Types Of Garage Doors Available Today

When you are building a new house or upgrading your existing house, one thing you may wish to consider is the type of garage door you to install. Your decision may be based on how you want the garage door to appear and how you want the garage door to function. There are four basic types of garage doors.

Swing hung doors are one of the first available types of garage doors. A swing hung door opens like a regular door. These types of doors are usually installed in pairs, with each door opening to the side of the garage. Swing hung doors are usually found in barns or in carriage houses.

‘Up and over’ doors swing open by swinging outward into the driveway and then up, resting parallel to the garage door ceiling. Two types of up and over doors are available. The retractable door opens on horizontal tracks mounted on the top section of the door frame. The tracks help open the door; however, they do take up room in the garage.

On the other hand, the
canopy door uses vertical side runners when opening the door. There are advantages and disadvantages to each up and over door. Retractable doors take more room on the outside of the garage to open, but they are stored compactly inside the garage. Conversely, canopy doors take less room on the outside of the garage to swing open, but once open, about 1/3 of the door can protrude from the garage.

Roller doors are made up of several individual sections that are connected and held together by hinges. The door rolls up vertically and is stored compactly at the top of the garage. Since roller doors do not have to swing out to open, they are a good choice for areas that have lots of high winds or deep snow. Roller doors are also good to have if you want to park a second car by the garage door without hindering the opening and closing action. If you live in a cold-weather area, you can install roller garage doors with foam-encased insulation.

Sectional doors open vertically on tracks that are mounted overhead in the garage. Like roller garage doors, sectional doors maximize space without the worries of the up and over type of door. Sectional doors maximize the drive-through width of the garage, can optionally be insulated, can work with almost any shape of garage doorway, and can be enhanced with window accents.

Garage doors are generally automated with a remote control. Standard garage doors can be converted to automated doors without much expense. You can have a hand-held remote, a fixed, wall-mounted remote, or both.

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