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Everything You Need to Know About Garage Doors

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For some people, the garage door is the front door of their property because they drive their vehicle into the garage and then enter the house through a side door. For others, it's just a door to a place filled with stuff that needs to be sorted through. However you see it, you need a secure door that doesn't jam and rarely needs maintaining. The look of the garage door is also important because it has to fit in with the rest of the property, and how well the door's insulated also has to be factored in if you want to work in the garage and you live in a cold-weather area.

Garage Door

The price of the door and how much installation will cost are also important things to take into account, but don't go for the cheapest garage doors without considering your options. You could take a single layer steel door made from a 24-gauge steel skin, but you'll be compromising on security and warmth. A double-layered door is more durable, more energy-efficient and helps to keep road noise out. The added insulation also makes the garage warmer and more secure. A triple layered door with expanded polystyrene insulation is the most durable door, but it won't be the cheapest to buy.

Automatic Garage Door Openers

Automatic garage door openers are more convenient than manual doors, and they're also safer if you come home late at night. You basically have two options: a belt drive or chain drive opener. A belt driven opener is quieter and quicker but it's not as durable as the chain driven equivalent and it's more expensive. If you live in a cold climate, you will need the added durability of the chain. If not, you'll have to weigh the pros and cons for yourself.

Garage Door Sizes

Standard overhead garage door widths are, generally, eight, nine or ten feet by seven feet for standard garage doors and twelve, fifteen, sixteen or twenty feet by seven for double garages. When you're thinking about constructing a double garage you have the option of installing a single door or a double door. Two single doors together often look better than one door and there are practical reasons to go this route. If you have a problem with one of the doors, you can still get your vehicles out of the garage through the other, and the price of two single doors is often very similar to one double.

Double Garages for RVs

If you own an RV, you'll need a bigger garage not just a bigger garage door. The standard garage door height of seven feet won't be high enough. You'll need a garage opening that's sixteen feet wide by eight feet tall and the ceiling height of nine feet. If you're building a new garage to accommodate your RV, make sure you have proper architectural plans in place that allow space for the RV, other storage items and maybe even another vehicle.

Garage Door Parts

There are loads of websites offering parts for garages so you can maintain the doors very cheaply. Whether you want new springs, rollers, locks or a remote, you'll only need a toolkit and some time to fix most of the issues that happen through wear and tear. The websites and retailers who sell you replacement parts also sell weatherproofing kits that can help you keep out the worst of the weather if you live in a cold weather area.

Common Problems with Garage Doors

You can repair a garage door yourself if you've got the right tools and you're confident enough to try, but if the door needs some major work, call an expert in. If the gear and sprocket assembly have begun to strip out because of wear and tear, you will find the opener making noise but not the door moving. This can be worrying but the work isn't expensive. Another common problem is the traveler or trolley becoming stripped out over time. The symptoms are the same as those with the gear and sprocket and the price for replacement is equally low.