GARAGE DOORS HAVE COME A LONG WAY OVER THE YEARS: MANUAL ROLL-UP TO AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENERS, SINGLE-LAYER STEEL TO INSULATED MULTI-LAYERS IN VARIOUS MATERIALS AND SIMPLE COVERINGS TO DRAMATIC, VISUAL DESIGNS. YOU CAN STILL GET THE MANUAL ROLL-UP, PLAIN SINGLE- LAYER STEEL DOORS — AVAILABLE IN OUR CLASSIC COLLECTION. BUT TO GET THE MOST BENEFIT VISUALLY AND FINANCIALLY, WE HAVE A WIDE ARRAY OF OPTIONS TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A UNIQUE LOOK WITH EXCEPTIONAL VALUE.
A garage door replacement is one of the top home improvement
projects you can do to get the biggest benefits when you’re looking
at cost versus value. In the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area:
• A midrange garage door replacement project with a cost of $1,618 saw a resale value of $2,760, which means you’d recoup all costs with an overall return of 170.6%.
• An upscale garage door replacement project with a cost of $3,111 saw a resale value of $2,462, showing a 79.1% return on your investment.
While the numbers for your project will differ, you can see how a low investment of getting a new garage door can be an excellent way to improve the resale value of your home.
WHERE’S THE VALUE IN A NEW GARAGE DOOR?
A garage door is a highly practical item when you’ve got a garage. And with all things practical there’s the basic level and the high-end level. Fact is, just installing a new garage door will provide you with a high return, at least in the Harrisburg area, when you’re looking at resale value. But you likely want to consider some of the design and construction elements that make up a garage door and really get the all-around value for your investment
Below are the top five benefits for replacing your garage door that will affect you whether you’re looking at selling soon or enjoying that garage door yourself for years to come.
1. IMPROVES THE APPEARANCE AND VALUE OF YOUR HOME
With the multitude of colors, finishes and design elements available, your purchase of a garage door can be all about style. Installing a completely different garage door will drastically change the look of your home.
Want to see for yourself? Upload a picture of your house to Clopay’s Door Imagination System to get a clear visual of how your home will look with different styles of garage doors. You’ll be amazed at how dramatic the change will be and you’ll get a good feel for what kind of design is right for you and your home. Clopay manufacturers various collections that cover every preference in design, color and budget.
Improving appearance has the obvious connection to adding value to your home. The better your home looks, the more impressed potential buyers will be. A new, modern garage door will greatly improve the market value of your home. Any real estate agent will be able to confirm that homes sell more quickly that have an attached garage in good to excellent shape.
If you’re planning to replace your garage door to make a good impression on potential buyers, then be sure not to go for just looks alone. When people are house shopping, they are looking at all aspects of their prospective new home. Looks do matter, but buyers will also be looking at safety issues, security and utility costs. All of these are affected by the quality and construction of your garage door.
2. IMPROVES THE SAFETY OF YOUR HOME
The designing and manufacturing of garage doors incorporates various security features to make your garage door as secure and safe as possible. The safety factor deals with keeping you, your family and your possessions safe and sound.
The current safety standards describe various requirements for protection against injury concerning garage door openers. As technology has improved over time, so too has the quality of garage door openers, which can pose a number of risks. These safety standards apply to the manufacturing and installation of garage doors to ensure safe operation by the user and avoid tragic malfunctioning and improper use. A modern automatic garage door opener is engineered for the safest operation.
Another big advantage to a garage door replacement is limiting access to your home — limiting access to those unlawfully entering. Statistics from 2010 show that 73.9% of burglaries in the United States happened at residential properties, and 9% of those gained entry through the garage. Even if the garage door is locked, there are still some tricks thieves use to gain entry and then access the house through the often unlocked door to the house. The benefits of a new garage door will have you equipped with the latest technology in garage door security.
A proper air-tight fit will also keep your belongings safe. A drafty or damaged door will allow extreme weather conditions to directly affect those stored items. A new garage door that is professionally installed will give you and your belongings protection from any safety matter.
3. IMPROVES ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The older your garage door, the more likely it is you’re wasting money on energy costs. An attached garage hikes up your energy bill since it affects the cooling or warming of your house to some degree. But even if your garage is detached, the insulating power of your garage door is important.
Unless you don’t use your garage for anything but parking your vehicle in, heating and cooling costs will be an important factor in your garage door replacement. Likely, you can reduce your energy costs just by getting a new well insulated door and get a full return on your investment over a few years.
The R-value for insulation represents the power the material has of keeping the heat out and the air conditioning in, and this value varies with our garage door collections. Some of our collections are really focused on the insulating material, which will provide you with different levels of protection. You can have the exact same door with little insulating material or the top of the line R-value. Every collection boasts a number of customizable features.
4. REPRESENTS YOUR PERSONAL STYLE
The varying designs available in garage doors speak to the variety of design styles like Ranch, Modern, Country or Traditional. With so many different styles and optional features, you may have a hard time deciding what works best for the style of your home and your personal taste. To guide you a bit in deciding on the collection that will suit you, here are a few of the details regarding the design of each of our collections.
