4 Tips to Keep Your Garage Door in Tip-Top Condition

4 Tips to Keep Your Garage Door in Tip-Top Condition

So how’s your garage door doing? Chances are it’s working perfectly fine. Despite it being the biggest, heaviest moveable thing in your home, and that you use it a couple times every day, your garage door is remarkably reliable.

Unfortunately, that steady dependability can lead to neglect. Look at it this way, compared to some of the other systems in your home, like the furnace, electricals or plumbing, how often do you do even the smallest amount of maintenance on your garage door?

Don’t feel bad if you haven’t done any. Again, if it was properly installed, your door can work well for decades, even without maintenance. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t extend the lifespan of your door, or prevent problems from happening at the worst possible moment, by regularly doing just a few fast, simple checks on your door.

And, considering it’s warmer outside, the spring and summer are the best times for garage door maintenance.

Here’s a checklist of things you can do to give your door the attention it deserves and help to keep it working in tip-top condition for longer.

1. Give it Room to Move

Even if you take care to keep things out of the path of your door, it’s not a good idea to store anything even close to it. While a garage door opener has safety systems to reverse it if it hits anything or if it there’s anything in its path, hitting an object as it closes can eventually put it out of balance. The closer you store things to your door, the more chance there is that they may accidentally fall into the path of the door or its rollers.

2. Help it Run Smoothly

Like any moving piece of equipment, it helps to keep your door well lubricated so it runs smoothly. Between its rollers, panels, hinges, springs, handles and so on, most people don’t realize how many moving parts are on a garage door.

a. For metal-on-metal moving parts, like the hinges and spring assembly, a petroleum-based lubricant, like 3-in-1 or WD-40, is best.

b. For rubberized parts, including the weather stripping between the door’s panels, along the bottom of the door and along the door frame outside the door, a silicone-based lubricant is best.

3. Check Your Remote

Have you ever pulled into your driveway – it was probably pouring rain – and no matter how frantically you press the remote, the door refuses to open?

There’s a good chance that it’s not the door’s fault. The problem is more likely that the batteries in your remote are drained. While it’s impossible to predict when batteries will fail, check the timing between when you press the button on your remote and when the door reacts. The longer the time, the closer the batteries are to failure.

4. Put the Safety Systems Through Their Paces

The systems we mentioned earlier that prevent the door from closing when anything is detected in its path, or when it contacts something as it closes, are very important for the personal safety of you and your family and to avoid any damage to your car or belongings.

The first safety system, that prevents the door from working if something is in its path, are the door opener’s photo eyes. They are located close to the floor on both sides of the door inside your garage. If anything blocks the signal that passes between the eyes, the door will not work, or it will work briefly before reversing.

To check that the eyes are functioning as they should, find a length of 2×4 wood, or anything else that will block the signal. Stand away from the path of the door and start it closing. Place the end of the wood between the photo eyes. The door should reverse when you do this. If not, the photo eyes should be inspected by a garage door professional.

The second safety system can also be tested with a length of wood. With the door open, place the wood on the garage floor where the door touches the floor when it’s closed. Close the door. It should automatically reverse when it touches the wood. If not, call a pro.

It probably took you longer to read this post than it will to check all the points that we mentioned. It’s not a lot of time to make sure your garage door operates safely and lasts as long as possible.

What a Difference a Garage Door Makes!

What a Difference a Garage Door Makes!

If you’re in the market for a garage door, you can’t be blamed for being a little apprehensive about the purchase. As we pointed out before, you probably won’t buy a new garage door more than once or twice for as long as you own your home. That means it’s tough to get to know about what’s available, who the best manufacturers are, and which installer you should choose.

It’s one of the reasons why we at Upper Canada Garage Doors are part of the Garage Door Guild, which is one assurance you have that you’re dealing with a reputable company. Even more, all our installers and technicians receive ongoing training in the latest garage doors and their proper installation, maintenance and repair.

But, as much as we’d like to say that simply by choosing us, any concern you have about getting a new door will be solved, it’s not true. If even the most highly-trained garage door installer put a low-quality door onto your garage, then you could still be in for lots of trouble.

