Any time you make a decision to improve your home, there are many things to consider. You may not even know where to begin! That's why we've developed a list of questions to ask before purchasing a garage door. Take a look!

How much am I willing to spend?

How long do I plan to live in this home?

What is the look of your home?

What collection do I like?

Have you begun your list of 2016 resolutions? Is one of them home improvement? If so, you should most definitely consider a new garage door. According to a 2015 Cost VS. Value Remodeling Magazine survey, the average cost to a replace a mid-range door with an upscale door to be $2,944, and found a $2,429 value of the project at home sale, which equates to an 82.5% return. This makes garage door replacement the second-best remodeling project in terms of return on investment (ROI) in the upscale home improvement category. However, for many people, the idea of replacing a garage door is daunting. It’s a big purchase that can make a big impact on the look and character of the home. How do you choose your next garage door?

When it comes to choosing a garage door, there are more choices than you may realize, especially when factoring in materials (steel, vinyl, wood), styles (modern, traditional, carriage house), energy efficiency (insulated or non-insulated), options (windows, decorative hardware) and colors. To make sense of it all and find the garage door system that best fits your home’s architecture, follow these five steps:

1. Understand Your Options

Taking the time to research your options online is the best place to start. Our website and even social interest sites like Pinterest are good places to get ideas.

2. Determine Your Door Materials

One of the most important factors to consider is door material. All doors are not created equal, and each material used in construction has its own pros and cons. For example, while a steel garage door will last a long time, it can also be dented, something to keep in mind if your kids play ball in the driveway. Wood doors are beautiful, incredibly strong and can be custom designed to perfectly complement your home’s architectural style, but they require routine maintenance and can be more expensive than other garage doors on the market. And, if you live in an area subject to strong winds, you’ll want to consider doors with high windload ratings.

3. To insulate or not to insulate?

If your garage is adjacent to any kind of living space, such as a bedroom or living room, it’s a good idea to choose an insulated garage door; it may help to keep those rooms more comfortable, especially if you live in a climate with extreme winter or summer temperatures. Not only that, insulated doors tend to have quieter operation, a significant plus if a bedroom is located next to or above the garage. Do you have a detached garage? If so, a non-insulated door will probably do just fine as long as you’re not in a region with extreme winter temperatures or there is nothing stored in your garage that could be damaged by freezing such as paint and caulk.

4. Try on some doors!

The fun starts after you’ve determined the basics of what you want in a new garage door. When visiting our website, you’ll find styles ranging from utilitarian to ornate, carriage-house to modern. Spend time on our DoorView Design Center. This center allows you to upload a photo go our house then you can place many kinds of doors onto your home until you find the one you like. 

5. Time to BUY!

Contact Overhead Door and let us help you choose that door that truly matches your home. One you've gone through the steps above and are ready to talk, contact us for an estimate! 

When it comes to selecting your garage door, the appearance is a very wide range topic. Material, color, shape, and size...how are you supposed to choose? There are 4 different sizes to choose from and we are sure that one is the perfect fit for you.

What Size Garage Door Should You Choose?

Single Garage Door-When it comes to your standard home, single garage doors are the perfect size for you. They can accommodate vans, cars, and standard SUV’s, cars, and small trucks. If you own a bigger truck or SUV, you should consider getting a larger overhead door. When selecting the right garage door size you will need to consider the dimensions, which for the single garage door is 10 x 7 feet, 9 x 7 feet and 8 x 7 feet all around. When making this selection, it is very important to keep in mind what you will be using your garage for. If you own a bigger truck or SUV, you should consider getting a larger overhead door such as the double garage door.

Double Garage Doors-The double garage doors are for homeowners with multiple vehicles, or ones that need more space for their garage usage. The double doors can hold bigger vehicles and can also be used for things such a storage space. When selecting the right garage door size, you should keep in mind the length of your vehicle and know the dimensions for the double garage door which is 16 x 7 feet, 14 x 7 feet and 12 x 7 feet. If you are thinking about RV or boat storage, then you should consider the RV garage door sizes...

RV Garage Doors-The standard RV garage door size has a width of 16 feet by 8 feet tall and the ceiling height of 9 feet. These are significantly different from your normal single/double garage door sizes. If you are a building a new space for your home or business, then just like the others, you will need to take into consideration what you will be using your garage space for. Will you be storing just the RV? Or, will you need to store other things as well?

Commercial Garage Doors-The standard size of a commercial garage doors usually have a width of 32 feet x 2 inches and a height of 24 feet x 1 inch, but this depends on what is going in the garage. Your business trucks have to be able to fit into them and your other business supplies as well.

Selecting the right garage door size does not have to be a hassle. Contact your local Overhead Door today for a free estimate to get you started!

At Overhead Door, no matter what door you choose, you can be assured you're purchasing quality and reliability. Not only are our products durable, but our service is unbeatable. So, when it comes to choosing a garage door, you need to shop for what will look best on your home. There are so many options, how can you choose? That's exactly why we've made an extraordinarily simple guide to help you! Take a look.

