Considering a new garage door installation? If your overhead door is old and worn out, it’s likely about time. Worn or broken garage doors can leave your house at risk, both the safety and security of your family. Plus, having a new garage door installed can really improve the market value of your home. 

Be careful: choosing a new garage door is a considerable investment that requires special care. However, make solid choices on your replacement door and you’ll realize a 1:1 ROI. Seriously! It’s the best return on investment of any home improvement project, even above kitchen or bathroom remodels.

What Kind of Garage Door Do You Want?

Obviously the first and biggest question – size, type and material will all affect the cost of the garage door up front and over time.

• Aluminum garage doors have the advantage of being rust resistant, and cost between $1,500 and $2,000 for a 16×7 double door. Aluminum is an eco-friendly material because it’s infinitely-recyclable. The downside to aluminum is that it dents easily. However, fixing dents in an aluminum garage door is a quick and – honestly – fun DIY.
• Steel doors offer the widest selection of color and price range. You can get anything from a single-layer entry level door to a three-layer premium model. Prices range from $750 to $3,500. Steel is strong and even more corrosion-resistant than aluminum, but it is heavy, and if you choose a premium steel garage door, you may need to choose a more powerful garage door opener.
• Wood garage doors have a special, natural beauty, but they do require more maintenance, and they’re the most expensive type of garage door. You can expect to pay anywhere from $1,200 to $4,000, depending on the quality. The upside to wood? It looks awesome, and wood is a good insulator on its own, so you won’t have to deal with filling the door to insulate it.
• Composite garage doors offer the best of both worlds. Made of faux wood, they offer a beautiful woodsy feel without suffering the elements. Costs can range from $1,200 to $2,000. Composite materials won’t corrode or rot, so they’re low-maintenance. However, if a composite garage door panel breaks, the whole panel will need replaced.

You can choose to install a new garage door that fits your existing door frame, or you can retrofit the opening to fit a new design. Also decide if you want a traditional sectional door, tilt-up, rollup, slide or swing-out, etc. These decisions will also affect the garage door opener you choose, so their effect on the overall cost of your garage door is twofold.

And don’t forget about the windows! If you want to let a little light into your garage, consider windows in the design. If you’re using your garage as a multi-use, toy, or living space, a full-view aluminum and glass garage door is a stylish option that lets in a tonne of natural light.

Will your Garage Door be Insulated or Uninsulated?

Even if your garage isn’t heated, whether or not the garage door is insulated will have a big impact on your home’s energy efficiency. If your garage is attached to the house, you’ll probably want an insulated garage door. It not only helps with the energy bills, but lessens noise pollution from outside. You don’t need to live in a place with extreme weather to benefit from an insulated garage door; the simple prevention of energy loss is enough of a reason. 

What is the R-Value of a Garage Door?

When you’re browsing new garage doors, you’ll likely come across R-Value pretty often. In a nutshell, the R-Value is the door’s resistance to heat flow. It’s essentially how well-insulated the door is.

Granted, cold weather isn’t much of an issue here. But what’s important to remember is that an insulated door can keep the heat out just as it does the cold in cold weather climates. This means you are keeping out that hot California air, which means a cooler garage in the summer. If the garage is attached to the house, you’ll save a lot on your air conditioning bill as well.

How Much R-Value Do You Need?

Naturally, the higher the R-Value, the better the insulation. A well-insulated garage door has an R-value of 12-18. The type of insulation used has a big effect on R-Value, as does its thickness: 

• Polystyrene is inserted in panels of your garage door and doesn’t have a perfect fill, so there’s less of a seal. However, it’s cost-efficient.
• Polyurethane is sprayed into the door in a foam that expands and creates a better thermal seal. Polyurethane tends to have a higher R-Value, but the thickness of the garage door itself can also affect the R-Value.

Like we said, the type and R-Value of insulation is going to benefit your home no matter what, but when you’re choosing how well-insulated you want your new garage door to be, you should consider:

• Direction of the garage – is it on the South-facing end of the house? It probably needs more help to resist heat intrusion.
• Location of the garage – is it next to bedrooms and living spaces? Beefed up insulation will eliminate cold or hot areas in interior rooms and will also cut noise.
• Construction of the garage – are your garage walls insulated? If they are and your door isn’t, you’re not really reaping the benefits of insulated walls. However, if the walls aren’t insulated, you’ll still see a drop in energy transfer with a high R-Value garage door.

Don’t Forget the Garage Door Opener!

If your garage door bit the dust really soon after you replaced your garage door opener, then this step might not be for you; most newer models are compatible with nearly all kinds of garage doors. The only thing you may need to worry about is lifting power, if you choose to install a garage door that’s heavier than the previous one.

But for the rest of you, we recommend installing a new automatic garage opener when you have the garage door installed. It sets you up on a whole new, custom, seamless system, and it ensures that all the garage door parts begin to wear from the same point in time. This will help you properly schedule garage door and garage door opener maintenance.

Another reason to upgrade your garage door opener is because you need a battery backup unit. In fact, we literally can’t replace your garage door or its opener without one (see California SB969). Backup power units for garage door openers are a great safety feature in emergencies, and convenience features in rolling blackouts or storm-induced power outages.

Quality Garage Door Installation for Sacramento Residents & Businesses

If you’re looking at a new garage door install at your home or commercial facility, call SACS GARAGE DOOR REPAIR for a free estimate. In addition to installation, we also offer garage door opener repair to the Rancho Cordova and Greater Sacramento areas, including Carmichael and Folsom. Our service is prompt and professional, and our technicians are friendly, licensed and insured. Schedule an appointment with our online form for a consultation and a quote. Need emergency service? We’re on-call 24/7; give us a call.