So not only do we need to know what we’re doing, but we need to offer the best doors for your garage.

One of the door manufacturers whose products we offer, Clopay, is the largest maker of residential garage doors and is the only garage door builder backed by the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

When we include the other trusted garage door brands that we represent, we believe we offer you an unbeatable one-two punch of beautiful, well-built doors and reliable, qualified installation and service.

But What if That’s Not Enough?

Unfortunately, no matter how much we do to set ourselves apart in the garage door installation marketplace, homeowners very often think of their garage doors the same way they think of their roof. “If it isn’t broken (or leaking), don’t fix or replace it”.

That thinking might work for your roof. If your roofing shingles are managing to keep the water and snow out of your home, that’s not a bad argument for leaving it be. (Although it makes sense to look for signs of potential trouble on your roof, especially when the roof is older, and get it fixed before a leak happens).

But, aside from the role they play in your home, there’s one big difference between your garage door and your roof.

Check Out What People are Doing to Their Garage Doors

Check Out What People are Doing to Their Garage Doors

Pity your poor garage door. Inside your home, you paint, redecorate and refurnish every few years, and outside your home you do some creative landscaping and are constantly tending the garden.

But what about your garage door, the thing that works for you faithfully, going up and down on command, many times a day, protecting your car and belongings through wind, rain, snow and ice, year in and year out? 

What have you done for it lately?!

If you’re like most homeowners, not only do you not ‘redecorate’ or ‘tend’ to your garage door, you probably haven’t even given it a good wash in recent memory, have you?

OK, forgive us for guilt-tripping you about your garage door. There’s a reason why you don’t pay it any attention. You don’t have to. Modern doors are designed and built to last and look great for many years. So why would you put in any time and effort to ‘tend’ to it – it already looks good (BTW – if it doesn’t, give us a call!).

But that long-lasting reliability hasn’t stopped some homeowners from decorating their garage doors in some very creative ways, for a number of different reasons.

Here a just a few recent examples of people who used their garage doors to express themselves – and even improve the curb appeal of their homes.

1. Celebrating Canada 150

It’s been used to fasten and/or repair just about anything in and around the house. Some people make iPhone cases from it. And well-known Canadian TV icon Red Green (aka Steve Smith) made it even more famous when he dubbed it ‘the handyman’s secret weapon’.

But a woman in Cambridge, Ontario, put duct tape to work in a novel way of celebrating Canada’s recent 150^th In an effort to win a neighbourhood competition for the best decorated house, Ingrid Talpak bought herself four rolls of red duct tape and went to work on her white garage doors.

When she was done six days and 25 hours of work later, her two single garage doors were beautifully decorated with a giant maple leaf and Canada 150 motif.

2. Butterfly Conservation

If you haven’t been down a Toronto laneway recently, you’re missing a feast for the eyes. Spurred on by organizations like The Laneway Project, and homeowner’s and graffiti artist’s desire to express themselves, the garage doors in laneways across the city are being turned into canvases for some beautifully creative artwork.

As one example, in an effort to support the David Suzuki Foundation’s Butterflyway Project, an initiative to provide food and shelter for butterflies and bees in neighbourhoods across Canada (including along the Gatineau Corridor right here in Scarborough!) about two dozen garage doors were painted with butterfly-themed murals in a laneway facing Garrison Creek Park.

3. Make Your Garage Doors Glow

We here at Upper Canada Garage Doors stock only products from the leading garage door manufacturers in the business. Hass Door is one of them. Not only does their 360 Series aluminum garage door offer a wide variety of finishes (27 in all!) for you to ‘customize’ your home, but the company also offers a backlit option that makes the doors look like they are glowing at night. In a new residential development in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, every home buyer so far has opted for the Haas 360 Door upgrade option.

In addition to giving you an option for a distinctive look for your door, the lighting also improves nighttime safety and increases the curb appeal of your home.

See what happens when you show your garage door some love?

