Install a New Garage Door with Modern Features

Types of Garage Doors

Not all garage doors are created equal and deciding on what type of garage door to install can be confusing. Depending on tastes and architectural characteristics, different types of doors can come into play. In this article, we will take a quick look at the most common types of garage doors, and the modern features that come with them;

The Rolling Garage Door

The surface of the rolling door consists of slats. To open the door, the slats wrap around a steel shaft above the opening.

You can install rolling doors on small and large garages as well as on double garages. For double garages, however, you should use an electric opener.

Advantages

• Opening and closing do not require any space in front of the garage.
• The ceiling of the garage remains free and can be used as storage space.
• The metal slats offer good burglary protection.

Downsides

• Frequent winding and unwinding quickly wear down the materials.
• Opening and closing are relatively noisy.

The Overhead Door

The overhead door is mounted on rails and slides under the garage ceiling when opened. It is usually locked with a pump lock. You can open and close it electrically or manually.

Advantages 

• Up-and-over doors are cheap.
• They are easy to mount.

Downside

• Opening and closing require a lot of space in front of the garage.
• They offer fairly limited burglary protection.
  
  

The Swing Garage Door

Swing doors with one or two leaves that open outwards are well suited if you want to stand out from the classic “garage look”. Of course, swing gates can be opened manually, but you have an option to install a smart opener. 

Advantages 

• They allow more width and height for passage.

Downside

• They require a lot of space in front of the garage.

The Sectional Garage Door

Advantages 

• They don't need a lot of room to open and close.
• They are perfect for small driveways.
• Solid construction provides good burglary protection.

Disadvantages

• They are slightly more expensive than other garage doors.
  
  

Garage Door Materials

Wooden garage doors are particularly elegant, but wood requires a lot of maintenance to maintain its beautiful appearance. So why not play smart and choose a steel alternative that lasts longer, but has a wooden look? Steel is the standard material for most garage doors because it is strong and durable. The steel can additionally be painted in countless variations based on your home’s color theme.

Plastic garage doors, especially vinyl, are also particularly resistant. However, you should expect a relatively high purchase price if you opt for a vinyl garage door.  If you in need of a new garage door installation the Garage Door Pros are here to serve you. 

What A Smart Garage Door Can Do For Your

Have you ever left your house or gone to bed wondering if you closed the garage door? Rolling over or getting out of bed is no fun. If you make your garage door smart, you can close it from anywhere, among other benefits.

Smart garage openers can save you a lot of anxiety. Instead of asking if you remembered to close your garage, you can check from an app or ask a voice assistant, like Google Assistant or Alexa. Combined with a camera, you can even see who's coming and going, which can be especially useful if you're a parent. You can even schedule a daily closing time at the end of the day, so you don't have to worry if you forget to lock the garage door.

Smart garage doors also come with traditional remotes for your car and keypads for outside your garage. Smart functions are just an additional option.
For a smart garage door opener to work well, you need a stable Wi-Fi signal in your garage. And you may need to replace or add hardware.

How To Make Your Existing Door Opener Smart 

You should check your model number against Chamberlain's compatibility tool. As long as you bought it after 1993 and your safety sensors are working, you can probably add the Hub. And if your security sensors aren't working, you should fix them right away.

Chamberlain's Hub effectively transforms your existing garage door opener into one of the company's smart garage door openers. You get the same features and capabilities and access to the Chamberlain myQ app.