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Residential Garage Door Styles and Materials

Garage doors in one way are like people, they come in all sorts of different styles, shapes, and sizes. With so many choices out there, finding the right garage door for your house can be hard. People love their garages in a way that goes beyond just a place to park the car. The residential garage is a favorite getaway spot to hang out, relax, and just tinker around on the latest project in. The garage is such an important part of the overall house that it requires some very serious forethought when deciding on the right garage door. Here are a few tips on door styles and materials that will help you to make your choice.

Standard or Customized  

Basic initial questions have to be answered first before choosing a garage door, like, material, door style, and price range – Then it’s time to streamline the specifics of your garage door needs. The next choice is going to be between using a basic stock model or customizing a garage door to fit your own personal design. Add-ons can add up quick though on the final bill.

A higher insulation grade, along with windows or glass panels are common garage door upgrades. Adding glass panels or windows to steel doors is usually costlier than installing glass in wood doors. Solid wood is, of course, one of the more expensive upgrades.

Semi-customization is when the consumer selects panel styles, window inserts, and basic design patterns. An example of wood semi-customization would be choosing between a low-end hemlock, or a higher-end cedar or mahogany.

Customized garage doors are when the consumer requests a custom color which fits their unique style scheme, a special order panel finish or design pattern, or high-end specialty materials. These garage doors not only enhance the upscale ambiance of a home, but they also increase and help to uphold a property’s value.

Popular Styles & Materials

Durability, maintenance, cost, and style shelf life are all things that also need to be considered when choosing a garage door material. Each material has its own pros and cons. Wood doors for example can take abuse pretty well, but, they’re expensive and vulnerable to weather and rot. Steel doors, on the other hand, are cheaper and lighter, but they’re also susceptible to dents and rust.

Material Choices

  • Aluminum: Numerous stock colors and designs are available when using aluminum frames and panels. Aluminum has little maintenance involved and is the most impervious to rust and rot as compared to other material choices.
  • Steel: This metal is far stronger, longer-lasting, and more durable than aluminum. Steel also dents less easily than aluminum does. Steel comes in numerous standard finishes, colors, and styles. On the downside of steel, dents and scratches need to be immediately repaired or rust can quickly move in and start to corrode the metal.
  • Wood: This material is classic and traditional looking, plus it can be easily painted and self-maintained by the homeowner. Wood veneers can be used over cheaper wood frames in order to make the doors lighter and reduce costs, while still maintaining an upscale look. For those looking for low maintenance materials, wood may not be the best choice for them, as wood requires basic maintenance on a regular basis.
  • Fiberglass/PVC: This material is highly versatile and also comes in a wide variety of styles and designs. This product is just as durable as wood and steel, and the price range of fiberglass/PVC is somewhere in-between lower costing steel doors, and expensive solid wood garage doors. The downfall of fiberglass/PVC is that it tends to crack when it’s damaged.

Style Recommendations

  • Modern Contemporary – Imagination is the limit on most contemporary homes. Metal and glass are the most popular choices for these house styles. Frosted, colored, or pebbled windows are a fun and unique choice for metal framed garage doors, and they guarantee a fresh modern look.
  • Ranch Style – Simple finishes are recommended with this house style that incorporates horizontal design themes. Casual hardware and standard windows that blend in with the overall exterior of the home are also recommended.
  • Victorian, Georgian, and Colonial – Wood panels that appropriately match the general style of the home is best. It’s also recommended that the homeowner uses as few added windows as possible, and if widows are added, that they match the time period theme of the house.

Finding the Right Contractor

Specialty contractors who manufacture their own garage doors can usually accommodate most size dimensions, custom designs, and high-end materials. We recommend hiring contractors who are producers/installers (Manufacture their own product), especially when ordering a customized garage door to be installed. Hiring a specialist will ensure that the right expertise is provided for the right job.

Things that always need to be checked when vetting a garage door contractor:

  1. Does the contractor have a valid state license?
  2. Do they have adequate insurance coverage?
  3. Are the contractor’s employees properly screened for criminal backgrounds and illegal drug use?

The answers to these three questions are ones that are best found out sooner, rather than later. Worker injuries, damages to your home or belongings, and even contractor fraud are common facts of life that need to be considered and protected against. Finding a reputable contractor with the right legal documentation and verifiable references will be the most successful way to make sure that you’re safely covered.

Getting the best deal on a garage door in New York City is as easy as calling New York Gates at (718) 614 – 0616; Or, using NYG’s convenient Contact Us web page in order to send us the full details of your garage door needs. A professional garage door technician from New York Gates will then contact you back via email.