How to Make the Garage a Better Place to Be

How to Make the Garage a Better Place to Be

After we wrote the recent post about storage ideas for your garage, we got to thinking: why is the garage, which is probably the biggest single space in a home, so neglected when it comes to things like organization, and even renovations? It’s like the poor garage gets no respect. It does its job, day in and day out, the garage door going up and down on demand, protecting your car, sports equipment, garden tools, lawn mower, and who knows what else.

But when it’s time to decide on which home improvement you’re going to tackle this year, has the garage ever topped the list? Has it ever even made the list?

Yes, we’re playing up the ‘poor garage’ angle (maybe too much?!), but we’re just trying to highlight the potential for one of the great spaces of your home. If you want to take that potential to the max, you can remake the garage into a space that’s on par with any other room in your house. With some insulation, drywall, a ceiling and flooring, you could have the coolest games room, home office or personal gym ever.

But what we’re talking about here isn’t changing the garage into something else, but making it a more pleasant place to be while still delivering everything you need and like about having a garage.

A place that, even though it’s still home to your car and equipment, you’re impressed and feel good when you walk into it.

In addition to adding some of the storage ideas we mentioned before, here are just of few of the things you can do to help make the garage a better part of your home.

1. Finish the Floors, Walls and Ceiling

Imagine if your bedroom had bare concrete floors and no plaster on the walls and ceiling. It’s a dreary sight, isn’t it? Now you know why your garage isn’t the most inspiring place in your house.

There’s a reason your garage is that way. Basically, any place where you store a car, and the fumes and drips that come with it, needs to be bare so you don’t damage finished floors, walls and ceilings.

But you can have the best of both worlds. On floors, which might have to handle dripping oil, an epoxy or polyuria coating is tough enough to handle anything you can throw at it while being available in a wide range of colours and finishes that can give your creative side an outlet.

Similarly, finished walls and ceilings can be painted with the same easy-to-clean, moisture-resistant paints you use in the kitchen or bathroom.

2. Light it Up

Yet another reason for the dungeony feel in your garage is the stark lighting. Bare bulbs or fluorescent tubes aren’t great at creating any kind of ‘ambiance’. Think about similar lighting as you might put in your family room, including pot lights in the ceiling and task lighting on work benches.

3. Install a Glass Garage Door

This one won’t only make your garage look and feel great, it’ll boost the curb appeal of your entire home. During the day, glass garage doors let in a beautiful glow of diffuse natural light. At night, with the right interior lighting, they can emanate a similar glow from the inside out.

Perhaps best of all, you’ll not be compromising the security of the garage or the durability of the door because the metal frames used in their construction make them just as strong as any other garage door.

If you’d like to get more ideas for making the garage a place that you’ll want to hang out in, and to see a range of glass doors that’ll set-off your whole house, please call or visit us here at Scarboro Garage Doors. You can also fill out our online contact form to get in touch with one of our representatives!

Looking for a New Garage Door? Don’t Just Listen to Us

Looking for a New Garage Door? Don’t Just Listen to Us

If you’re wondering what happened to the summer of 2017 here in Southern Ontario, you’re not alone. But, instead of lamenting how short the summer seemed to be this year, we can look forward to what will hopefully be a beautiful fall season.

For homeowners who are considering the installation of a new garage door, garage door opener or both, the fall can be a great time to get the job done. There’s still lots of time to do the installation while the weather isn’t cold and snowy and, because it’s the end of the season, installation companies aren’t as busy as they can be in the middle of the summer, so it shouldn’t take long between when you make the decision and when you get to enjoy your new door.

But making that decision is just the first step. Now you have to choose an installation company and the style and type of new door that you want.

Of course, we here at Upper Canada Garage Doors hope you choose us and our product partners.  We are the leading garage door service in Oakville and we offer expert installation, maintenance and repair services for a wide range of garage doors and openers form the leading manufacturers in the business.

While we’re very proud of our reputation and track record, you might hear similar things from other garage door suppliers. That leaves you with a problem: which one do you choose?

And that’s why it’s important to not just listen to us.

Instead, it’s important to also listen to what other homeowners and industry experts have to say. When you do, you’ll see that Upper Canada Garage Doors and the products we represent really do live up to the claims we make to be the best in the business.

