2023 is coming up! Time flies and the new year is almost upon us. And with a new year, are you considering a new look for your home or garage? From a fresh coat of paint to complete garage renovations, maybe 2023 should be the year you make some big changes in and around your home. Sure, winters in Akron, Canton and other towns in Northeast, Ohio can get pretty brutal. In fact, we’re already starting the last few months of the year with some pretty incredible cold. Consider springtime for your big project, but aim to have it completed in the summer. As you invite your friends from all over, from Wallhaven to Fairlawn Heights, consider how impressed they will be with your home’s all-new facelift. And that’s why we’re here with your Ultimate Homeowner’s Garage Door Guide!
Lots of people have personal aspirations at the start of a new year. And for many of them, one of those operations includes a facelift of their home. Sure, it may seem daunting. Home renovations are not cheap, they often take quite a while, and there will be a lot of clean-up when they’re done. Still, many people choose to renovate their homes for a variety of reasons. In fact, there are almost as many reasons to fix up your home as there are projects to choose from.
Should You Buy New or Give Your Home a Facelift?
But we get it. After you’ve lived in your home for a while, you may realize it doesn’t have everything you need or want. Maybe it’s missing an adequate garage or a big backyard. Or perhaps it’s too small for your growing family. Buying a home is not easy. It’s a big deal. And in many cases, first-time homeowners decide to forego some of their desires in exchange for the opportunity to buy a home, any home. Yet, now, later in life, as you sit in your Lay-Z-Boy and contemplate, perhaps it’s time for a makeover of your home. Well, if you’re unsatisfied with your current home, we can recommend two options for you. First, you can renovate your home to meet your preferences, give it that facelift we’re talking about, or you can simply buy a new home that meets all your needs. Of course, this is no easy decision. In the end, two factors will comprise your decision-making. One will be financial and the other emotional. There will be certain considerations when it comes to your finances and feelings. Any ultimate garage door guide worth it’s salt will remember to take one’s emotions into account for such a large and important purchase. Consider the costs associated with buying a new home. You’ll have to move and sell the house, of which there are costs associated with both. If you move, your work commute (if you have one) may change and your kids may have to start over at a new school. By simply renovating your current home, you can continue to live your current lifestyle without significant interruption. And finally, a renovation allows you to customize to your heart’s desire. You’ll be free to choose your materials and fixtures and bring your dream family room, garage, or master bedroom to life.Where Should You Start?
Once you have made the decision to give your home a facelift, it’s time to pick the project. When picking a project, your factors expand a bit. These decisions become a lot more financial than emotional. The big task was deciding whether to stay or go. You’ve done that now. So, it’s time to get into the remodeling weeds. How do you decide on your first project? Consider whether exterior or interior remodeling is more important to you. Which rooms or areas of the home are in most dire need of a little TLC? Well, for many people, the garage is a good place to start. Why? Because a garage addition or remodel brings, on average, a 64.8% return on investment (ROI) for the homeowner. This is money you get back when you sell your home. That’s why the garage is a great place to start as you gameplan your remodel. Unless you have purchased a home very recently, even a simple replacement garage door might make a huge difference. So, as you set about trying to improve your home’s look, feel, and value, consider your garage interior and garage door. What is one of the most important parts of selling a home? Curb appeal. And your garage door represents a big part of that. Your garage door represents the face of many modern homes, and on average covers around 30 percent of the house front. This represents a sizable chunk of your home’s forward-facing aesthetic. Garage doors can be quite large, they’re very noticeable, and will often form a big part of a viewer’s first impression. What will that first impression of your home be?What to Look for in a New Garage Door
Now that you have decided to embark on that big home remodel and maybe even replace your garage door, it’s time to consider what you want in a garage door. That’s why we wanted to take a moment in our essential ultimate garage door guide to pose a question. What’s important to you? A good garage door will last decades, maybe even a lifetime. So it makes sense to spend a little extra time and effort making the best choice possible, and avoid cheap garage doors. There are essentially three primary garage door materials: wood, steel, and aluminum. Real wood doors look fantastic when they’re new, but require a lot more time, money, and maintenance over the long haul. Natural finishes last a few years before they need recoating, or you could go with an embossed steel garage door with a faux wood-grain finish. You would be surprised at how realistic these garage door varieties are. And if you wait too long, you’ll have to sand off all the finish and start over to get your door looking new again. Another very important consideration should be insulation. Have you seen the headlines? Winter is coming! And we all know how very cold it can get here in the Midwest. We already saw Akron’s first frost, and now in two days, the Akron area will get its first freeze! And that’s why we’ve spent so much time talking about the importance of insulation. Don’t skimp out on insulation simply to save a buck. A climate-controlled garage will save you more money in the long run than you’ll save in the short run by buying a cheap, uninsulated garage door. And any guide that tells you otherwise is no ultimate garage door guide!A Quick Garage Door 101 Run Through
Now that we’ve talked a little bit about garage door composition, let’s dig a little deeper into the most important factors that make up a garage door. First, we must consider the type. There are many types of garage doors, and they can be grouped into the following broad categories:- Material
- Style
- Opening mechanism
- Sectional
- Roll up
- Slide to side
- Side-hinged
- Tilt up
- Carriage
Top Tips and Tricks for Maintaining Your New Garage Door
And finally, our ultimate garage door guide would not be complete if we did not provide you with time-tested garage door maintenance tips, tricks, and best practices. Your garage door is the largest moving part in your entire home, and is used multiple times per day and/or night, and in all seasons and weather types. And we certainly get all sorts of weather variations, from Akron to Uniontown. So, in order to keep your garage door operating smoothly for decades to come, you must ensure preventative maintenance is done on an annual basis. Let’s take a look at your options:- Observe: Observe your garage door in action. Raise it and lower it multiple times under observation and listen for sounds. Look for odd movements. Is everything symmetrical and does both the garage door and garage door opener function without issue?
- Tighten: While some garage door maintenance is best left to the professionals – like spring work – you absolutely can take the time to tighten up any loose nuts or bolts anywhere in the system.
- Test: Another easy DIY maintenance task is to test the garage door’s overall balance. To do that, first, disconnect the opener by pulling the release handle and then manually move the door about halfway up. If it doesn’t stay put, the springs are improperly balanced. And that’s when you get on the phone and call your friends at Prestige Door because – as we mentioned in bullet two – spring work is best left to us.