New garage door adds curb appeal
Our first "renovation-alternative" is to change the garage door. Changing out that old garage door can do wonders for your home's curb appeal as well as its energy-efficiency and safety.
Many older homes still have the bland metal door popularly used decades ago. These old doors aren't very aesthetically pleasing, they aren't insulated, and they actually can be dangerous. But garage doors have come a long way, both in functional design and visual design. If you are thinking about swapping out that old door, you have many options.
Garage doors are comprised of two main elements: the sections and the overlay. The sections make up the basic unit of the door. They are the large panels hinged together to create the door. Overlays are added for decorative effect. These consist of pieces applied to the base sections to give the appearance of something more interesting than the usual embossed metal and can be designed to look seamless.
Doors with overlays are more expensive, but they give a garage door more style and character. Overlays can be made of several different materials. The most expensive (as usual!) is real wood. You can choose from many types, including cedar, exotic hardwood and salvaged barn wood. Doors finished with a real wood overlay are quite heavy and often require commercial grade operators. There is also some maintenance with wood overlays, such as staining, sealing or painting. Single-size wood doors range in cost from $2,000 to $5,000 or more for custom designs.
Another option for material is cellular PVC. This is a vinyl material whipped with air and then extruded into lightweight pieces made to mimic wood. These pieces are applied to sections made of steel or cellular PVC. These doors are lighter in weight, they are moisture-resistant, more economical, and they hold paint better than wood. The cost range for this type of door is $1,400 to $2,000.
Overlays are also made of a composite material of wood fibers and resin extruded into pieces with a wood-like texture embossed into them. Composites are moisture-resistant and less expensive than wood, though they have not been used for very many years so their longevity is still unproven. Composite doors cost around $700. Another overlay option is steel. "Boards" are created with an embossed texture and then applied to the base sections to create the carriage-house look. These doors run from $750 to $1,000.
Recent comments
I am a little flattered, and a little taken back about the photo…
Anonymous | Oct. 2, 2008 at 10:38 a.m.
