The Northern Michigan buyer's guide to a new garage door

When is a new garage door worth it over a repair

A new garage door is worth it when the door itself is failing, not just a part that moves it. Rusted-through bottom sections, cracked or split panels, a door that was hit hard enough to bend several sections, or panels the manufacturer no longer makes all point toward replacement.

Springs, cables, rollers, hinges and openers are wear parts. Replacing them on a sound door is normal maintenance, and it usually costs far less than a new door. If one section took a bumper, read our guide on what to do after you back into your garage door before you assume the whole door has to go.

Comfort matters too. If you heat the garage or have a bedroom above it, an old single-layer steel door is often the weakest wall in the house, and that alone is a fair reason to upgrade. If you are not sure which side of the line your door is on, our crew looks at doors all over Traverse City and the surrounding counties and will tell you straight.

What is the best garage door material for a Northern Michigan winter

Insulated steel is the best all-around garage door material for Northern Michigan, with composite close behind for homeowners who want the look of wood. Both stand up to cold, snow and slush without the seasonal refinishing that real wood needs.

Solid wood is beautiful and still has a place on some cottages and custom homes. It asks more of you, because wood takes on moisture and moves through our long freeze and thaw seasons, so the finish has to be kept up. Aluminum and glass full-view doors bring in daylight and suit modern houses, but they insulate less than a foamed steel door.

What R-value should a garage door have up north

Up north you want an insulated door, and the number on the brochure matters less than how it was measured. Most garage doors are sold with an R-value, but according to DASMA Technical Data Sheet 163, that R-value is usually calculated for a single door section, not tested on a complete door.

DASMA, the trade association for door and access system makers, explains that a tested U-factor comes from putting a complete installed door, with its section joints, hardware and seals, in a test chamber under ANSI/DASMA 105. The sheet says the two methods are not comparable, that a lower U-factor means better insulation, and that a tested U-factor gives the highest confidence when you compare doors.

In plain terms: two R-values compare foam, not finished doors. If a manufacturer publishes a tested U-factor, use it, and remember that joints and seals decide how warm the garage really feels.

How garage door construction affects warmth and strength

Construction is the biggest difference between a door that feels solid for decades and one that rattles and dents. Look at how many layers the section has, what the insulation is, and how thick the steel is.

• Single layer: one steel skin, no insulation. Fine for a cold shed, cold and noisy on an attached garage.
• Two layer: a steel skin with an insulation board behind it.
• Three layer: steel on both faces with insulation between. The stiffest and quietest option.
• Polystyrene is rigid foam board set into the section. Polyurethane is foamed in place and bonds to both skins, which adds stiffness as well as warmth.
• A thermal break separates the inside and outside skins so cold does not travel straight through the steel. Haas Door lists it on its polyurethane-insulated steel lines.
• Steel gauge runs backward: a lower number means thicker steel that resists dents better.

Does a shoreline home need a wind rated garage door

A home on open water should at least ask about a wind-rated door, because the garage door is usually the largest opening in the house. That covers houses on Old Mission Peninsula, along the Leelanau shore and near Frankfort, where wind comes straight off the bay or Lake Michigan. DASMA's sheet on garage doors and high wind events notes that a door can be pushed in or pulled out, so both positive and negative pressure ratings matter.

The same sheet says the door should be closed and secured before high wind, that parking a car against it does not reinforce it, and that owners should not add their own bracing. Extra weight throws off the springs and can overload the track. It also points out that how the track and jambs are fastened to the house is just as critical as the door itself.

Pole barns, detached shops and oversize doors face the same forces on a bigger scale, with heavier sections and taller track. Our pole barn garage door page covers how we handle those openings.

Which garage door style fits your house

The right style follows the house. Traditional raised panel doors suit colonials, ranches and most neighborhood homes. Carriage house doors, with overlays that mimic swing-out barn doors, suit farmhouses, craftsman homes and many up north cottages. Modern flush or long plank doors, and full-view aluminum and glass, suit clean-lined contemporary houses.

Carriage house versus traditional is mostly about character, not performance, since both are built on the same kinds of insulated steel sections. Carriage styles add overlays and decorative handles and hinges, so they read as more custom from the street.

Windows change a door more than almost anything else. A row of windows across the top section brings light in while keeping privacy lower down. Frosted or seeded glass hides the garage from the street. Color matters too: a door that matches the trim fades into the house, while a door that matches the front entry becomes a feature.

