Garage Door Prices and Installation Costs
Are you looking at garage door prices and installation costs in total bewilderment? Do you need a helping hand to figure out the maze of technical jargon? We’re here to help.
Replacing your garage door is a great investment. It looks amazing, freshens up the whole building and you will also get most of the money back in terms of the resale value on your home.
In fact, new garage doors are consistently listed in the top five home improvements you can make in terms of adding value.
Sounds amazing right? Well, it is, but nothing in life is free.
What Are The Main Factors in Garage Door Prices?
- Size – If your garage is small, it will inevitably be cheaper to replace the door.
- Materials – You can choose from steel, vinyl, custom wood and more. They all come with their own unique price tag.
- Workmanship – You can do this job yourself, or get a professional in to do it for you. Obviously, that will affect the price, but maybe not in the way you would think.
- Complexity – A simple steel door will cost less than an automatic roll-up with a custom wood finish.
- Where you live – There are variances, State by State and city by city. It’s just the way it is as your contractor’s overheads simply aren’t the same in San Diego for example, as they are in the Midwest.
Is Replacing A Garage Door a DIY Job?
It is possible to do it yourself. But a new garage door is more complex than it looks. You may well have to do electrical work, there will definitely be a lot of hard physical labor, and you run the risk of serious injury if you try and do the job alone.
Garage doors might look simple, but if you’re just a degree or two out on your alignment, then your new door could be worse than the old one. You could actually save money using a professional garage door service, too. If you’re going to fit your new garage door yourself, then you have to look for signs of wear and tear. You also have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Signs You Need A New Garage Door
An experienced San Diego garage door repairman or a garage door repair company will tell you that if the door doesn’t close smoothly or jams open, then you have to assume the runners are warped and need replacing. If it doesn’t move up and down freely, then it’s safer to conclude the springs are worn out, and if there is any play in the brackets then it’s best to replace them or the whole door could come crashing down.
An expert in garage door repair knows the difference and could actually stop you spending money in the wrong places by repairing, rather than replacing, a faulty component. They could also save you from a major mistake, which could cost you a fortune.
How Much Does A Garage Door Cost?
As always, that depends on you. In terms of residential garage doors, garage door prices can range from just a few hundred dollars to thousands.
Most homeowners, though, spend around $1000 on a replacement garage door, together with the runners and other necessities. The national average is actually around $1241 and most people spend $770-$1440.
If you are using a garage door fitting service, then make sure the quote covers removal of the old door. Additional charges can mount up; less reputable companies can offer a cheap quote and then surprise you with the small-print – and it could end up costing you up to 20% more.
Get a full quote, which may include resizing the opening for your chosen door, replacing additional hardware and reframing the outside wall.
Materials Have A Big Impact on Garage Door Prices
Technically, by plastic, we mean vinyl, which can look fantastic for a decade or more if you opt for a multi-layer door. Vinyl also makes it easier for the manufacturer to incorporate layers of insulation and even windows.
You can spend much more on a custom wood garage door, or high-tech doors with an energy efficient glaze. The sky is the limit when you choose a bespoke garage door, in terms of the possibilities and the price.
A cheaper halfway-house is wood composite, which allows for layers of insulation, is relatively lightweight and costs much less than solid wood. You need to paint it and, like composite furniture, it can chip. But the material is relatively easy to repair and good composite doors are hard-wearing, so they’re a solid compromise.
A single-layer steel door is one of the cheaper options for buying a garage door, which sounds counter-intuitive. Unless it’s properly treated, though, steel will corrode over time and it just does not absorb impacts well.
Once it’s dented, steel is almost impossible to repair. The cheaper steel doors tend to forego insulation, too, which could cost you dear in the end.
What Are The Styles of Garage Door and How Expensive Are They?
- Swing Out – The simplest option. This is a pair of doors that meet in the middle and open outwards. It’s a tried-and-trusted design and they’re just doors, so they’re cheap, but they can be awkward if you have limited space on your drive.
- Swing-Up – The tilt-up garage door uses runners and effectively folds swings into the ceiling space. It’s great for tight driveways, but due to the complexity, it tends not to last as long. A good system can also be expensive.
- Roll-Up – This has taken over from the Swing-Up as the most popular garage door style in America, with good reason. It works well with powered garage door openers, it doesn’t take up too much space, and it’s durable and cost-effective.
Do You Need Insulation For Your Garage Door?
Cheaper garage doors might look great on paper, but you can end up paying a heavy price on your heating bills. If the door isn’t insulated, then it can simply suck the heat out of your house and you could regret your decision.
So, look for a door with a high ‘R-value’; ideally, you’re looking for a value of 12 as a bare minimum, which will have polystyrene or another insulating material sandwiched in its core. It drives up the initial cost, but it will keep the heat in and the noise out.
If you know the R-value of your walls and ceiling, it will make things simpler. That’s because there’s no point getting a garage door with more insulation than the surrounding structure. You will still lose the heat through the walls and you’ll simply waste the additional money on the door.
What About The Clever Touches?
Powered garage doors are no longer the preserve of the rich and famous. The sensors and electronics are relatively simple and it won’t cost as much as you think to bring your garage into the new world.
You need to make sure the sensors work, but if they do, then they could even save you damaging your car, or injuring your family. A sophisticated automated system, together with pinch resistance to stop it trapping your fingers, could be the best investment you make.
San Diego Garage Door Company
Now you know a little more about the technical side of garage door prices and installation, it’s time to take the next step. Give Coastal Garage Doors a call for more information or for a free quote over the phone.