maintenance

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t think about your garage door at all unless something is going wrong with it. If you haven’t considered the state of your garage door, you should. Granted, replacing a garage door is no small undertaking. Researching styles, construction, installation, and more can be overwhelming. You shouldn’t let those hurdles intimidate you or keep you from completing a replacement if that’s what is needed, though. You don’t want to wait until the door is falling apart to begin researching replacement garage door options. Also consider this: garage door replacement isn’t just about fixing a problem—it’s about making a smart investment in their home. In this article, we’ll explore key reasons to replace your garage door and how Garage Doors of Indianapolis (GDI) can help you find the perfect fit.

1. Safety First: Protecting What Matters Most

If your garage door is old and outdated (or isn’t working properly), then you’re at risk of the door becoming a potentially-serious safety threat.

Maybe your door is old enough that it doesn’t even have functioning rollback protection (also called auto-reverse), which is an important system feature to ensure a closing door automatically reverses direction and opens back up when encountering an obstruction, preventing possible injury. This is most often accomplished through sensor-edge technology that employs a pair of photo-electric “eye” sensors on either side of the garage door, typically about six inches up from the floor. They emit a low-power infrared beam from one side of the door to the other. If the beam is broken by a person, pet, or object, then the door will reverse direction.

There are also pinch-resistant garage door designs to prevent fingers from getting caught between door panels during downward operation of the door. Risks to your family’s lives and health from outdated or malfunctioning safety features should not be tolerated. Malfunctioning safety eyes, exposed sharp edges, failing rollback protection and similar risks should motivate you to look into replacement options.

2. Enhanced Functionality and Convenience

Many homeowners come to the conclusion that their garage would better serve their family if it were used as a living space rather than just a car garage. Maybe you want to make it into a dedicated workout space with plenty of fitness equipment. Maybe you want an extra den, family room, or home office. You might also want to transform it into a small apartment you could use for family visits or even rent out. Whatever new functionality you want for your garage means you’ll want the right garage door to fit the need, especially if your existing door is old, malfunctioning, noisy, not well insulated, and so on. Different designs serve different functions and can offer benefits such as improved insulation, noise reduction, improved security, and more. Adding options, like windows, can make the space feel more like a home and less like a converted garage. Take time to review your replacement options and select something that integrates seamlessly with your planned usage.

3. Improving Home Security

Does your garage door have deadbolts? Do you use them? Does an automatic lock fail on occasion? If your home and family’s security is at risk because of an outdated garage door, you should look into replacements or other solutions. New garage doors and openers offer improved locks, smart technology, and other features to help keep your home and family safer. Keep in mind that your garage door isn’t just about getting in and out of the garage. In many cases, the garage door and the garage are an entry point into your home, which means you really want to pay close attention to the level of security offered by your current door and what degree of security you could get from the right replacement door. Here are some options to keep in mind:

• High-security garage doors using burglary-resistant construction materials and bigger, stronger lock bars.
• Advanced encryption, such as rolling codes or frequency bands, constantly changes the signal sent from a remote control to the motor. Keyless models have as many as 100 billion new encryption codes for each time the remote is used.
• You can also have a sensor system that remotely sends notifications to your smartphone to alert you if your garage door opens.
• If whatever garage door you end up with depends on electricity to operate, make sure it has a manual release that allows garage access during power failures by disengaging the drive for manual operation.

These features will naturally add to the overall cost of a new garage door, but the peace of mind they grant in increasing your family’s safety and security is priceless. Learn more in our article titled, How Smart is Your Garage Door?

4. Transforming Curb Appeal

Go outside and look at your home from the street. Does your garage door add to your home’s overall aesthetic? Here’s the thing: For many homes, the garage door is the single largest architectural feature of the house, and it’s often highly visible from the street, which means it plays an outsized role in both your home’s curb appeal and its overall real estate value. In fact, your garage door can make up as much as 30% of your home’s curb-facing design. We often refer to the garage door as the highest-impact home feature that gets the least attention.

If your garage door isn’t contributing to the curb appeal of your home, it stands out like a sore thumb and isn’t doing any favors to your home value. The good news here is that GDI has an unbelievably diverse, robust array of residential garage door designs for you to explore. Whether you want something sleek and modern or something classic and traditional, we’ve got you covered!

5. Reducing Energy Costs with Better Insulation

The garage door of your home and be a surprisingly large source of heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. There are many choices these days for much more energy-efficient garage doors because of better insulation options. This is especially important if you’re going to be using the garage space as an office, gym, or living area. In addition to the comfort factor, increasing the energy efficiency of your garage door is going to save you money in the long run and use less energy overall, which means fewer negative environmental impacts from energy usage. Learn more in these articles: The Importance of Garage Door Insulation and Ways to Winterize Your Garage Door.

6. Lowering Maintenance and Repair Costs

If your garage door is especially old, it may be showing its age both visually and functionally. It can also be costing you a good deal of money since it’s more prone to needing frequent repairs, which add up quickly over time. Replacing an old, worn, tired-looking garage door with a well-made, durable, low-maintenance model is an up-front investment in your home’s value and convenience that will pay big dividends on several different fronts, including all of the reasons listed above. If you opt for a new replacement garage door, do yourself (and your wallet) a favor by making sure to have it properly serviced and maintained so it lasts for decades to come with fewer hassles and headaches!

GDI: Your Local Partner for All Your Garage Door Needs

We’ve outlined six different reasons why you might want to replace your garage door, including improved safety, new functionality, greater security, enhanced curb appeal, reduced energy use, and lower maintenance/repair costs. If any or all of those reasons apply to you and want to act on them, Garage Doors of Indianapolis is ready to help! We’ve been doing exactly that since we were founded in 1979. As a locally owned and operated business, we’ve built a strong reputation for fast service, deep expertise, fair pricing, and stellar customer service. We invite you to come out to our incredible showroom to see examples of the doors we offer. Feel free to schedule a consultation through our contact page, or call us directly at 317-860-0806. We look forward to serving you!