When it comes to the life of your home, few things are as essential as having a properly working garage door. Especially if you need to keep vehicles or other valuables in your garage, you want that door securely closed and functioning properly at all times. The more you know about how a garage door works and what makes one good or bad, the better equipped you are to protect your family from theft and damage. Here are tips for buying garage doors.
Consider The Budget
When choosing a garage door company, one of the first things to consider is the budget. If your homeowner’s association or neighborhood has given you a budget, you’ll want to decide how much money to put toward a new door. If, for instance, you want a door that can open up to 80 degrees or so and is fully automatic, you’ll likely want to budget at least 50% of that money toward the door itself.
Choose Your Type
When choosing a door, you’ll want to consider whether it will open manually or automatically. You’ll also want to look at the type of lock you have and consider whether you need a door opener or remote control.
Consider Your Access
If your door’s opening mechanism can’t be easily adjusted, you may need to consider investing in a new one altogether. Also, if one side of your door opens toward a public street where visitors may enter, you’ll want to consider a secondary lock system that will keep your garage doors as secure as possible.
Look For Warranties
When looking at a garage door to buy, it’s important to consider what kind of warranty the manufacturer provides. Even though the price may be tempting, you don’t want to spend money on something that won’t serve you well in future years. You should also look for companies who offer after-sale service and support.
Know The Lift Limit
While you can open most garage doors manually, they do have a maximum weight limit. When choosing a door, you’ll want to be aware of the maximum weight that can be lifted. If you have vehicles that weigh more than 1,000 pounds, for example, you may need to spend extra money on a stronger door opener.
