Back in the day, homeowners couldn’t wait to replace bulky, heavy wooden garage doors with the latest in overhead door designs. And, those newest garage door styles were just right for the latest in automatic openers for those “high-tech” doors.
All these doors have come a long way. An attached garage is the accepted norm in 21st century housing and nobody wants to do without the garage door opener. Yet, the styles available in your garage door selection are reverting to the look of days gone by. “Everybody wants wood!” That’s how one sales and installation professional sees it. Yet, they don’t necessarily want real wood. They want a garage door that looks like the wooden carriage house styles of Madison WI in another century.
Overhead Door Equals Style and Function
The garage door is one of the first design elements a visitor or passerby notes. It’s the largest single piece of architecture beyond a house’s roof. Installing the right garage doors not only boosts curb appeal, it can have a direct impact on a home’s value.
When you team stylish designs, modest cost and recognized return on investment, a quality garage door is a valuable asset. The National Association of Realtors report a quality door installation should return nearly 90% of your investment if you sell your house. Few things match that resale value.
Today’s techniques and materials can recreate the look and charm of bygone eras with doors appearing to open outward or sideways. Yet, they are modern materials and designs that accommodate an opener – nobody wants to get out in the rain to open those classic doors. Design options are extensive with a variety of materials, styles and accessories to choose from. There are window options and an array of colors and textures. From a colonial look to extremely contemporary, there’s decorative hardware to go with these doors, too.
Maintenance Factors In Overhead Door Selection
Once you’ve settle on the appropriate “look,” consider the maintenance required for the material you select. Your choices are available the most popular materials, but each has its ideal features and benefits. Consider these options:
- Wood: Wood provides authenticity that other materials try to reproduce. Wood doors are strong and stand up in the Madison WI climate. However, they require frequent maintenance including repainting or refinishing, especially where they get repeated “splashing” from rain on driveways. Wood doors come in solid styles or lighter weight versions featuring a plywood skin over a foam-filled frame. Wood doors are usually on the higher end of the pricing scale.
- Steel:If you want less maintenance, go with a metal door. Galvanized steel is the best option for 90% of homeowners. Most galvanized steel doors have a lifetime warranty on rust-through and with today’s materials, rust is seldom an issue. Non-insulated steel doors dent easier than those that are bonded and foamed in place, but basketballs shouldn’t be an issue – baseballs or a hockey puck are a different story. Steel doors represent the best value of any material, and come in a wide range of exterior designs, colors and window options.
- Aluminum:Once considered a low-cost solution, today’s aluminum doors may actually be higher priced than a properly installed steel door. While they come in sturdy versions with heavy-duty extruded frames and dent-resistant laminated panels, they aren’t considered more dent resistant than steel doors. These doors are rust-proof and come in a more limited assortment of styles and finishes – but usually with fewer options than steel.
Northland Door Systems can help review a wide selection of overhead door styles and garage door openers, finding the best options for your needs. You will benefit from the area’s widest selection of manufacturers, the widest array of materials, styles and options including insulated steel or aluminum doors, wind load doors and real wood door models.
Call Northland Door Systems at 608-251-3627 or email us for professional assistance with overhead door selection, opener installation and repair and garage doors in Madison WI.
