I Need New Garage Doors

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By JLP | June 25, 2007

I knew this day was coming and now I think it has arrived.

My house was built in 1961 and I’m pretty sure I am still using the original garage doors, which means they are over 45 years old. The wood is rotting and they look really sad.

I have been shopping around for a couple of months now but put off making a decision because there’s a disconnect between what I want and what I want to pay. For instance, the garage door pictured above was my first choice (here’s my other favorite). I called the local garage door company and some guy came out to visit me. The guy ticked me off when he said that only “rich people” bought the style of door I was looking at. That’s not very good salesmanship! Anyway, I did end up balking when he told me that the doors I wanted were $1,100 EACH! Ouch!

The reason I want a nicer-looking doors is that my garage is even with the front of my house and is a significant percentage of the view of the house. A nice set of garage doors would really help with the curb appeal and set the house apart from all the other houses in the neighborhood. However, I’m just not sure curb appeal is worth $2,200. The sales guy did show me some less expensive doors (around $700 each) but they just didn’t do it for me. It’s kind of like going to the dealership intent on buying a Mercedes but settling on a Ford.

Anyway, I have to do something soon. I just don’t know what to do.

Topics: Miscellaneous |

Comments to “I Need New Garage Doors”

Neith Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 12:43 pm

Well, I’m sure you know this but…. the first thing to do is get another estimate. Truthfully, I have found, with home improvement projects, that going with individual contractors saves significant money, so long as you are willing to work around their schedule. With the housing slowdown, they are more willing than ever to work with individual home owners.

I’ll give you an example. We needed a new roof on our house. The roof is a difficult one, with a 1/1 pitch over the great room and a wrap around porch with a lot of angles and waste. The first bid we got was $14,000. The second bid we got was $12,000. The third bid was $7,400. The fourth bid was $8,200. The last two bids were from individual contractors. The first two were from roofing companies. Big difference.

Good luck!

Chris Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 12:53 pm

Would fancy doors really improve the curb appeal? If your house doesn’t complement the doors, they are just going to look out of place, and won’t help your curb appeal at all. A nice pair of ordinary wooden doors (maybe with some well chosen paint) could go a long way.

JLP Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 12:59 pm

Chris,

Good point. No, I don’t think they would look out of place. New garage doors would just be one step in sprucing up the exterior of our house.

Scott Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 1:16 pm

I agree, get a second, and maybe a third, estimate. I needed a new door a few years ago, and I was all set to buy one from Home Depot and do the work myself. A coworker suggested a local door company that he had used recently, and they sold me a better door, and installed it, for less than the cost of the Home Depot door, and for considerably less than some of the other companies I contacted.

Of course, my door was considerably smaller and less expensive than the ones you are looking at, but you should still be able to find one at a good price. Have you considered getting insulated steel doors? They last much longer than wood doors, they’re lighter, and less expensive, require less maintenance, and they are available in a variety of finishes.

savvy Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 2:28 pm

Try getting a similiar style without the curved windows. My recent garage door shopping experience was that curved windows = $big bucks$

Wayne Elgin Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 3:29 pm

I can also recommend getting as many estimates as humanly possible. I often let contractors know that I’m getting multiple estimates, so they know they can’t highball me and still get my business. Not all contractors will wish to play, but you’ll still be able to see the reasonable range for the door quality you’re asking for.

I didn’t check to see if your new style is real or simulated wood, but I’d also suggest that you look at high-quality non-wood doors. Depending on your home style, they may go just as well, and the insulation in a good door will dampen sound and weather much better than wood. Some salesman may try to play the insulation up more than is necessary, but I know that garages are a frequent leaking spot for both A/C and heat. You might be surprised in the benefits of a well-insulated garage door.

Mercedes Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 5:51 pm

I work at the competitor of depot; if you get an estimate there and don’t buy but as long as they punch in your info into the sales screen (m2o or something) you should get a 10% coupon in the mail at some point like 2 weeks after the estimate. I got a coupon this way when I was looking for a garage door. Went with a stock door which isn’t pretty but works.