Recognition for Upper Canada Garage Doors from Online Homeowner Communities

The most satisfying recognition any company can get comes from the people who use their services.

• Best of Houzz Awards for three Consecutive Years – Houzz is the most widely used online community for home improvements and interior design and decorating. With over 40 million users, most being homeowners just like you, the community votes for their favourite suppliers in a variety of home improvement categories. Upper Canada Garage Doors, in association with its sister companies, Markham Garage Doors and Whitby Garage Doors, has been voted as having the most popular portfolio of work by local Houzz users in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
• Homestars Best of 2017 – Homestars is a Canadian company that gathers reviews of home improvement companies from homeowners who have used the services. Each year, Homestars awards their ‘Best of’ award in a variety of home improvement categories. Upper Canada Garage Doors was awarded the Homestars Best of 2017 award as a garage door company.

Homeowner and Industry Recognition for Our Product Partners

This is just a sampling of the awards and recognition received by some of our product partners.

• Wayne Dalton Garage Doors – BUILDER magazine is one of the most respected publications in the construction industry. In 2017, they recognized Wayne Dalton and the #1 provider of quality garage doors.
• LiftMaster Garage Door Openers & Access Control Systems – The International Builders’ Show (IBS) is the largest residential housing construction event in the world. The LiftMaster 8550 W garage door opener with WiFi connectivity received a Best New Product award at the 2016 IBS show.
• Clopay Garage Doors – In addition to receiving ‘Best of’ awards from the Houzz homeowners and design community in 2015 and 2017, Clopay also earned the coveted ‘Influencer’ badge, which is given to companies whose advice and knowledgeable posts are most appreciated by the Houzz community.

We work very hard and do everything we can to live up to our claim to be the best garage door service in Oakville. But you don’t have to take our word for it!

If you need a new garage door or repair services, give the experts at Upper Canada Garage Doors a call or fill out our contact form! Our representatives will be happy to help you find the best solution for your unique needs.

How to Find a Reliable Garage Door Company

How to Find a Reliable Garage Door Company

It’s a fairly simple idea. The more you do something, the better you are at doing it. When you bought your first home, you might not have been the greatest at fixing leaky faucets, or pointing up mortar or even keeping the grass green. But as time went on, the more often you did something, the more tips and tricks you picked up to make the process easier and/or better.

After a while, you could get to the point where there are not many things around the house that you wouldn’t at least have an idea about how to fix or replace them.

So when’s the last time you fixed or replaced your garage door?

Throughout your life, you’ll probably buy at least half a dozen cars, but you might never have to buy the thing that faithfully goes up and down every time you leave or come home. It also protects your car and everything else you manage to get into the garage. Unless you remain in the same house for 20 years or more, buying a garage door might never have popped up on your ‘to do’ list.

In one way, that’s a good thing. It’s not like it’s on anyone’s bucket list to buy a garage door. But the downside of how rare it is to buy and install a garage door is that, when it comes time to do so, how exactly do you go about it? Even your handyman neighbor probably hasn’t bought very many garage doors.

To make matters worse, the garage door retail and installation business can be tricky. Many unscrupulous installers know that you don’t buy doors very often and they take advantage of the fact. Instead of offering top quality garage doors and using best installation practices, they might sell you a lower quality door at a higher quality price. And they might install it only well enough to last as long as it takes for them to not be ‘out of business’ when you call for warranty work.

That means the first thing to do if you’ve decided to buy a new garage door is to find a trustworthy installation company that only offers doors from the most reliable and reputable manufacturers in the business.

It sounds easy, but it isn’t. Here are just a few steps you can take to find a good garage door installer.

1. Surf the Web

Most people’s first step in researching any major purchase is to hop on the internet and check out the websites of local companies. It’s a great idea, but websites can be deceiving. Before you pick a company, make a short list of those that seem like good options and do some more web research. In particular, third-party ratings sites, like Homestars and Houzz, that will give you reviews and feedback from real homeowners in your area.

2. Get a Visit

The first ‘red flag’ that you should be on the lookout for is if a company wants to give you a quotation over the phone without visiting your home. Every garage door installation situation is different and, even if they get the right measurements of the opening from you, there are other details that must be seen in person before an accurate quote can be made. The visit all gives you a chance to get a feel for the people who will be installing your door.

