Admit it. You think garage doors are boring. You also think it’s a pain to go through the process of buying one. Well, I think buying a new garage door is quite exciting and here’s why.
– It adds curb appeal to your home – a house of distinction.
– It adds value to your house.
– It adds safety and privacy.
– Less noise from the old garage door! You’re welcome.
– And most importantly: jealous neighbors. Oh Yeah!
Now that you are a little bit more excited about garage doors, we’ll help you with the process of buying a new one. If, however, you are more of an idea guy/girl and less into planning, we can do the planning for you! Contact your North Atlanta Garage Door Experts for an advice, inquiry, free estimate, thought, suggestion, or anything else you need.
So, how do you buy a garage door? What do you have consider?
Size
Garage doors come in any size and shape you might need. As you start looking for garage doors and call dealers, you will be asked about the size of your garage door. Here’s how you measure it:
Style
Here’s the fun part! The style you choose should match the aesthetics of your house. If you are not really into design and big ideas, call us and we’ll choose the perfect style for you!
To have an idea of what garage door designs are out there, check out the products offered by All 4 Seasons Garages, as well as the product gallery. Whether you are looking for residential or commercial garage doors in North Atlanta, we’ve got what you’re looking for.
No matter where you look, you will find 3 main styles: Sectional, Carriage, and Contemporary. For each of these styles you can choose windows and window panels. I personally consider that windows and window panels add a personal touch to the home exterior. It doesn’t even look like a garage door anymore; it turns into a gorgeous piece of exterior design. The style you choose doesn’t only offer distinction to your home; it also drives up its value. So if you decide to sell it, you get a pretty good return on investment for the garage door.
Let’s talk about panels. They add to the style of your garage door and the overall look of the home exterior. There are 4 main designs of panels:
1. Flush Panels
2. Long-raised panels
3. Short-raised panels
4. Painted panels
Construction
Here’s where you decide if you want the beauty of wood or the low maintenance of steel garage doors. However, we assure you that there are charming designs for both wood and steel, so there is no trade-off in the attractiveness of a garage door. At All 4 Seasons, we have a big choice of styles, colors, shapes for any taste.
If you choose a steel garage door, there are 3 main types to consider:
1. Single-Layer Garage Door: one sheet of galvanized steel.
2. Double-Layer Garage Doors: one galvanized steel skin and a thick layer of either polystyrene or polyurethane as a backer.
3. Triple-Layer Garage Doors: same material as two-layer plus an additional galvanized skin on the inside to protect the polystyrene / polyurethane from damage.
The more layers your garage door has the more resistant and sound proof it is.
Garage Function
Another factor to consider before buying a garage door is how your family uses the garage. Is your garage also a studio or workshop for your hobbies? Is it used as a play area? Is it used as a living area? How much time do you spend in your garage? How important is for you to be able to regulate the temperature in your garage?
Here’s where the R-value comes in handy. What is the R-value, you might ask. The R-value tells you how well the garage door is insulated (the higher the R-value, the better the insulation). If you spend a lot of time in your garage, you probably won’t enjoy hot temperatures in the summer and cold in the winter. You want to be able to control the temperature.
Since you are located in North Atlanta, you want an R-value of at least 3. 3 if a good value for moderate to temperate climates. If you live in a colder climate, you might need to consider values up to 10.