This is a beautiful home that features a wide range of textures. You have stone, beautifully crafted wood, shutters, etc. The curves, angles, and designs help to make this a special house. The large entry doors, the bay window, and even the garage door help to make this a real standout. There is a lot to be said of the Traditional Style door, and you might find that Prestige XL Design garage door you see here with pinhead windows and in chocolate walnut is a perfect option for your home.
Whether you are going to be building a brand new home, or you are going to be redoing your current garage, it’s an exciting time. You can finally get the perfect garage. It might be used traditionally to store your vehicles, or you might be turning it into an added living space. The possibilities are endless.
The garage could be a great location to start a small business, enjoy some hobbies, or use for extra storage. Quite a few businesses have been started in garages, after all, as you can see from the image above.
Many garages have become places where people can retreat and relax. This has certainly been true during the pandemic. People have turned their garages into quite a few different types of spaces including gyms, game rooms, home offices, and more. Building a garage is fantastic for your home, and it’s well worth the expense. It can provide you with added space, and it can increase the value of your property.
A new garage and garage door can improve the look of your property. However, before you start picking out doors, you will want to know a bit more about the five types of garage lifts.
High Lift Hardware Is Best When You Have Windows Above the Door
Here is another example of a beautiful home. Rather than a traditional style, this one is contemporary. You can see two single, black Vog garage doors, and you will notice that right over the door are windows.
Why do you need a high lift for this type of situation? The high lift extends the garage door tracks. The door will hug the wall and will go up higher than with other types of lifts. You will be making smarter use out of the vertical space in the garage, and you’ll find that it can provide between 12” and 15” of added headroom, simply by moving the tracks nearer to the ceiling.
The garage door in this image above has high lift hardware, which not only works well but also looks great. It has something of an industrial feel, which can work nicely for contemporary spaces. The door you see here is a California all-glass garage door, which can provide your garage with plenty of natural light. You can even open it up and still have a lot of space when you choose the high lift.
When Should You Choose High Lift Hardware?
- When you want the door to be part of the beauty of the inside of the garage, just as much as the outside.
- When you have windows over the garage door.
- If you need more storage space above your garage door.
- If you want to put a car lift in the garage, you will need a lot of clearance. The high lift will help.
- You might be planning for the future, when you will turn your garage into a gym, a small business, etc. Getting the lift in now, when you have the time and money, could be a good idea.
Here is a technical drawing of a high lift. You can see that there will be a straight area on the track and there are angled parts that move the door away from the wall.
Getting a Look at High Lift Garage Door Hardware
The reason people choose these types of lifts is that it changes how the door moves on the tracks. It travels a greater distance than other lifts due to the design, and this means that there tends to be a different type of stress on the components. Some of the parts of this lift differ from other types of lift, as well.
The garage door tracks will need to be longer with a high lift than they would be with a standard lift. Of course, all installations will be different based on a range of factors, including the size of the garage, door, etc.
One of the other elements in the system is the garage door torsion spring. One of the common misconceptions many people have is that the torsion spring is handling all of the heavy lifting. The only way the spring can handle the weight of the door is if it is balanced properly. This helps to ensure that the door will operate properly, safely, and efficiently. If it’s not balanced correctly, or if there are other issues with the torsion spring, the door may not open.
The garage door opener is an important part of the system, too. You want to make sure that the opener is located on the wall and not the center.
If you have a garage door that’s similar to the one above, you will need a wall-mounted opener (Flush Design). Different types of doors will have different requirements
You have options when it comes to wall-mounted openers.
One of the best options is the LiftMaster 8500W. This has some nice benefits, including the fact that it’s quieter than typical chain-drive systems. The opener also has a substantial amount of horsepower for various types of door lifting applications. It even has an auto-locking mechanism that can provide some extra protection. You will also be able to use the MyQ app. The app lets you control the door no matter where you are in the world.
Inclined Garage Door Tracks Are Another Option
Here’s a cute kid’s drawing of a house. If you have a garage that has a high ceiling or cathedral ceiling like this, then you will want to be sure you have inclined garage door tracks.
When you have a garage door that follows the slope of a roof, inclined tracks are required. The door in this image is the Eastman E-12 Design. You can see it here in the claystone color with white real overlays.
What are the main differences between high lift and inclined hardware?
- As you might suspect from the name, inclined tracks need to follow your roof’s incline. The tracks help to keep the door flat against the ceiling. High lift, on the other hand, will move the door across the ceiling before it reaches the incline in the roof, leaving a small gap.
- Again, the torsion spring will need to have proper balance with the inclined hardware, just as it is with the high lift hardware.
- Because of the incline and the position, you will want to have a quality wall-mounted opener like the LiftMaster 8500.
This home has two single carriage-style doors from the Townships Collection. They are in the Eastman E-11 design. Here, they are in Moka Brown with Desert Sand colored overlays. The doors also feature 4 vertical-lite Panoramic windows.
When Should You Choose Inclined Tracks?
- If you have a cathedral ceiling in the garage.
