What’s your style?
If you are like most people, you have your likes and dislikes when it comes to the types of clothes that you wear, the shoes or boots you choose, and how you style your hair.
You try to project an image that is you to the rest of the world.
Now, have you thought about your garage?
Believe it or not, you and your garage might have more in common than you think.
When you are out on the sidewalk and looking at your home, one of the first things you see is your garage door.
It takes up quite a bit of space, and it pulls people's attention right to it.
Naturally, this means that you want your garage door to look great.
Just like you want to present yourself in a put-together manner when you go out of the house and make a first impression, you want your garage to look nice, as well.
After all, the garage is often what makes the first impression of your home.
So, are you proud of your garage door ?
Does it represent your personality and the face that you want to show to everyone who visits or drives past?
Maybe you are happy with your garage door. Maybe it’s a perfect representation of your personality. However, many people will look at their garage door and want to make some changes.
Let's take a close look as to why you might want to make a change and how you can do it.
Does Your Garage Door Really Need to Represent Your Personality?
Right now, you are probably wondering whether the garage door is truly that important.
It is, and the top reason for that is money.
Like we said, your garage door is a large part of the home. When it’s on the front of the home facing the street, it’s even more important.
The garage door is a part of your curb appeal. It contributes to how others view your home.
Even if the outside of your home is pristine, if you have a less than stellar garage door, it will mar the perception of your home.
It’s unfortunate but true.
A new garage door will improve the look of your home.
However, it can do more than just make it look better. After all, we said that the top reason for having a great garage door is money.
The National Association of Realtors in the US says that if you put your house on the market, the garage door looks attractive, and the interior is neat and organized, it could help to sell the place faster. It might even be able to let you increase the amount for which you sell your home.
Real estate professionals say that you could get up to 4% more when you have a great garage door.
In 2018, Remodeling Magazine ran a Cost vs. Value report that replacing the garage door can give the best return on investment – 98% .
This was the highest value of 21 renovation projects the magazine evaluated.
If your garage door doesn’t impress right now, it’s time that you did something about it. Let’s figure it out.
Question #1 – Your Home’s Architectural Style
When you are considering what you need to do to make improvements to your garage door, the first thing you have to think about is your home’s architectural style.
Typically, you want the garage door to match the rest of the home.
To make it easy, we can place homes into one of 3 main styles:
- Traditional
- Modern
- Country-Style
It’s time to take a closer look at each of these with some photo examples.
It’s a common misconception that traditional means old.
However, traditional is a blend of architectural styles that have evolved over the years.
For example, multipaned windows, stained glass, and carved kitchen cabinets are considered a traditional style.
If you tend to like items like clothes, cars, and furnishings that won't go out of style for a while, then you would probably enjoy a traditional style garage door.
If you enjoy this look, you might like a traditional garage door. These are 9x8 doors. They are a Classic Mix Pattern and Desert Sand Color.
Two-story cottages and one-story bungalows are popular home styles. They have borrowed from a range of different architectural styles and trends over the years.
They are often considered a classic look.
What about this look? These are 9x8 garage doors in Moka Brown Color and with Cachet Windows. It is in the Prestige XL Pattern .
Now, we will move on to some of the contemporary options that you might want to consider.
This style has become popular, and it is often recognized by the colors that are used. The colors are often dark and earthy, both inside and out.
Seen here in the VOG Pattern , these 9x8 Garage Doors are Black with Right Side Harmony Windows
Modern homes will often have clean and simple lines, and they may have elements of surprising sizes. There are many contemporary home styles.
What do you think about this look? These are 6x8.5 and 16x8.5 CALIFORNIA Garage Doors in a Black Aluminum Frame, and with Satin Glass Windows.
One of the other notable elements of modern homes is that there are often large windows that help to extend the home’s interior to the outside .
Country-Style Design
Image: Interior Design Magazine
This is a popular architectural style, and it is typically found outside of big cities. It might be something that appeals to you and your style.
The carriage-house style makes use of traditional elements. These include dormers and cornices.
You will also find that many of the country-style homes have large porches on them. They might be in the front, the back, or they might wrap around the house.
People like porches because they can be a place to sit outside and enjoy the weather while still having a roof.
You will often see gridded, multi-pane windows and projecting roofs, as well.
What do you think about this one? The PRINCETON P-21 Garage Doors (X-Shaped Overlays), Chocolate Walnut doors, and overlays with 8 lite panoramic windows.
The goal of garage doors is to enhance these homes. The overlays might be A, V, or X-shaped. They could also be square.
The design helps to create an effect that looks similar to a luxurious barn.
