When it’s time to get a new garage door, the questions are plenty, the expectations vary, and the requirements differ. One thing is common in most circumstances. Most people want a budget garage door which won’t fail two years later. Right?
Now, finding the ideal garage door and manage to fit it into a slim budget is hardly easy. Sacrifices are bound to be made. The question is which things you must sacrifice? There’s also another question: do you care to save today or in the long run too?
You see, if you buy a cheap garage door today, chances are high that you need to replace it again sooner than later. And you will need quite a few garage door repairs till then.
What’s worrisome with these projects is that residential garage doors are too important. They must work safely, provide security, last for years, remain resistant, offer some sort of energy efficiency. But the better the qualities, the more expensive the price. What if there was a way to keep your cake and eat it too – well, sort of – because some sacrifices cannot be avoided!
What should you consider – always based on your needs? Let’s see.
Ready-to-hang vs custom garage doors
It makes sense to say that custom made garage doors are more expensive than the ready-to-hang ones. If you can afford it, you can have the garage door partially customized. That’s one great way to save money. The good news is that the readily available garage doors on the market are numerous and designed for nearly all tastes. Most importantly, they don’t cost much and you can make them special by adding hardware you like. Or the opener you want.
Garage door material
The material highly affects the garage door prices. While there’s not a fixed price for all steel or wood garage doors, for example, and the prices vary among locations and vendors too, overall timber and glass doors are quite expensive. Then the price may go higher if the garage door is rather thick. One of the most budget-friendly options are aluminum garage doors.
Now, you should also consider one more parameter. Heavier garage doors, which are often expensive too, may be great in terms of durability and resistant but also need durable and rather large parts that cost much too. That’s a long run expense to consider.
Garage door insulation
It makes sense to purchase an energy efficient garage door. This has to do with your long-term expenses too. If you say ‘no’ to the garage door insulation today, you may save money now but not in the long run.
On the other hand, you shouldn’t overdo it. These days, there are many ways to insulate a garage door – in regard to the thermal metrics, like the R-values. Although the higher this value is, the higher the energy efficiency, your decision should depend on your personal needs too. Consider your location, your home’s orientation, the door’s material. The more exposed to the elements, the higher the insulation should be. As for the materials, it’s only natural to get insulated steel garage doors – not the same with wood which is a natural insulator.
Garage door opener
Do get an opener along with the garage door. Who doesn’t want an automatic garage door these days? But it’s not necessary to choose the most expensive one on the market. You just need to make sure it is a good choice for your garage door, in terms of power, and has the necessary safety features. Garage door openers can be replaced easier and without spending a fortune.
Garage door installation
You may keep the cost down by cutting from the material, insulation, and the opener and by sacrificing your will to get a custom garage door. But there is one thing you don’t want to sacrifice. That’s the way the garage door is installed. You need to remember that even the most expensive garage door will cause trouble if it’s not assembled and installed correctly. Make sure to entrust the garage door installation to a professional company.
Speaking of the installation service, let us just say that the actual cost of the garage door includes these fees too. Always remember that the price tag you see is not the final cost – there are extra expenses that may throw you off budget if you don’t consider them off the bat. Better talk with a local garage door contractor first.