3. Make Sure You Have Options

Another installation company to avoid is one that offers you only a limited number of door choices from a single manufacturer (who you should check out online also). A good garage door company carries a variety of garage door types and styles, from a variety of reputable, easily identifiable manufacturers.

How important is it to find a good garage door company? Look at it this way, even the best garage door in the world will never work well if it isn’t properly installed. If you are looking for a reliable garage door company for installation or repair in the Oakville area, contact Upper Canada Garage Doors! You can even stop by our showroom to view our selection in person.

A Basic Buying Guide for Garage Doors

A Basic Buying Guide for Garage Doors

We’ve told you before about the fact that, unless you’re in charge of purchasing for a self-storage company, you’ll probably only ever buy one or two garage doors in your life, which makes it difficult to know your options and what to look for.

While we’ve touched on some individual things you might want or need in a door, like insulation, we’ve never put lots of different information and pointers together in one place to help you know marabout garage doors and make a more informed decision.

So, without further ado, we hope you enjoy our mini garage door buying guide.

Types of Garage Doors

There’s a virtually endless variety of types, styles, and looks that you can choose for your door.

These are the three main construction styles of garage doors.

Sectional Doors

By far the most popular type of garage door, sectional doors got their name because they are constructed with separate panels, or sections, that are connected with hinges. The hinged panels allow the door to be raised straight up and roll into a horizontal position under your garage ceiling.

Up & Over

Built with just a single, solid panel, up-and-over doors also lift into position under the garage ceiling, but the bottom of the door swings out as they open.

The Roll-Up Door

Used in factories, warehouses, and funky restaurants for years, roll-up doors, which are flexible enough to roll up into a housing at the top of the door (similar to a roll-up window shade), are gaining popularity in smaller, urban residential garages.

Garage Door Designs

From traditional carriage doors to sleek glass and aluminum, almost any design you can imagine is possible here, so you’ll have to find one that works for you.

Remember that the garage door is the largest single visual element of your home. As such, its look and design will greatly influence the entire look of your home. Check out all the options and choose carefully.

Construction Material

The material you choose for the construction of your door can not only affect its look, but also its price.

Wood

If you want the unmistakable look and unique appeal of real wood, only real wood will deliver it. But be ready for higher costs and more maintenance.

Steel

If you’re looking for the strongest material for your door, steel is it. Steel is also very versatile in its design options, which can imitate almost anything, including the look of wood. Steel doors might rust in excessively moist environments or if it’s scratched.

Aluminum

Looking for the latest design trend in garage doors? Aluminum framing translucent panes is it.

Fiberglass

By far the most popular garage door construction material, fiberglass is versatile in its appearance, durable and it is usually the least expensive.

Garage Door Openers

This is one of those purchases where quality makes all the difference. Think about it, this thing is going to operate a few times every day for many years. It only makes sense to make sure you buy name-brand quality versus saving a couple of dollars to get a noisy opener that stops working at the most inopportune times. We carry a wide range of Liftmaster openers and we believe they are the best in the business.

Once you’ve chosen a reliable brand, you need to decide between chain drive openers (less expensive, but noisier), belt drive openers and screw drive openers.

Finally, way beyond keyless entry, garage openers now use smart technology so you can monitor and operate your door through a mobile app.

Again, this is a basic guide. There are lots more you can learn about before buying a garage door. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us here at Upper Canada Garage Doors or fill out our online form!

How Much Does it Cost to NOT Get a New Garage Door?

How Much Does it Cost to NOT Get a New Garage Door?

Sure, you’ve got it on the back burner of things to look at when you have time, or maybe not. Replacing the garage door is something that most of us will only ever do once or twice. So, unlike something like replacing the furnace filter, you have no real schedule for replacing the door.

In fact, aside from the obvious signs, like it just fell off its rollers, no one really knows when it’s time to replace their garage doors.

But fear not. We have come up with a single way that you can use to decide when you need a new door.