Your Guide To Choosing A Garage Door:

Modern Aluminum-This door gives you a simple, sleek, modern look.

Courtyard Collection-This collection is built to resemble the traditional look of an elegant wood carriage home.

Traditional Panel-The raised panels on this door gives a fresh perspective to the eco-friendly design.

Signature Carriage-The wood composition and Amish design of this collection is sure to give you the welcoming look you're after.

Impression Collection-Get a wood look without the maintenance with this door. The fiberglass exterior is sure to make an impression.

Durafirm Collection-There is minimal maintenance involved in this vinyl skinned exterior, with less of a chance of dents and dings.

We hope our guide helps you when choosing a garage door. If you'd like to research further, we have the tools available for you to do so! Try out our visualization tool to give you an idea what each door will look like on your own home. And don't forget you can always request a FREE design consultation to have one of our design experts come out to help you decide!

For many people, the idea of replacing a garage door is daunting. It’s a big purchase that can make a big impact on the look and character of the home. How do you choose your next garage door?

But if you’re thinking about selling your home or just trying to add some curb appeal, replacing your old door is a great way to go. It will help your house stand out in the neighborhood and, research has shown, deliver a significant return on investment when it comes time to sell (up to 75 percent on average, according to REMODELING Magazine).

But how should you go about it? What should you look for? What is available? There are more choices than you think, especially when factoring in materials (steel, vinyl, wood), styles (modern, traditional, carriage house), energy efficiency (insulated or non-insulated), options (windows, decorative hardware) and colors. To make sense of it all and find the garage door system that best fits your home’s architecture, follow these five steps:

1. Understand Your Options

While you’ll eventually want to visit an Overhead Door distributor showroom, taking the time to research your options online is the best place to start. OverheadDoor.com and even social interest sites like Pinterest are good places to get ideas.

2. Determine Your Door Materials

One of the most important factors to consider is door material. All doors are not created equal, and each material used in construction has its own pros and cons. For example, while a steel garage door will last a long time, it can also be dented, something to keep in mind if your kids play ball in the driveway. Wood doors are beautiful, incredibly strong and can be custom designed to perfectly complement your home’s architectural style, but they require routine maintenance and can be more expensive than other garage doors on the market. And, if you live in an area subject to strong winds, you’ll want to consider doors with high windload ratings.

3. To insulate or not to insulate?

If your garage is adjacent to any kind of living space, such as a bedroom or living room, it’s a good idea to choose an insulated garage door; it may help to keep those rooms more comfortable, especially if you live in a climate with extreme winter or summer temperatures. Not only that, insulated doors tend to have quieter operation, a significant plus if a bedroom is located next to or above the garage. Do you have a detached garage? If so, a non-insulated door will probably do just fine as long as you’re not in a region with extreme winter temperatures or there is nothing stored in your garage that could be damaged by freezing such as paint and caulk.

4. Try on some doors!

The fun starts after you’ve determined the basics of what you want in a new garage door. When visiting the Overhead Door website, you’ll find styles ranging from utilitarian to ornate, carriage-house to modern. Spend time on our DoorView Design Center. This center allows you to upload a photo go our house then you can place many kinds of doors onto your home until you find the one you like. 

5. Time to BUY!

Contact Overhead Door and let us help you choose that door that truly matches your home. One you've gone through the steps above and are ready to talk, contact us for an estimate! 

When it comes to selecting your garage door, the appearance is a very wide range topic. There is the type of material, color, shape, and size. Selecting the right garage door size can be very frustrating when you do not have all the facts. There are 4 different sizes to choose from and we are sure that one is the perfect fit for you.

Single Garage Door

When it comes to your standard home, single garage doors are the perfect size for you. They can accommodate vans, cars, and standard SUV’s, cars, and small trucks. If you own a bigger truck or SUV, you should consider getting a larger overhead door. When selecting the right garage door size you will need to consider the dimensions, which for the single garage door is 10 x 7 feet, 9 x 7 feet and 8 x 7 feet all around.  When making this selection, it is very important to keep in mind what you will be using your garage for. If you own a bigger truck or SUV, you should consider getting a larger overhead door such as the double garage door.

Double Garage Doors

The double garage doors are for homeowners with multiple vehicles, or ones that need more space for their garage usage. The double doors can hold bigger vehicles and can also be used for things such a storage space. When selecting the right garage door size, you should keep in mind the length of your vehicle and know the dimensions for the double garage door which is 16 x 7 feet, 14 x 7 feet and 12 x 7 feet. If you are thinking about RV or boat storage, then you should consider the RV garage door sizes.

RV Garage Doors

The standard RV garage door size has a width of 16 feet by 8 feet tall and the ceiling height of 9 feet. These are significantly different from your normal single/double garage door sizes. If you are a building a new space for your home or business, then just like the others, you will need to take into consideration what you will be using your garage space for. Will you be storing just the RV? Or, will you need to store other things as well?

