The garage door is one of the first things someone sees when they come to your home. Its look contributes to the overall aesthetics of your house. A shabby or faded appearance can undermine all the effort put into making the house and surrounding landscaping shine.
Garage doors also serve a more important purpose: the protection of valuables and, in many cases, the interior of the home itself. When your property has a deteriorating door, you have a key decision to make. Should you repair or replace it?
Malfunctioning garage doors can do more than affect the look of a building or home. They can also be dangerous. According to a federal report, either universal or custom garage doors, when malfunctioning, have the potential to injure thousands of people per year, some severely.
Because safety is involved when your door isn’t working properly, making the choice to repair or replace your garage door isn’t something you should put off. You need a good quality garage door. This guide can help you decide if you can repair the one you have or if you’ll need to get a new one.
Why You Need a Sturdy and Secure Garage Door
A garage door does not just add to the attractive appearance of your house. It also plays a vital role in securing both your possessions and your peace of mind. Even besides the car, people use the garage to store expensive and portable tools, equipment, and other materials.
When attached to the home, a garage also almost always has a less than secure portal into the home itself while providing cover for those trying to break in.
A sturdy and safe garage door, however, provides strong protection for your property. Modern security technology can also incorporate its operation into an effective system
Reasons to Repair
In some cases, either a universal or a custom garage door may only need a simple fix, either from a professional or as a DIY project. In other cases, a coat of paint or varnish can freshen up the exterior of a garage door, depending on the material, without great effort or expense.
For electronic or structural issues requiring repair, most recommend hiring a professional to perform the service. Since garage doors require specific balances to function properly, getting an expert for the work could save considerable time and money in a repair job.
Reasons to Replace
Replacing a garage door does require what would equal a substantial investment for most families, which is why those looking to do so should weigh their options. Most doors range from $700 to $1,500 with some popular models costing as much as $3,000
Relative to the value added, replacing a garage door can substantially boost the value of a house going up for sale. Even for those keeping their homes, an older model may no longer represent their sense of style. In some cases, the electronics of an automatic garage door opener, sometimes decades old, will no longer work well with 21st-century sophisticated security systems.
The door may also have aged out of any practical use. Hinges can rust, panels may degrade or damage caused by accidents, time, and exposure to the elements can also make it necessary to replace a garage door.
Finally, as stated before, a seriously malfunctioning door can cause safety issues for adults, children, and pets. Especially when the cost to repair comes close to, or even outstrips that of replacement, you should definitely look at getting a new door.
This post first appeared on https://www.streamlinegaragedoor.com