When the Door Starts Costing You More to Keep Than to Replace

If you have an old garage door that still works relatively well, we’re sure you’re thinking “Ha! If that’s how you decide on a new door, then I’m fine because my door doesn’t cost me anything!”

Or Does It?

Even if your door goes up and down faithfully on cue and you’ve never had to pay to repair or maintain it, it could be costing you a lot of money. On the other side of the equation, the cost of buying and installing a new garage door is probably less than you think.

With those two factors in mind, here’s how your garage door could be costing you more money than it would cost to replace it.

1. Extra Heating & Air Conditioning

If your older garage door is uninsulated, it could be a drain on your budget without you knowing it. An attached garage with an uninsulated door can cost you money in two ways.

First, with cooler air getting into your garage in winter, and warmer air doing the same in summer, that air eventually gets into your home. When it does, you face higher energy costs (and we’re not even talking about the environmentally responsible side to all of this) year-round to heat and air condition your home.

And if that’s not enough to convince you, your heating and air conditioning equipment must work harder to keep your home comfortable. That means more maintenance costs, more new filters, and needing new equipment sooner than later.

2. Safety Concerns

Your garage door is the only thing between a burglar and everything you keep in your garage. And garages are one of the most popular ways for burglars to get into your home. How ‘costly’ would you say it was to be the victim of a break and enter that happened because your garage door was old and easily broken into?

3. Lower Curb Appeal

We know you’ve heard this one before, but you’re not selling your home, so who cares about curb appeal and how does it cost you anything?

Your garage door is likely the largest single visual feature of your home. As such, it can greatly influence the look of your home and landscape. Anything you do to your home, from new windows to mowing the lawn every week, affects the home’s curb appeal. But if the largest single feature of the home is old and worn, you won’t get the full value of anything else you do to keep your home looking its best. You’ll just have new windows on the house with the shabby garage doors.

4. Untimely Breakdown

If you’ve ever been late for an appointment because your garage door won’t open, or it didn’t open when you arrived home on a dark and stormy night, you know how lucky someone is if they’ve never had to go through those situations. But the longer you keep that old door, the closer the moment is when you suffer an untimely breakdown.

So how does that cost you? When you are forced to replace your door and/or door opener, not only might you be without your garage door, but you’re more likely to make compromises on the new door and opener to get them installed sooner than later. Compromises that can cost you later.

So, what are you waiting for? Call us here at Upper Canada Garage Doors and let us show you how easy it is to start saving money by installing a new door!

Is Your Garage Ready for Winter?

Is Your Garage Ready for Winter?

Forget whether your garage is ready, are you ready for winter?! While it comes every year, it always seems to take us by surprise. What is this strange white stuff that I need to push to the side of the driveway?

Of course, it doesn’t take long for winter to not only become familiar again but to become a long, cold chore of keeping ice and snow from your driveway and walkways.

You might not think of it this way, but your garage is often the centre of your ‘winter operations’. It’s where you keep the snowblower, shovels, and ice melter. You might plug your engine block heater into the garage outlet, store the sleds, skis, and hockey equipment, and have lots of windshield washer fluid ready to go on the shelf.

So, you’ll be in and out of the garage a lot more during the winter than only when you leave or come home in the car. That also means your garage door will get more use too. All that extra work, especially when it’s freezing outside, can increase the chance of having a problem with the door. A problem at the worst possible time, because who wants to be trying to fix a garage door in sub-zero temperatures?

Here are just a few things you can do to get your garage, and especially its door, ready for winter.

Lubricate the Door

Think about how many times your garage door operates, and then think about how many times you’ve ever lubricated it. Chances are the answers are, in order, ‘too many to count’ and ‘never’.

Using a petroleum-based lubricant for metal moving parts, like hinges, and a silicone-based lubricant for weather-stripping and seals, not only helps the garage door operate smoothly, it offers protection from the harsh weather conditions.

Check the Door’s Rollers and Tracks

Every moving part of your garage door is important, but the tracks in which the rollers on each side of the door run can be tricky. If they aren’t perfectly in line with the door, it can make opening and closing the door more difficult and eventually cause the door to jam.