- If you have a vaulted ceiling in your garage.
- When your garage’s roof slope and door are on the same side.
Front or Rear Low Headroom Hardware Works for Limited Space
There might be times when having front and rear low headroom lifts will be the best choice. They can work better in the following cases:
- You have a very low garage ceiling.
- You have old swing doors that you are replacing on your garage. Those old doors from many decades ago only needed a small amount of headroom.
- If you want to learn more about these lifts and openers, you should read this FAQ.
Here is a she-shed with a California full-view garage door. There wasn’t enough room for standard hardware, so the low headroom lift hardware was the right choice. The owner wants the space to be elegant and cozy and look like a space people would want to be rather than a garage. The results are great.
When do you NEED to choose Front or Rear Low Headroom Garage Door Hardware?
- If you have headroom from seven to 10 inches, then you need to have a front low headroom hardware lift.
- In cases where the headroom over the door is between five and seven inches, you need to have a rear low headroom lift.
What are the differences between the front and rear low headroom lifts and standard lifts? Because the garage door doesn’t have as much room to travel from the vertical to the horizontal position, the low headroom lifts let the door move more easily. It can ensure a smooth transition and travel along the tracks.
When you have one of these low roofs, you need to make sure that you have a ceiling-mounted garage door opener, not a wall opener. The wall-mounted openers will not be able to open the garage door all of the way. If that’s the case, you may want to consider the LiftMaster 87504-267 door opener. It is the next-generation version of the LiftMaster 8550, which we’ve touched on earlier.
Keep in mind that these types of lifts are not typically the first choice, as there are better options. however, sometimes, they are the only choice depending on the size of your garage. They could be the only option that will fit with the space you have available.
Standard Garage Door Hardware: The Typical Option for Most Doors
What do you notice about this garage? It has two different types of roofs in the same building. The door on the left will need to have inclined tracks, while the one on the right could use a standard door lift. In some cases, there can even be garage doors with an arch. If you like the look of these traditional doors, they are the Classic MIX Design.
When Should You Choose Standard Garage Door Lifts?
- You can use a standard garage door lift when you have more at least 10” of headroom over the garage door.
- With these types of lifts, you have the option of using extension springs or torsion springs. Professionals suggest using torsion springs in most cases.
- If you want a ceiling-mounted garage door opener, consider the new LiftMaster 87504-267.
What Else Do You Need to Think About?
If you like swing doors, you might want to choose the North Hatley SP garage door design that you see here. In this image, it’s presented in ice white and features perfect Richmond Arch window Inserts and decorative hardware.
What Should You Do About Insulation?
Do you really need to have insulation in the garage? Maybe you are looking for ways that you can save money, and you feel that getting an uninsulated garage door is the best option. However, that may not be the best decision. Insulation is more important than you might realize, even in your garage.
According to House Beautiful, heating and cooling are the main factors when it comes to the amount of energy your home consumes. If you don’t have insulation, it means you are losing heat in the winter and it’s hard to keep the space cool in the summer. You might end up spending more on heating and cooling the garage than you would have if you had just opted for insulation in the first place. Insulation is always a factor, and you should always have insulation that will work well for the environment where you live.
Even if you don’t plan on heating the garage and using it in the winter for anything special, it’s still a good idea to keep it protected with insulation. When you have an attached garage, this is necessary. If the garage isn’t insulated, it could affect how much energy you are using in the rest of the home.
According to Green Builder Media, using spray foam like polyurethane can be a good solution. It can offer a high R-value, and it is possible to get the foam into even small spaces, providing excellent insulation. Another option is to get GARAGA Standard+. It also has a high R-value (R-16). It will help keep those energy costs down now and for decades into the future. You will feel a difference in your garage and your house.
Improve Your Home’s Aesthetics
When you have a quality garage door, there is a good chance that it can last for a quarter-century or more. It also provides the best resale value when compared with other improvements that you might make around the house. What should you think about when getting a new garage door?
- Choose one that has windows, so you can get some more natural light.
- Choose a design and color that work well for your property. Don’t just opt for bland and boring.
- Compare the cost of one double and two single-door options. Read more on this to find the solution that will look best for your property.
Here is a unique property that has wood and brick to create a stunning look. It looks good enough that you might not have realized at first that it’s a detached garage. The Shaker-Flat XL garage door design with Stockton window inserts is seen here in chocolate walnut.
Work with Professionals to Help Make Your Life Easier
Maybe you are transforming your carport into a garage. Maybe you are building your detached garage or your attached garage. Regardless, the professionals at Cliff's Overhead Doors want to make sure you do it right. We’re here to provide you with the help and guidance you need, no matter what you are doing with your garage space.
Call us at 519-631-1507.
Most people will only have to buy one or two garage doors in their life. They may not know what will work right for their space, and that’s understandable. We can make it easier. Overhead doors and garage door openers are our specialties.
Do you know what you want?
Contact us to get a free quote.
Want to see what a garage door would look like on your home first?
Spend some time with the Design Centre.
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