Residential Garage Doors

There is a staple in your home that you might not think about everyday but I am pretty sure in most homes it is used every day. It is none other than the famed residential garage doors of course. These offer us more than protection for our storage items and vehicles; in many cases they can also offer us added security while being in the home.

I love opening up my garage door and letting the kids play in the driveway while I am doing laundry or sorting and cleaning in the garage. The garage offers shade from the heat and a little retreat when they need a snack or a drink. I put out a few lawn chairs and a cooler and spend the afternoon letting them play while I get some work done.

Many home owners are opting for mechanical garage doors over the manual doors just out of sheer convenience. Some individuals do not have the manual strength to lift those manual rolling doors. Just make sure you do not misplace the garage door opener, or you are not going anywhere. Although there is always an override switch for these cases, it just turns it into a manual opener again.

For an added security bonus, most manufacturers also add a sliding bolt lock on the inside of the garage doors that slides left or right into a locking device. This should eliminate any worry you have that your door is not safe, it is.

As with any other product there is no one price fits all. In actuality residential garage doors can average anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. A plain aluminum door that will not rust in the elements may cost $300-500 installed as a custom built wooden and metal garage door could run anywhere from $2500-3000 installed. Now do not forget those garage door openers, they also run about $15-20 each.

Residential garage doors come in many standard sizes. They also come in many different materials and styles. When searching for one, you should get one that matches your uses first, and of course one that matches the look of your house. Function should come first, but you also want it to look good.

The most popular types of garage doors you will see are the metal ones that come with hinges every foot or so which allows it to curve up along the ceiling for a clean and easy opening. Another older style you may see is the large wooden garage door type that just swings up. Both of these can be fitted with a motor to open and close the garage as well as operated manually.