When trying to boost the value of their homes, many homeowners decide to remodel their kitchen or bathrooms. However, these projects can easily go over budget or take more time than expected. There is actually a much simpler and more affordable home improvement project that many homeowners overlook completely: a garage door replacement. In this article, we’ll discuss the many benefits of a new garage door and how this upgrade can lead to a higher home value.
How Much Value Does a Garage Door Add?
A garage door replacement is thought to be one of the most valuable investments homeowners can make. In fact, Remodeling Magazine ranked an upscale garage door replacement to be the remodeling project with the highest return on investment (ROI) in its 2018 Cost vs. Value Report. This study investigated the costs for 21 common home renovations and the value they retained when the homes were resold.
It was found that the average cost to replace an upscale garage door was $3470 and the project delivered an average return of $3411 when resold, which equates to an ROI of 98.3 percent. In other words, this replacement pays for itself.
The report also studied nine regional markets in the United States and found that the ROI for a new garage door in the Pacific region — which includes California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii — was 120 percent, meaning the returns were even greater than the costs of the project. In Portland, OR, the ROI was 130.7 percent!
How New Garage Doors Increase Home Value
A garage door replacement has an exceptionally high ROI because the benefits it provides — including increased curb appeal, lower energy bills and increased safety — are all things that potential buyers look for. Read below to learn about the many ways this remodeling project can boost resale value.
1. Increases Curb Appeal
If you’re preparing to sell your home or looking to tackle a new remodeling project, why not start by improving your home’s street view? Garage doors play a significant role in influencing your home’s curb appeal, and the curb appeal is what lures potential buyers inside.
When shopping for a new garage door, you can choose a color that complements the scheme of your home or a bold shade that makes a statement. You can also select a door with a distinctive panel style that suits your home’s aesthetic.
2. Boosts Energy Efficiency
A new garage door with insulation can increase the value of your home by 4 percent. What’s more, the insulation leads to energy savings, as it will keep hot air out during the hotter months and cold air out during the colder months. If your garage is heated, an insulated garage door is especially worth considering.
As your garage door gets older, the energy costs associated with the door increase, which, in turn, lead to higher energy bills. Regardless of whether you own an attached or detached garage, you should find out the insulating power of your garage door. A new door with good insulation will allow you to lower the costs of energy consumption in your house.
When shopping for insulated garage doors, look for models with a high R-value, which is a measure of the door’s insulating ability. It’s a good idea to buy a door with a minimum R-value of 11, and if you live in a region that experiences colder temperatures in fall and winter, a door with an R-value of 14 or 16 is recommended.
3. Improves Safety
New garage doors come with advanced safety features, including:
- Motion Detectors: You can keep trespassers away with motion detectors, which will light up when someone or something approaches the garage door in the dark. It also makes it safer for you when returning home at night.
- Smartphone Operation: LiftMaster now offers a feature that allows you to operate your garage door from anywhere using your phone.
- Photo Eyes: This safety feature keeps the door from closing if something is in the way.
- Garage Door Openers: Garage door openers consist of a trolley and a motor. The motor moves the trolley, which is attached to the garage door. When the motor activates the trolley, the garage door moves down or up. Openers can run on belts, chains or threaded parts. This feature, along with photo eyes, is now standard.
- Automatic Timers: For those of us who forget to close our garage doors every now and then, automatic timers are a useful feature. Some modern garage doors allow users to set a timer that will automatically close the door after a certain period of time. Visit Liftmaster’s site to see which openers come with this feature.
If you have an older garage door, getting a new replacement can ensure your safety and provide your home with better security. When shopping for a new garage door, focus on getting one with the latest security features to maximize your safety.
4. Leads to Smoother Operation
One common complaint from garage door owners is that the doors don’t run as quietly and smoothly as they used to, and opening them seems to require more effort. They also get stuck on occasion, which can be a pain to fix. If you invest in a new garage door, you will obviously avoid all of these problems.
5. Reduces Your Maintenance Costs
While an old garage door may require constant maintenance, a newer one requires significantly less or even none at all. A modern prefinished garage door, for instance, will not require any maintenance, as the door’s color bonds into the surface of the steel. By purchasing a new garage door, you’ll gain the money and time back that you would have spent repairing and maintaining your old one.
If your current garage door suffers from any of the following issues, you may want to consider replacing it:
- The door has noticeable dents and dings: Although some dents can be taken out, many others cannot. A dented door will significantly lower your home’s curb appeal.
- The wood is starting to rot or has peeling paint, holes, or cracks: If your garage door is made of wood and showing these signs, a replacement may be a good idea. Wood doors require regular maintenance and refinishing to keep them from deteriorating. Sun can also cause fading, and if moisture gets into the cracks and holes, this could lead to serious damage that can’t be fixed.
- The door is old: Older doors often have poor insulation, which can be a particular problem if the garage is connected to the house. Buying a new garage door, which will be better insulated, will boost your energy efficiency and reduce your energy costs.