How to see a new garage door on your own house before you buy

The easiest way to see a new door on your house is Haas Create, a free online design tool from Haas Door. You upload a photo of your home, outline the garage opening, then try styles, colors and window layouts on the real house instead of a brochure picture.

It is a planning step, not a purchase. Haas says you can save a project as a PDF, share it, and send it to a dealer, so bring what you like to your estimate.

1. 1Take a straight-on photoStand in the driveway in daylight and fit the whole garage and some of the house in the frame.
2. 2Upload it to Haas CreateOr start with a stock house photo if you are still deciding on the look.
3. 3Outline the garage openingTrace the existing door so the tool knows where to place the new one.
4. 4Try styles, colors and windowsCompare traditional, carriage house and modern designs side by side on your own house.
5. 5Save your favoritesSave the project as a PDF or share it with family before you decide.
6. 6Bring it to your estimateShow us the design and we will confirm it fits your opening, headroom and budget.

Which garage door opener should you pair with a new door

Pair the new door with an opener sized for its weight and suited to how you use the garage. The springs do the heavy lifting and the opener guides the door, so a heavier insulated door with windows and overlays should be matched to an opener built for it. We install LiftMaster and Linear openers.

Belt drive openers are the quiet choice for garages under a bedroom or bonus room. Chain drives are simple and sturdy for a detached garage. LiftMaster also makes wall-mount openers that sit beside the door instead of hanging from the ceiling, which frees overhead space for storage or a high-lift track. Battery backup lets you open and close the door when the power is out, which matters after a winter storm.

If your current opener is aging, replacing it with the door is often the cleanest time to do it. Our guide on whether to repair or replace a garage door opener walks through that call, and our garage door openers page covers the models we install.

What happens from estimate to install day

From the first call, the process is simple and you know exactly what you are buying before anything is ordered. The most important part is the measuring, because garage doors are built to size and a missed number can mean track that will not fit or an opener with nowhere to mount.

A good crew measures much more than width and height. Here is what we check at the estimate, followed by how a new door typically goes with our crew.

• Opening width and height, measured at several points in case the frame is out of square.
• Headroom: the space from the top of the opening to the ceiling, which decides the track and spring setup.
• Sideroom: the wall space on each side of the opening for the vertical track.
• Backroom: the depth from the door into the garage for the horizontal track and opener.
• Floor level, jamb and header condition, power for the opener, and anything in the way like lights, beams or storage.

1. 1Request a free estimateCall the office or use the form on this page and tell us a little about the house and what you want to change.
2. 2On-site visitWe measure the opening and clearances, look at the framing and power, and ask how you use the garage.
3. 3Choose the door and openerWe walk through materials, insulation, style, windows, color and opener, then give you a written quote.
4. 4Order and scheduleThe door is built to your size, and our office confirms an install date once it arrives.
5. 5Install dayWe remove the old door safely, set new track and springs matched to the new door, hang the sections, and connect and adjust the opener and photo eyes.
6. 6WalkthroughWe show you the manual release, how the safety reversal works and how to test your door's balance once a year.

What drives the cost of a new garage door and what to ask

Size and construction drive the cost of a new garage door more than anything else, followed by material, windows, color, hardware and the opener. We do not publish prices because two doors that look alike can be built very differently, so we quote every door free after we measure. Rotted jambs or framing found at the estimate, and special high-lift or low-headroom track, can also change the number.

The best protection is a quote that names the exact model and options, so you can compare companies fairly. Ask questions that reveal how the door is built and installed, not just how it looks. Our guide on how to choose a garage door company covers the questions to ask about the company itself.

We install doors from Haas Door, Safe-Way Door, Richards-Wilcox, Asta and Eden Coast. Haas Door makes polyurethane-insulated steel lines with a full thermal break as well as aluminum doors. Safe-Way makes single and triple layer steel, wood-look steel, carriage house overlay doors and a full-view aluminum series.

Richards-Wilcox makes polyurethane-insulated doors in traditional, contemporary and carriage house styles. Eden Coast builds custom composite overlay doors with the look of wood, and Asta builds commercial rolling steel doors for shops and businesses. Our new garage doors and operators page shows how we put it all together.

• Is the thermal number a calculated section R-value or a tested U-factor?
• How many layers is the section, what gauge is the steel, and what is the insulation?
• Are the track, springs and hardware new and matched to this door?
• What does the manufacturer cover and for how long, in writing?
• Does this location call for a wind-rated door?
• Which opener suits this door and this ceiling?
• Will you haul away the old door?