Mercedes Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 5:54 pm

The coupon goes out a week or 2 after your estimate; the system is pretty much geared to trying to get you to complete the sale. In my situation, since I’m an employee the discount was useless since I can’t combine them

Garage Door Company Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 11:27 pm

I am a C-level officer at a garage door company and I am very familiar with two large home improvement stores’ installation programs (think of a blue store and then think of an orange one).

Among the many garage door brands out there, there are only three that I would ever consider putting on my house. Amarr is one of them. Good choice.

I STRONGLY recommend against going with an individual contractor. You may or may not get a better price, but you will definitely incur the risk of a job poorly done. Many individual contractors in the garage door industry are fly-by-night operations. Most reputable installation companies will be able to match an individual contractor’s price (yes, an individual contractor would be willing to do the job for less of a margin, but a larger company will have negotiated a significantly lower wholesale price for the door).

My recommendation is that you walk into the Blue home improvement center to look for your door (Amarr is sold there). Find out who the installation company is and look them up with the Better Business Bureau.

In general, contractors in home improvement stores are much more trustworthy than those without.

If you REALLY don’t want to pay the price of the door in the blue store and it doesn’t bother you, get the retail price of the door that you want from the blue store, and then go to the blue store’s installer and ask for the same thing for 25% less. Although, don’t mention that you were ever in the blue store because the installer will not directly compete with the store. You will have a good quote and a quality installation. The blue store guys really aren’t gonna like me telling you this. =)

A few things:
-I have no business relationship with that blue store, I am just very familiar with the program.
-”Curved” windows would only ever cost more on a wood door, not on a steel door.
-$1100 is actually fairly reasonable for your particular model of door. Most of the dollar amount in that door goes to the manufacturer, not the contractor quoting you.
-Garage doors are different than roofing. In roofing, your biggest cost is labor. In garage doors, your biggest cost is the actual door (which is set by the manufacturer). Getting TOO many quotes will only waste your time, and the contractors’.

Free Money Finance Says:
June 29th, 2007 at 5:20 am

Star Money Articles for the Week of June 25

Here are interesting posts and news this week from the MoneyBlogNetwork and beyond: Blueprint for Financial Prosperity introduces his home insurance guide. Consumerism Commentary reviews Two Men and a Truck. AllFinancialMatters needs new garage doors. …

Wally Says:
June 30th, 2007 at 10:03 am

I work for Hoermann-Gadco. I have been following your blog for a very long time and feel I owe you for your insite and would be happy to assist you with any questions you may have as I have a 25 year background in the garage door industry. The company I work for makes many different types such as wood, steel, and vinyl. They manufacture all over the world. Drop me a line. I would also be able to recommend a competent, licensed and insured installer to handle your job at a fair price.

walterb@ligaragedoor.com
wally@hiddenpcmaster.com

http://www.gadco.com/products/residential/default.asp

Steve Says:
July 4th, 2007 at 12:22 am

Any thoughts on R ratings for doors … ? ie. what insulation level is it worth going for, or not…

Thanks in advance.

Garage Door Girl Says:
July 8th, 2007 at 12:38 pm

JLP - I’ve worked with garage doors for over 15 years. There are so many different doors and varieties of doors it’s unbelievable. My husband and I have a very small garage door repair company but we also do new installation on a limited basis-just homeowners or people referred to us. We like to repair doors rather than replace if possible. Many times you can get replacement sections if needed. Most companies don’t like to do that and will just tell you need new doors. I’d be happy to be shell answer girl for you with any questions you might have, advise you of the better points to look for in new doors, or just let you know the right questions to ask. I could give you a estimate of a approximate cost it if you’d answer a few questions.

surg Says:
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:01 am

i need wood garage doors if any body can help me let me know thanks

Jeff Says:
February 28th, 2008 at 11:53 am

I am currently looking for a new garage door. I have received bids from two local companies; both have been in business for over ten years; and will get a third bid tomorrow. The first company sells clopay doors and the second company sells Hormann doors. Not sure who the third company sells. The Hormann door is approx. $400 more then the Clopay. Can anyone tell me if there is a real difference between the two?

