Convenience
Boasting a unique look that harkens back to the horse-and-buggy era, carriage-house garage doors lend charm and historical pedigree to any home, no matter its style or actual age. There’s only one downside: Carriage-house doors of the past had to be swung open manually from a central split. Fortunately, today’s garage door manufacturers offer doors that deliver the best of both worlds. Case in point: The Coachman Collection from Clopay features a range of designs that only look old-fashioned, when in reality they roll up and down with all the modern convenience of a standard sectional door.
Insulation
If you’re like many others, you rarely use the front door, preferring to treat the garage as your main entrance. Under the circumstances, it's worth noting that many of the best garage doors on the market today come equipped with insulation. If your garage isn’t attached to your house and you don't store any temperature-sensitive items there, then you can likely go without it. However, if you spend time in the garage, perhaps using it as a home gym or a workshop, or have living space above it, you can ensure more comfortable conditions by opting for a garage door with an insulated polystyrene or polyurethane core, like Clopay's Gallery Collection steel door.
Glazing
A glass garage door can be a stunning complement to the clean-lined geometry of modern architecture. During the day, glazed panels allow abundant natural light to filter into the garage. Then at night, when lit from behind, the door almost seems to glow, transformed into a magical focal point on the home exterior. You can customize the tint and transparency of the glazing to control daylight and privacy. With a Clopay Avante Collection door like the one shown here, you can even customize the frame color.
Low Maintenance
You can’t deny the warm beauty of natural wood, but you can easily tire of the maintenance it requires. With year-round exposure to the elements, a wood garage door requires at least seasonal inspection, if not periodic refinishing, in order to look and perform its best. Thanks to innovations in material technology, you can get the look of wood without all the hassle. Manufactured of a durable composite material that won’t rot, warp, or crack, Canyon Ridge Collection doors from Clopay mimic the appearance of wood, even down to their intricate, artfully molded grain patterns and textures.
Wind Resistance
If you live in a region prone to hurricanes and high winds, it’s wise to select a replacement garage door on the basis of both aesthetics and wind resistance. In many states, building codes require homeowners to install a garage door reinforced to withstand gusts of a designated minimum speed. And, you don’t have to sacrifice style for safety. Reinforcement is built into this Clopay Classic Collection garage door.
Style Consistency
A simple rule of thumb can help you pick the perfect garage door: Choose a design that fits the architectural hallmarks of your home. If you live in a Craftsman bungalow, a style known for its trim details and window grilles, look for a garage door with similar or identical characteristics. Meanwhile, if you live in a midcentury ranch or a contemporary home, opt instead for a door defined by clean lines—for example, a Clopay Modern Steel Collection garage door. These contemporary doors fuse durability and energy efficiency with subtle beauty, and there are many customization options to make this prominent architectural element uniquely your own.
Customization
Yet another option: Customize the perfect garage door. Most garage door manufacturers custom-build garage doors for customers who envision a special design. At the outset, you get to specify virtually every detail of construction, from basics like dimensions to such particulars as the construction materials used, decorative accents, glass placement, and the paint, stain, or finish coating applied. The result? A distinctive work of art sure to suit your home perfectly and set it apart from all the others on the block.
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