Options for Upgrading Your Home’s Garage Doors

Why should front doors get all the love? The look of your garage doors can make or break the appearance of your home. Rusted, peeling and discoloured doors detract from the landscaping and your home's exterior. In fact, according to an article on BobVila.com, garage door replacements are one of the easiest ways to boost curb appeal with a solid ROI (return on investment).

Beautiful custom garage doors are a sure-fire way to boost your home’s first impression. You can easily create a stunning look. Choose from a huge variety of materials, colours and textures designed to blend in or stand out. A new garage door is a solid investment in your home, particularly if you choose an insulated design to help increase energy savings.

At Modern Windows, we are way more than windows. We offer hundreds of options for your new garage door, no matter what size or entry type you need. Insulated, wood grain, sliding, overhead or swing – our experienced team can help you choose the perfect fit.

Not sure where to start? Read through this post and look at our tips for choosing a custom garage door.

Types of Garage Doors

Getting down to basics, you’ll want to consider how you want the doors to open. When deciding on the access type, it helps to think about how much room you have in your driveway and garage. If you have a smaller driveway and limited parking, you’ll enjoy a sliding or overhead door style. This will help to maximize valuable space. If space isn’t an issue and you like the look of a stately swing out door, we have many options for you to choose from. You can even choose from a variety of entry options including remote and keypad entry.

Sliding Garage Doors

Sliding doors range from rustic to ultra-modern. They make quite an impact on the appearance of your home. For instance, a sliding door with ranch-style panels would look great with a rustic style home. Sliding doors can also coordinate with your front doors for a truly cohesive look. Originally meant for commercial spaces, sliding doors have made their way to homes across Canada. They're now viewed as a stylish alternative to overhead garage doors. 
 

Sliding doors also let you scoot into the garage to grab a forgotten tool or bike, without having to do the limbo. Let's face it, that's never any fun. When automated, the motor also tends to be quieter. This is because it only needs to pull the door sideways instead of upwards. This is good news for anyone sleeping above the garage.

Swing-Out Garage Doors

As we mentioned above, swing-out doors are best when you have more space around the garage. Resembling large French doors, these make quite the visual impact and add a hint of nostalgia. These can be manufactured from a wide variety of materials and provide full access to the garage.

Overhead Garage Doors

The classic choice, overhead doors provide the most clearance for vehicles. Designed to be manual or used with an electrical lift, overhead doors lift to the ceiling along steel tracks. This allows complete access into the garage space. Far from the standard white panelled doors of the 1990’s, today’s overhead garage doors can be designed to complement any home.

Garage Door Materials

All the materials we offer are excellent products, so there is no wrong choice here. The material and finishes you choose will depend on your budget and personal preferences.

Therma Tech Insulated Steel

While you might not think that you need an insulated garage, it’s a plus for resale value. An insulated garage means less cold air will enter your home. This translates to energy savings. Chances are, with an insulated garage, you’ll be more than happy to use it for more than just a place to park your car.

Infinity Classic 

A blend of sturdy, dependable aluminum combined with vinyl composite and your choice of insulated or non-insulated doors make it an economical choice. If you want to give your garage a facelift without breaking your budget, Infinity Classic is the way to go. It’s available in many different panel styles with or without glass panels. This solid and affordable design can match any design scheme you like.

Vinyl Composite

Resistant to denting and breakage, vinyl composite doors need extraordinarily little maintenance. They can also be finished in any colour or style.

Vinyl Composite with Rigid Foam Insulation

The next step up from vinyl composite doors are vinyl composite with foam insulation. Providing a great mix of value and substance, these help to insulate your garage. Insulated doors prevent cold air from entering your home and make the garage an ideal workspace.

Garage Door Finishes and Styles

Check out this post for more ideas for choosing the colour and finish of your new garage door. The post is about choosing siding colour, but it brings up some important points for enhancing your home’s architecture.
 

• Wood Grain Modern Classic- The timeless look of wood without the upkeep. The wood grain look is a classic style that enhances the beauty of any home in a low maintenance aluminum material.
   
• Heritage Classic Hinged Door - Designed to look like an old fashioned hinged or swing-out door without the needed clearance space.
   
• Traditional Panels - Standard square / Rectangular panels.
   
• Ranch Panels - Long, horizontal panels.
   
• Carriage House - 4 panels with curves and decorative elements. Combined with traditional-looking hardware, these panels bring an old-world look that's ideal for homes with a country aesthetic.
   
• Glass Lites (windows) – Glass lite panels are perfect for letting natural light in and a great way to add polish to any door style. Choose a single row, multiple rows, or the Modern Classic look with smoky glass panels throughout the entire door for a polished look.
   
• Painted - Choose from a wide variety of neutral or custom colours.
   
• Anodized - A surface treatment that is nearly permanent. Anodizing prevents corrosion, scratching and wear on aluminum surfaces. 

No matter which material and style you choose for your custom garage door, you can rest assured knowing you'll get the highest quality product from Modern Windows. We're home to one of the largest selections of exterior home finishing products. Serving British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, Powell River and Vancouver Island regions since 1984, we install doors, gutters, patio covers and so much more. Contact us today for a free quote.