Angel Says:
March 5th, 2008 at 12:26 pm

What city do u live in? what kind of door are you looking for? Maybe I could refer you to someone that could help you.
Yes, I do feel that the Hoermann door is a better door.I could go into alot of detail however, I really need to know what your looking for first.

Jeff Says:
March 5th, 2008 at 5:50 pm

Angel, I live in a suburb of Chicago. I am looking at Wayne-Dalton, Clopay and Hormann. I want a white raised panel metal insulated door, no windows. Nothing fancy just a garage door. The Clopay and Wayne-Dalton are approx. $950 and the Hormann is $350 more. These prices include everything except a new opener as I replaced it about a year ago. Any advice would be appreciated as there is not much info. on the web.

wayne the garage door man Says:
September 12th, 2008 at 5:19 pm

To the guy who is a C-level officer for a garage door company, I don’t know what that is, but it doesn’t sound very important, which may be why your answer sounded so hooky. Any one who ever went through Lowes of Home Depot to buy a garage door got hooked. They don’t know anything about doors so either the order is wrong it is the wrong door for the application. The price is way too high, and the level of skill of the installers is very suspect. Now real garage door companies subcontract for Lowes and Home Depot. Only the crappy ones who can’t get business of their own. The pay rate is so low, that their employees, or installers, if you want to call them that, are terrible. Very low paid, beginner level trainees. One should only buy a garage door from a garage door company, not a 5 and dime or hardware store. Lastly, the only real garage doors made any longer are Raynor doors, all the rest are cheap imitations, glued together, priced to sell over the phone, and built to last a few years at best.

wayne the garage door man Says:
September 12th, 2008 at 5:37 pm

Just a little info for those in the dark about quality:
The best doors in the world are by far, Raynor. No one else even comes close to their quality. But if you insist on buying 3 cheap doors in the life of one Raynor door please listen up.
Number 2 would be Mid-American.
Number 3 would be Amarr from a dealer or Reliabuilt from Lowes, but I dont know who would still be an Amarr dealer, now that the corporation is selling around them through Lowes, (knife in the back).
Number 4 would be CHI and Martin doors.
Number 5 would be Clopay. You can also get a Clopay on a New Home direct from Clopay, but it called an Ideal door, and it is installed by employees of the corporation directly, and never goes through a dealers hands. Another knife in the back of honest, hardworking garage door dealers.
Number 6 would be Windsor First United Door and Overhead Door (Genie).
The worst doors of all are Wayne-Dalton, now that Stanley went out of business, no one builds a worse door than Wayne-Dalton.

Justin Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 10:09 am

Just an employee from Clopay (and I won’t try and say anyone’s decision in any way but just wanted to clear up something…) Ideal door (a Clopay Brand) uses a dealer network just like the Clopay brand. Go to http://www.idealdoors.com to find your local Ideal Door brand dealer. Ideal door does not have any installerss of their own, just hard working dealers, with no knife injuries…

Thanks and good wishes to door installers.

Garage Door Guy Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 10:33 am

By far… above and beyond… in quality, design, workmanship, construction, warranty and price… First United Door Technologies garage doors.

James Says:
September 16th, 2008 at 11:18 am

Raynor and First United have VERY limited distribution. Clopay/Ideal has strong distribution and can get anywhere in the U.S. with a lifetime warranty on the steel back insulated doors through qualified local installers (not direct Clopay employees).

Garage Door Installation Says:
May 14th, 2009 at 6:22 am

You will have a good quote and a quality installation. The blue store guys really aren’t gonna like me telling you this.The first company sells clopay doors and the second company sells Hormann doors. Not sure who the third company sells. The Hormann door is approx.

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I Need New Garage Doors