The Coachman Collection:
• Traditional look in wood but can be painted in one of our selection of four colors
• Carriage house design of swing-out door in appearance but operates in the modern upward motion
• Various design, hardware and overlay options to match various house styles
• Constructed with four layers of insulated steel, offering R-values up to 18.4 Canyon Ridge Collection:
• Ultra-Grain and Limited Edition series offer the look of wood paneling in a superior overlay for an economical, wood-like appearance
• Customizable through color, windows and hardware
• Ultra-Grain series offers an R-values up to 18.4, and the Limited Edition series offers R-values up to 20.4
• Additional options in overlay materials and appearance in the Limited Edition series that give the look of clear cypress, pecky cypress or mahogany
Gallery Collection:
• Grooved paneled design in a carriage house door appearance with a faux-wood look
• Panel design, windows and hardware are all customizable
• The 12 color options are resistant to fading due to the advanced process of baking-on the primer and topcoat
• Available in one- to three-layer construction delivering R-values up to 18.4
Cypress Series:
• Features an authentic Ultra-Grain paint finish that replicates the look of wood paneling
• Solid steel frame construction means you won’t experience some of the drawbacks of real wood like warping or fading from the elements
• Has an insulated layer placed between the solid steel frame and the customizable painted steel surface
• Customizable with a wide variety of hardware combinations and window designs
Classic Collection:
• Value, Value Plus and Premium series offer a wide array of design and constructions options
• Basic designs can be accented with decorative inserts or stylish windows
• Premium series delivers R-values as high as 18.4
Avante Collection:
• Contemporary designs with chic appeal and eye-catching elements
• Full to partial windows in a variety of materials to allow for different natural light penetration
• Constructed with commercial grade aluminum frame and a variety of glass and acrylic window options
• Also available in trendy wood designs or anodized aluminum paneling
Reserve Collection:
• Complete customization for every element of your garage door
• Various options in wood, metal and composite construction
• Whatever you can dream up, you can get it through our Reserve Collection
Classic Wood Collection:
• Paneled design in raised, flush or recessed styles, constructed in solid wood
• Wood comes from naturally fallen and sustainably harvested trees
• Modern construction and knowledge of proper maintenance reduces risk of premature aging from exposure to the elements
With every collection offering a multitude of options in design, materials, hardware and color, you can see that you won’t have to sacrifice aesthetic appeal for practical needs. All of our doors have been engineered for superior construction at various price levels. Your garage door replacement will certainly be something you like the look of and will blend in beautifully with the overall look of your home.
5. REDUCES MAINTENANCE TIME AND COST
As with most things, the newer your garage door, the less time and/or money you’ll need to invest to keep it properly maintained and looking good. When you get a prefinished garage door, the visible color will be permanently bonded with the steel construction. No more flaking paint and time spent scraping off the old coat and brushing on a new one.
Even wooden doors made with our modern construction techniques will need very little maintenance and resist fading, splitting and warping from the constant exposure to the elements. You may need to learn a few new methods of maintaining your garage door, but after the learning curve, you’ll be pleased with the longevity and ease of use.
SO MANY OPTIONS MAKES IT HARD TO DECIDE
You may be replacing your garage door that has been damaged or looking to update the exterior of your home to improve the curb appeal. We love the flexibility we can offer our customers for their purchase. However, the multitude of options can make it difficult to know what collection to choose from and what options to include. You’ll be better off knowing how to get all the benefits from a new garage door that fit you and your home the best.
Here are a few tips to get you shopping in the right direction:
• The exterior material of your new garage door can be wood, steel or anodized aluminum. While deciding on material is partly about looks, you’ll also want to be aware of the wind code rating for your area and be sure to pick a suitable construction style.
• Every material will deliver some level of insulation, which is rated by the R-value. The higher the number, the more insulating power it will have. Remember that an insulated door helps to keep the heat in during cold weather and the cool air in during hot weather. Insulation is about keeping the interior comfortable and energy efficient.
• The garage door is a fairly big section of the exterior of your home. Make sure you’re choosing a design and color that blends in with the look of the rest of your house.
• Our doors have a number of optional hardware pieces that can be added for functionality and visual interest. We have options to accessorize with decorative handles, clavos, hinges and plates.
• Assess the look of your whole property by viewing it from far enough back that you see your house and yard. Notice how your new garage door design will fit in with the architecture of your house and the layout of your property. How can you use the design of your garage door to enhance the visual appeal of your property?
• Consider who will be around your garage door — maybe kids or animals — and how exposed the door is to harsh weather. A full-glass paneled garage door may not be the best choice if the activity and weather call for a more durable solution.
• Learn about the maintenance needed for the construction, mechanical features and painted surfaces. Some types of doors have more maintenance requirements than others to get the longest life out of them.
You will enjoy many benefits from a new garage door. If you’re thinking of selling in the next year or two and your current garage door is a bit old and tired-looking, a garage door replacement will be a great advantage to improving that curb appeal. Our Central State Showroom & Design Center is the best place to get to see and touch our garage door collections. We can also come to you and show you our recommendations for design and construction to give you a clearer picture of what door to pick.
