An open and shut case on Garage Doors How to buy place or repair your garage door

This is the first of what will be a series of Xombytes on one of the most exciting topics of all time. Garage Doors!! Yeah!! oh boy how exciting.

That is the typical reaction to this topic. I have worked in the Commercial and residential overhead door business for over twenty years. When I am out an d meet someone new and the topic of work comes up people always say "Overhead what?" It really impresses the ladies!

So more than likely your reading this because you are either considering replacing an existing door or are building a new home, and need to purchase one for it. Not because its and exciting topic.
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My goal is to give you enough information for you to feel confident when you are buying a garage door, Having one installed or doing it yourself. Also how to do your own preventative maintenance . I will do my best to make it as exciting and fun as possible.

Finally I will provide some information on when and how to repair your door. Also when not to repair. This is related to the topic of safety which will be a common theme throughout this series.

So lets get started. Before you even start looking for a company to purchase your door from you should consider several things and have a certain amount of information already prepared so you know what you want and need.

First of all most people in the past have not taken this purchase as seriously as they should. If you have a two car garage like most homeowners the typical or most common door width is 16'-0". The most common height is 7'-0" That is a large section of your homes exterior. Measure your to make sure you know the correct size.

This may seem obvious but I cannot count the number of times I have had a homeowner tell me their door was a certain size and when I got there it was not.

Next you want to consider do you want an insulated door or non-insulated. If your garage is sheet rocked and insulated you should definitely consider an insulated door. I personally think if you can afford it buy an insulated door. They keep the cold out in the winter and the heat out in the summer.
They typically are made with a steel front, insulation in the middle, and then a steel back panel. These sandwiched sections are also quieter when opening or closing the door. This feature comes in really handy when your getting in late and trying to sneak in with out waking the kids or whoever.

The next consideration is the actual appearance of the door. Today garage door manufacturers offer a wide variety of doors for just about any style of home. Since I mentioned earlier these doors are typically 16' by 7' that's a large section of your homes exterior. Make sure you pick one out that will match the architectural style of your home.

Most of the large door manufacturers have a place on their web sites where you can look at and design a door for your home. I have sold and worked with both "The Overhead Door Company" and "Clopay Doors" I can confidently recommend there products. There are a lot of other manufactures and some I am sure make good Doors and some don't. I am only mentioning the two above because I know their product and the companies well.

Now that you have measured your door, considered what you need and looked at some designs on the web its time to start looking for a local dealer. That is where we will start next. Trust me this will be probably the most important part of this whole process. So if there is anyway you can wait until the next article please do. Unfortunately this industry is overflowing with a wide range of dealer/ installers. From the very good to the very bad. I will tell you what to look for and when you need to run away and lock all your doors!