simply moved a trash bag from the path between the sensors! The function of garage door opener safety sensors are to stop the door from closing on someone, or something. So take a few seconds and check for obstructions, even a leaf or spider webs can be enough to cause the garage door not to close. Another part of this step is to wipe off the lenses of the sensors. Dirt on a lense can be enough to obstruct the infrared beam that passes between the sending and receiving units.
If there are not any obstructions, the next step is to make sure that the safety sensors are aligned properly. Each of the garage door openers safety sensors has a colored led light that lets you know that they are functioning. They need to point directly at each other, and when they do the lights on each will be on. Try using the wall and the floor as a straight edge to align them. Make them parallel to both. There is no real trick or tool to get them straight, just the eyeball test!
If both of the previous two steps fail to get the garage doors to close, then the sensors may actually be burned out! There are small circuit boards in these sensors that go bad, especially if they get wet. With some time spent, you can find the proper safety sensors and replace them yourself. Or, if you are not the do-it-yourself type of person, we offer garage door repair service for this and any other problem that you may have!
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