How do you feel about this one? The CAMBRIDGE CS Garage Door, Ice White Door, overlays, and four lite panoramic windows could be a good fit.
As soon as you see carriage house garage doors, you will know whether they are a good fit for you or not.
Here’s another option. The Vantage SHAKER-CS LONG Garage Doors in Dark Walnut for the door and overlays, windows with Stockton Inset, and decorative hardware could be right for you.
You can surely see by now that garage doors have a lot more to offer than you might have imagined before.
They aren’t bland or boring. They help to give the garage and the rest of your home character.
At Doan’s Overhead Garage Doors, we offer 38 different door designs . You can choose from 12 different colors and more than 100 possibilities for windows.
As the trends change, you can expect there to be even more options available.
Question #2: Choosing the Right Color
Just as different styles and trends of architecture go in and out of popularity, the same holds true for colors.
Color can be just as much a part of the personality of your garage door as the style of the door.
Over the last five to seven years, darker earth tones have become popular for homes and garage doors. Some of these options includeMoka Brown, Charcoal, and Sandstone.
If you are looking for some great colors and materials for your garage door, consider choosing one of the five options below.
They do a great job of mimicking a wooden garage door, all without the maintenance needed for an actual wooden door.
Check these out.
- Chocolate Walnut
- American Walnut
- Dark Walnut
- Cherry
- Iron Ore Walnut (this is a brand new option)
These are baked-on, polyester-based paints that do a remarkable job at recreating the aspect of wooden garage door.
Of course, one of the trendiest colors of all time, that never seems to go out of style, is Black.
Do you like this look? The EASTMAN E-11 Garage Door here is in black with black overlays and four lite panoramic windows.
Choosing a black garage door provides you with an elegant today’s touch.
Because black is such a popular color, it will be found not just in modern garage door patterns, but also classic and the carriage-house patterns.
Black does a good job with homes that have natural stone or faux stone siding.
They can work well as a contrasting color if you have a house that’s painted white or if you have a red brick home.
If you are someone who gravitates toward black clothing, then you might also find a black garage door to be to your liking.
Black is “thinning” in clothing and garage doors. For example, if you have a double garage door and you don’t want it to distract from the rest of your home, you might want to consider choosing black.
Of course, you have to remember that black absorbs light.
This means that it will absorb the warmth of the sun, which can heat your garage.
When you have a large garage door, such as a double door that is 16x7, it can become hot during the summer.
It can even get hot enough that you could burn yourself on the surface of the door, so be aware before you buy it.
After all, a good quality garage door can last for 20 years. You want to know as much as possible about the door before buying.
You could also opt for more neutral colors.
Instead of so much seen White, you could consider Beige and Sand.
Using neutral colors can help you focus on the rest of the house. It tends to age better than using something too trendy or unusual like bright red, for example.
Windows: Light, Personality, Action!
Why should you want to have windows on your garage door?
You want to allow natural light into the garage for starters, as this can help make it easier to do activities in the garage during the day without needing to rely on artificial light.
Having windows in the garage will also help to add to the style.
Because garage doors can last for 20 years or more, you must have windows.
After all, 2 decades would be a long time without natural light in the garage without opening up the door.
You can choose from a wide range of different types of windows for your garage door. When you are making your choice, you will need to think about the following.
1. The layout
2. Decorative inserts
3. Type of glass.
Let’s take a closer look.
Window Layout
There are many different available layout options, from classic styles to unusual styles. You could have a double or a single row, windows on the right, windows on the left, and more. Think about what you want from your garage and just how much light you want to let into the space.
Take some time to look at the various options to see what type of layout will work bests for your needs.
Decorative Inserts
Decorative inserts might not always be necessary, but they can add a greater sense of style and elegance for Traditional and Carriage House Homes . They add personality to the garage door that will help make your home unique.
Type of Glass
There are many different glass types available. Some of which are clear and easy to see through. Others are more difficult to see through, providing additional privacy and security , while still allowing light to flow through.
No matter your preference and taste, you should be able to find just what you need.
Start Dreaming Your Garage Door Today
Now that you have a better idea of the options and features of garage doors that are available today, it might feel overwhelming?
After all, there are so many choices.
However, it doesn’t have to be a difficult task.
Contact a garage door dealer in your area to help walk you through the process of getting the door that you need.
Doan’s Overhead Garage Doors can provide you with a quote via email.
Give us a call! Our seasoned staff will be happy to answer all your questions: 1-800-780-3883.
Have fun on our Design Centre app and find out a door that works for you. It’s even possible to use the phone app to try a door on a photo of your home virtually.
If you need some ideas, there are lots of gorgeous residential garage doors waiting for you here . Take a look.
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