- The door is starting to sag: If you notice any sagging, this most likely means you should replace it. This is a common occurrence with wood doors, especially if they’re not well maintained. If your wood garage door starts sagging, this means it’s likely deteriorating and rotting as well, in which case there is little that can be done to repair it. If your door is made of another material and is sagging, call a professional technician to inspect it and determine what’s causing the problem.
- The door is noisy or shakes a lot: If your garage door doesn’t operate smoothly or makes lots of loud noises when raising or lowering, there is a good chance some parts are broken and must be repaired or replaced.
- Parts, cords or wires are broken: While some parts can be replaced easily when they break, if the bottom part of the door gets damaged, this probably means you need to replace the whole thing. If there’s something wrong with the wiring, people could get seriously injured because of the great force that may be exerted when the door is closing. In this case, you should hire a professional to take a look at and repair the system.
- It’s difficult to raise and lower your door: As your door ages, the parts allowing the door to run smoothly can gradually wear out. If opening and closing the door is more difficult than usual, have a professional take a look. Failing to do so may put more stress on the parts and lead to more damage.
- The door won’t open by itself or is slow to respond: The door should respond within several seconds of pressing the button on the opener. If it takes longer, this means there is something wrong with either your opener or the door. Check to see if anything is blocking the door, which would prevent it from closing or opening. If not, call a professional technician.
6. Makes Less Noise
Door openers these days can be exceptionally quiet. Consider installing an opener with a belt drive that uses a rubber belt reinforced with metal. If all parts remain well lubricated, you’ll notice that these openers make very little noise.
Contact Oregon City Garage Door
If you would like to boost your home’s resale value with a new garage door and live in the greater Portland, OR, area, Oregon City Garage Door would love to assist you. For more than 25 years, we have been providing home and business owners in the area with expert garage door installations, maintenance and repairs. Here is an overview of the garage door services that we offer.
1. Sales
At Oregon City Garage Door, we sell high-quality, durable doors that combine superior function with beautiful design. We have a vast selection of steel, wood, glass and aluminum doors and all of our products are made by industry-leading brands including Clopay, Amarr and Northwest Door. Some examples of our garage door collections include:
Whether you’re shopping for a streamlined glass and aluminum door, a carriage-house door or a traditional door with raised panels, we have a product to suit your tastes and needs. Once you’ve picked the one you want, we can customize it so that it blends seamlessly with the existing decor of your home’s facade by providing a variety of options such as different window styles, paints and finishes. Our finishes include the ULTRA-GRAIN® finish, which provides steel doors with an appearance that is practically identical to that of authentic wood.
2. Installation
No competitor in or around Portland rivals our installation quality or customer service. We have installed new, cutting-edge doors for hundreds of businesses.
We offer free estimates to make sure that you are satisfied with the services. Before leaving, we perform tests on the door to ensure it functions properly. For our commercial installations, we offer a generous one-year warranty as well as maintenance and repair services designed to ensure your door continues to run smoothly for many years. You won’t ever have to worry about any unexpected malfunctions or breakdowns.
3. Repairs
Doors can experience many types of malfunctions. Sometimes they won’t close despite there not being any obstructions, sometimes they open or close randomly and sometimes they make strange loud noises. Regardless of what your problem may be, our experienced technicians will quickly arrive at your location to conduct a thorough analysis to determine the cause.
When you deal with Oregon City Garage Door, you’ll get complete transparency. We won’t attempt to sell you unnecessary replacements — we strive to find practical solutions that work with your budget. We give you the pricing upfront as well as the warranty information regarding your new product. We’re also prompt — once we choose and order the needed products, we’ll speak with you and decide on an ideal date and time for repairs. When we arrive, we’ll take out the malfunctioning parts, install the new ones with care and test them to make sure that they function properly.
4. Emergency Garage Door Service
If your garage door has suffered damages or you’re in need of an urgent repair, leave it in the hands of Oregon City Garage Door. We are available seven days a week to help you with any emergency repairs and will work hard with you to make appointments that work well with your schedule. We have the experience and tools needed to deal with any type of garage door emergency, including photo-eye sensor issues, damaged or broken springs, bent or broken panels, remote or opener issues, bent tracks, malfunctioning cables and break-in-, accident- and storm-related damages.
Our technicians, all of whom are insured, licensed and bonded, are committed to taking the recommended safety precautions and performing installations that meet the latest industry standards.
Our Service Areas
Although located in Clackamas, we also provide our services to the following surrounding communities:
- Oregon City
- Beaverton
- Beavercreek
- Tigard
- Molalla
- Oak Grove
- Hillsboro
- West Linn
- Lake Oswego
- Wilsonville
- Damascus
- Boring
- Estacada
- Gladstone
- Happy Valley
- Tualatin
- Canby
To learn more about our products and services or receive a free estimate, call us at 503-632-3070 or fill out our online form. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will respond to you promptly.
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