To make sure your door opens and closes smoothly, disconnect the opener and operate the door manually. It should open and close with relatively little effort and work smoothly throughout the entire operation.

Always Keep the Base of the Door Clear

In addition to keeping objects inside the garage from blocking the door and/or its safety photo eyes, be sure to check the base of the door throughout the winter for the build-up of snow or ice, which can interfere with the operation of the door.

Organize Your Garage

Anticipate what you might need throughout the winter, including all your snow clearing equipment, anything you need for your car and any toys, sports equipment, etc., and put them all in an easily accessible place.

Have fuel or a recharging station handy for the snowblower. Remember that the snow and ice that clings to your snow removal equipment will probably melt in your garage. Clear off as much snow and ice as possible outside and have some rags handy to mop up any puddles that form. Make sure to store the blower and shovels in a place that, if puddles form beneath them, the water won’t drain towards anything it could damage.

The more prepared you make your garage for winter, the less of a chore it will be and the lower the chance of having a problem with its most important moving part, your garage door. If you need garage door maintenance services for your garage door, contact Upper Garage Garage Doors. Our technicians can come out to your home to ensure that your door is ready for winter!

A Homeowners Journey of Garage Door Discovery

A Homeowners Journey of Garage Door Discovery

If you have a garage in your home, this scenario might sound familiar. You’re in the garage, maybe working on something or putting something away. You hear something outside the garage door. You’re not sure if it’s your neighbour, the one whose lawnmower you haven’t returned yet, but want to use again before you do, or if it’s the new lawnmower that you ordered being delivered.

Do you risk facing the neighbour by opening the door to find out what the noise is about?

Now imagine if you had windows in your garage door. Problem solved.

Not only would you know if it’s your neighbour or new lawnmower, or something completely different, but you could open your door entirely confident of exactly what you’ll see when you do.

Such is the power of a window in your garage door.

While we’re making a little fun here, we’re doing it to highlight a point. Making a simple change to your garage door when replacing it, versus going with exactly what you had before, can make a huge difference in how you use your door, its looks, and the benefits you get from it.

The Benefits of Trying Something New for Your Garage Door 

Every month, garage door manufacturer Clopay gives away $1,000 to the winner of their imagineNATION contest. Homeowners can enter the contest each month by submitting ‘Before’ and ‘After’ photos of their Clopay garage door installation.

The story of a recent contest winner from Connecticut is really typical of what we come across almost daily. When homeowners decide to replace their garage door they usually just think of getting a new one that looks much the same as the old one. Why not? It’s a safe bet and they don’t have to worry about picking a new colour or style, right?

Huh?!

This is the largest single visual element of the front of a home. You use it every day. It’s as important as any other space in your home. But you want to just go with a replacement that’s as close as you can get to the old door? Kinda like you’re replacing furnace filter?

Fortunately, the contest winner decided to try some upgrades. Needing a new door because the old one was not working properly and was flimsy, the homeowner originally wanted a similar style, except in an insulated version.

But once he got to see what styles were available, he made his first step up to a carriage style door from the traditional raised-panel door he was replacing.

Knowing that the homeowner was open to options, the garage door dealer suggested going even further outside his comfort zone. The dealer suggested an insulated steel door for durability, in black to match the home’s exterior colour scheme, with windows to match the home’s windows.

What Does the Homeowner Think of The New Door?

“It’s funny, but the new door has been life changing.”

It does seem funny that something we take for granted could actually become ‘life-changing’. How can that be? The homeowner gets to see the impact of the new door on his house every time he comes home. “When we arrive home each day, it really makes a nice difference.”

In the end, the homeowner summed up his experience this way. “When we decided it was time for a new garage door, we were doing it out of necessity to replace the old, shaky garage door that was becoming unsafe. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that we would change the entire look and feel of our home! Better curb appeal, insulation, windows for viewing, and a quieter door. We’re so happy with our garage door replacement.”

If there’s one more lesson to be learned from this story, it is that it pays to talk to a garage door specialist when it’s time to replace your door. Call us here at Upper Canada Garage Door when you’re ready to see what’s possible.