Commercial Garage Doors

Last, but certainly not least, there are the commercial garage doors. The standard size of a commercial garage doors usually have a width of 32 feet x 2 inches and a height of 24 feet x 1 inch, but this depends on what is going in the garage. Your business trucks have to be able to fit into them and your other business supplies as well.

Selecting the right garage door size does not have to be a hassle. Contact your local Overhead Door today for a free estimate to get you started. 

When it comes to choosing a garage door for your home, one might think that it can be as simple as 1, 2, 3, but that is not always the case. At Overhead Door, we want to make choosing your residential garage door selection as easy as possible. Here are some pointers for a better understanding of what selections you have (pricing, basic material, and styles).

Stock Doors

Stock doors are some of your basic doors. No matter the material you choose, a basic garage door comes without significant panel design and without glass. If you choose to make upgrades, your cost, of course, will go up from there. Stock doors generally cost around $575, without installation fees and are very common in residential garage selections, but everyone wants to have their own little “touch” on their home. If you are one of those, then semi-custom doors or custom doors are for you.

Semi-Custom Doors

Semi-custom doors are one step up from your stock doors, but instead of having your basic door you can have panel styles, glass inserts, and designs of your own. Homeowners select from a kit of styles to create the door that best suits their home. These types of doors offer more options such as more wood selections, panel designs, and different glass inserts or designer-look glass options. Semi-custom wood doors usually range from $1,500 to $3,000, not including installation or primer. Steel doors always come primed and with a baked-on finish suitable for painting.  Prices for mid-range steel doors run from around $400 to $1,200 not including installation. If you still want more, then your next step would be to look into custom doors.

Custom Doors

Custom doors come with custom colors, finishes, panel designs, grooved panel faces, insulation, and top-quality materials, up to architectural design. We like to refer to this level of wood as the, “carriage house selection,” because it is such a high quality of wood. It holds up longer (some up to five years) and is intended to enhance the design quality of the home. If you are one that knows exactly what you would like for your garage door design, then it can be drawn architecturally and submitted to the company. Two-car garage steel doors in this range typically cost anywhere from $595 to $1,500, not including installation. If you are looking for the more customized door, then you are looking at $3000 apiece.

When a homeowner, new or old, is trying to decide on what they want their garage door to look like a lot of questions come into play. Here are some topics you should look for when choosing a garage door.

1) What Made You Want A New Garage Door?

This topic is very broad as well. There could be many reasons why choosing a garage door is just the thing your house needs. You’re tired of the freezing cold temperatures, the garage door is always getting stuck, or you’re personally just tired of the plain look of your door. If these thoughts have crossed your mind, then you are on the track to choosing a new garage door.

2) Is The Appearance Of Your Garage Really Important To You?

When you are choosing your garage door, appearance needs to be at the top of your list. Let’s say you are in the seller’s market and want to make a few updates on the house to get it sold. Studies show that the ROI on a $1000 investment is 84% after replacing your garage door. Choosing a door with an attractive design, or just the right color can make that investment one of the best choices you’ve ever made. Appearance is a broad topic when it comes to garage doors. There’s the design of the door, color, what doors are on the market, and even how many garage doors you should have. This brings us to our next topic.

3) What Types Of Doors Are Available?

When it comes to shopping for a new garage door there are 3 categories: wood, metal, and fully-glazed aluminum. Now, how you choose to design it and put your own personal touch on it, is totally up to you! What type of home you have also factors into this decision. If you want the fully-glazed aluminum door, then those are used primarily on modern or contemporary-style homes. These are also a little bit more expensive due to the size of the large windows. Metal doors can be uninsulated or insulated and of varying thickness. The best feature about a metal door is that they require no maintenance, as they’re manufactured with fire-glazed paint. If cost is one of your main concerns, then the uninsulated door is the most economical. If insulation and weather-tightness are important to you, consider a 1¾” door insulated with polyurethane foam.  A wood door is going to be your least expensive purchase, but will need the most maintenance. This type of door is more appealing due to its natural and traditional look, but requires more attention to protect it from the elements. Of course there are other materials such as, PVC doors and fiber glass doors, but have flaws to both of them.

4) How Should I Prioritize My Selection?

There are tons of factors that fall into this selection but here are 3 categories to break it up for you.

• The Budget: Having this ahead of time can always help you while choosing a garage door. Most single doors cost less than $1000.
• How the garage door works: You will need to know the functionality of the door, strength, durability, security, insulation, and weather-tightness, ease of maintenance, product and installation guarantees.
• The door design: Does the door go with the style of your home?

If you factor in these 3 topics while choosing a garage door, then your experience should go smoothly.

5) What Plans Do You Have?

If you have everything planned out and your budget ready to go, then your last question you should ask yourself is, “what do I plan on using my garage for?”  Would you be using it daily? Just to park your car? Is your garage insulated or not? Is it a renovation or a new construction? Will you be doing more activities in it? These are just a few questions you should cover during your process of choosing a garage door.

At Overhead Door we want to make your experience as easy as possible. To get a free design consultation today click here.