Clingerman Doors-Custom Wood Garage Doors --- Clearville, PA
www.CBgaragedoors.com
garage door.
It's a door a lot of us don't like to deal with, according to architects and builders.
"A lot of people spend $2,000 to $3,000 on their front door and have a hard time spending
$500 to $600 for a garage door," said Ed Bouillet, sales manager with Allied Overhead
Door Co., in Nashville, Tenn.
Architects said that if something gets cut in the late stages of a design project, it's often the
fancy garage door.
Garage doors take up a lot of room on the exterior of your house, so whether you're
building from scratch or looking to upgrade your existing home's appearance, you might
want to consider the possibilities.
Garage door basics, trends
"We're starting to see 8-foot heights with a 9-foot width," said Bouillet, noting that today's
average standard is 7-feet-by-9-feet. As common as SUVs are, expect garage doors to
grow even bigger.
"Some are 10 feet wide and 8 feet tall, but that's a trend I'm just starting to notice," he said.
With multiple doors often placed on the front or side of a house, the garage door said a lot
about your home's style.
"That one garage door could make or break the house," said architect Nancy Hayden.
Dressing up the garage door
If you're interested in dressing up a stock door, make sure it's wood.
"The best thing to do is have the builder, the homeowner and the door company work
together," said Bouillet.
If you're building a large home or planning a major remodeling job, don't discard the idea
of a custom, handmade door. If your project includes multiple garage doors, choosing the
custom ones, with their stylish designs, solid hardware and engineering and top- quality
materials, can make a big difference if they fit into your budget.
On a budget-minded note, sometimes just changing the look of the opening for your garage
door can make a big difference.
That's exactly what architect Nancy Hayden did on Ashley and Susan Wiltshire's
1920s-era Dutch Colonial Revival home.
"We wanted the garage to match the house," said Ashley Wiltshire, echoing a similar
refrain among old-house owners concerned with appropriateness.
He notes that Hayden's cost-effective yet stylish solution was to alter the angles of the top
of the opening for the garage door in order to visually connect it with the home's gambrel
roof.
Another way to change the opening yet still use a standard, squared-off metal door, said
Hayden, is to simply arch the opening.
"The door can be just a plain door that you paint, yet the opening can have a nice shape,"
she said.
Whether you want glass windows in your garage door is another consideration.
"It's a great way to let light in," said Hayden, adding that it's possible to get wavy or
bubbly glass that looks appropriate for historic homes or new houses that are meant to
look old.
Still, some people consider windows in a garage door a security risk. "If they're high in the
door, that helps," said Hayden.
Gannet News Service
What it costs
For one 9-foot by 7-foot garage door, including installation, expect to pay the following
prices:
* Keep in mind that larger doors and two-car garage doors cost more, and the opener will
cost extra, typically around $300 for a quality mechanism.
* Basic, uninsulated metal garage door: $350 to $400.
* Insulated, pinch-resistant metal door: Around $500.
* Basic wood door that can be customized: $500 to $750.
* Wood door with added trim and hardware: $1,000 to $1,500.
* Custom wood door with hardware: $1,500 to $3,000 and up, depending upon materials.
Source: Allied Overhead Door Co., Nashville, Tenn.
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A close up of the windows in a Western Red Cedar Garage Door. 
