Here is a quick guide to choosing a replacement garage door which covers all the major aspects involved in doing so, from money matters to the issue of aesthetics and security.
Cost
It is a tricky business, suggesting a garage door or one type over another on the basis of price. This is because it is not simply the ‘type’ of door that determines how much it costs either to buy or to have fitted. Rather, the material from which a garage door is made and its size can also dramatically affect the price it will cost to buy and have fitted. Further, whether you opt to purchase a manually operated of mechanism operated garage door will also impact significantly on what you can expect to spend.
Then, how does a person shop by cost when purchasing a new garage door or hope to stick to their set budget? Fortunately, it is possible. It is simply a matter of shopping according not only to door ‘type’, but also material and mechanism. To make doing this easy, here are the five types of garage door and material from which they are made that usually always come in at the least expensive end of the market.
- Manual, steel up and over canopy garage door
- Manual, steel roller garage door
- UPVC, up and over canopy garage door
- GRP (fibreglass) up and over garage door
- Manually operated steel sectional garage door
As you can see the combination of opting for an up and over canopy garage door made of steel is likely to prove the cheapest option. After that, UPVC, then GRP followed by aluminium and then solid wood are your cheapest options, listed in order of cost.
Meanwhile, canopy up and over garage doors followed by roller and then sectional are your primary options in order of cost, though a mechanism fitted steel canopy garage door can of course cost more than a manual steel roller door.
Fitting a Replacement Garage Door
You can further stand to save money on replacing a garage door by fitting it yourself. Guides, such as the Garadoor online fitting guides are freely available online to read, download and print.
If you are not already reasonably handy or adept in matters of construction though, for safety reasons it is of course a more sensible option to pay a qualified fitter to do the job.
Aesthetics
If aesthetics are important to you when replacing a garage door, you will want to shop for a replacement garage door looking specifically at materials as much as door type. Even the cheapest option, the canopy garage door, when fitted with a mechanism and made of timber can look aesthetically pleasing and impressive. Hence, it really is the material from which a door is made most often and not necessarily the type of door itself that will determine how it looks.
In summary and as aforementioned, the materials from which a garage door can be made vary in both cost and appearance. The cheapest material by far is steel, followed by UPVC, GRP and then timber in most cases. Further, there are different types of timber used to make garage doors which too can affect the price you pay. The most common woods used are cedar, oak, hemlock and larch.
In summary, to get the best looking replacement garage door it is worth buying a less expensive ‘type’ or door made in a better quality and looking material, if your budget does not stretch to affording both an expensive door and a more expensive material.
To compare the price of different door types and how the materials from which they are made can affect their price, give the options provided via the Duratec Security Solutions website a browse ahead of buying or setting a final budget.
Security
One of the cheapest materials from which garage doors are routinely made, steel is also one of the strongest. Hence, being security conscious does not have to mean forking out for a more costly replacement to your current garage door. In fact, because steel is quite so hardy, not only does it provide one of the most secure materials from which to make a garage door but also one of the longest lasting. Hence, do not dispense with the idea of steel simply on the basis of how it looks.
Further, for those who are particularly security conscious it is worth avoiding purchasing a GRP made door as GRP is one of the least durable materials from which garage doors are made and is often opted for simply because it is a cheap material from which ‘good looking’ doors can easily be made to look more expensive without actually providing much of the security real timber, for example, offers.
Different types of garage doors are reportedly more secure than others too, although all types of garage door are adequately secure for use on most UK home garages. Hence, door type is less a matter of security in most cases than a matter of preferred function, cost and what proves appropriate; a canopy or up and over door cannot of course be fitted to garages where there is insufficient space for them to operate. In these instances a sectional or roller door will need to be opted for.
Whatever door type you opt for and material though, it is well worth investing in the inexpensive addition of a garage door defender or bolt lock, such as those sold via the Lock Shop website.
Garage door defenders and bolt locks are additional locking mechanisms which are bought ready for use and are attached to garage doors in addition to inbuilt locking system in order to doubly secure a door against being tampered with or compromised. The small price they cost is also nothing in comparison to the price emotionally as much as financially you can expect to fork out if your garage is burgled.
