They say you should dress for success. What if the same goes for more than just your clothes? Maybe it’s time to take that same idea and apply it to your garage door. Here’s a little thought experiment.
Close your eyes and imagine you have just walked outside and are standing on the curb. Now turn and face your house. What is the first thing you see? It’s probably your garage door. After all, a garage door takes up a good portion of your house’s exterior, especially if it fits 2 cars.
If you don’t believe us, try out this experiment. Let’s say that you go house hunting tomorrow. You’ve found the perfect neighborhood with beautiful homes in a fantastic school district.
Your real estate agent brings you to a potential listing and you get out the car. What’s the first thing you see? The garage door.
Does that convince you? Anyway, let’s not stray too far from the point.
What does your garage door say about you?
Does it show who you are? Have you considered if you like it? Maybe you only want to change it because it’s become outdated. It could just not match the rest of your home.
No matter why check out why you should be looking for the best style and how you can achieve it for your garage door.
Why Should A Garage Door Match Your Personality?
Quick question? What makes the world go round? Money!
And that’s why your garage door should show who you are. Just like in our thought experiment, when a real estate agent pulls up to sell your home, the first thing anyone will see is the garage door.
It’s a huge part of your curb appeal. Literally! Even if you’re not looking to sell, the principle is the same. Whenever friends or family come over, they will immediately be looking at your garage door.
If your door is faded and out of date, your guests will be left with a bad impression.
With a new door, you’ll put some life back into your property and boost the overall attractiveness of the house.
Even the National Association of Realtors agrees. According to their data, if your garage door is well kept and the interior of your home is tidy, your property could be off the market faster and at a higher rate of up to 4% more! Not bad for just a garage door.
If that’s not enough to convince you, here’s one more statistic. According to Remodeling Magazine ’s 2018 report “Cost vs. Value” , among 21 evaluated renovation projects , investing in a new garage door returned the highest rate, 98% higher than all other projects . If that doesn’t convince, we don’t know what will!
Let’s look at some of the questions you should be asking yourself.
Question #1 – What’s Your House’s Architectural Style?
Hopefully, we’ve done enough to convince you that a new garage door is a wise investment, but where should you start? First, you need to answer what style your house is.
Odds are, your home is in a traditional, contemporary/modern, or a country style. Each style has its own characteristics so let's examine each one and how it relates to your garage door.
Traditional Style:
What do you think about these doors? These are 9x7 Garage Doors, in Classic Mix Pattern and Desert Sand Color
If you prefer a timeless look, like a simple leather banded watch or a clean-cut suit and tie, the traditional style is definitely for you.
Your home can be traditional without being outdated.
Traditional just means that your home is an even balance of different architectural styles developed throughout time, according to what people like.
Traditional homes typically have carved kitchen cabinets, colorful stained-glass windows, and multi-pained window frames . If your house has a few of these features, it’s likely a traditional style home.
How about this look? These are 9x8 Garage Doors, in Prestige XL Pattern , Moka Brown Color and with Cachet Windows
One-story bungalows and two-story cottages are well known for their classic look that borrows from a variety of different architectural trends.
It’s a timeless and well-balanced look.
Contemporary or Modern Style:
Do you like this look? These are 9x7 Garage Doors, in VOG Pattern , Black Color, and with Right Side Harmony Windows
These days, contemporary and modern styles are becoming increasingly more popular.
You can recognize this style of architecture based on its use of dark colors and earthy hues.The key here is elegant coordination. Contemporary style can sometimes have surprisingly shaped or sized elements. It is defined by its sharp and pure lines, simplicity, and balanced forms.
How is this look? These are 6x8.5 and 16x8.5 CALIFORNIA Garage Doors, Black Aluminum Frame, and with Satin Glass Windows
Another easily noticed characteristic of modern architecture is that the homes are often built with large windows that appear to extend the interior into out of the house.
Do you like this look? These are PRINCETON P-21 Garage Doors (X-Shaped Overlays), Chocolate Walnut doors & overlays, and with 8 lite Panoramic windows
You can find country style homes easily outside of major cities. The carriage-house home stands out for its use of more traditional architectural features.
These might be dormers, cornices, or large porches where homeowners can sit out and enjoy the breeze of a cool summer night.
Homes in this style are also easily recognized thanks to their gridded multi-pane windows and projecting roofs. For these types of homes, you should look for a garage door that will enhance the architectural design.
What do you think about this style? These are Vantage SHAKER-CS LONG Garage Doors , Dark Walnut Color door & overlays, windows with Stockton Insert, and decorative hardware
Think of them as the swing doors on a saloon of the olden days. The best garage doors for these homes often have an A-Shaped, V-Shaped, or X-Shaped overlays that create a lovely and quaint barn appeal. As soon as you see this style, you will know if its right for your home.
By now, we hope you have seen that garage doors come in way more styles than the typical suburban embossed white garage door. Here at Automated Door Systems, we offer 38 different door designs in 12 colors and more than 100 window possibilities.
As garage doors continue to follow new manufacturing and architectural trends, who knows what other designs we will have.
Question #2 – What Color Should I Go With?
With architectural styles, they generally vary based on the period that the home was built.
Homebuilders tend to stick to a particular style so a home built during a particular decade will likely adhere to the common building plan. As we move into new periods, we move onto a new style.
Architects will often tell you that you are simply keeping up with the market demand, fulfilling buyers' wishes for a personalized and special home.
As trends change, homeowners want to keep with the times and can end up renovating their homes completely.
So, what are the global color trends influencing home exterior now? Over the past decade, darker earth tones have become a leading change to keep your eye out for. These include Moka Browns, Charcoal, and Sandstones.
It seems the world is going through a period of nostalgia and wants to ground itself in something solid.
We are seeking out more natural colors that stay beautiful for a long time without constant upkeep.
If you want the appearance of a wooden door without all the maintenance, go for one of these 5 colors!
- Chocolate Walnut
- American Walnut
- Dark Walnut
- Cherry
- The Brand New Iron Ore Walnut
With these five factory-baked-on, polyester-based paints, your garage door really will look like genuine wood.
For anyone looking to follow the most popular trend of all time, you can’t go wrong with good Black.
If you like this look, it is an EASTMAN E-11 Garage Door, Black door & overlays, and with 4 lite Panoramic windows
Having a black garage door installed lets your neighbors know that you’re a person who likes the simple and elegant things in life but are not too outdated.
Because Black is so trendy, you can find these doors in a variety of patterns— from modern to more tradition or carriage-house style patterns.
If you have a dark-toned home, perhaps in grey or with an attractive stone siding, a black garage door will fit in nicely.
Even you are just going for a monochromatic style, you really cannot go wrong with black.
If you don’t have a dark-toned house, black can still provide a striking bit of contrast to a house, particularly one that’s white or red brick.
Black is also thinning thanks to its ability to absorb light.
If you have a large double-car garage, having a black door can help to keep the garage from overshadowing the rest of the house.
If you do go for a black door, though, remember that the black color will absorb more of the sun’s heat than a lighter colored door. If you do have a larger garage, that’s a lot of black surface area absorbing the sun’s rays.
Just be careful on particularly hot days that you don’t lean against the door. A door in black can become hot enough to burn you or your children if they lean against it
If black is too much of statement for you and you want a more neutral tone, sand, or beige are excellent options sure to fit the bill.
Some colors even coordinate with others so that your door doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb.
Unless your home is painted to accommodate, we recommend avoiding anything in lime green or bright red.
A more neutral tone will guide viewers' attention away from the door and towards other aspects of your home’s exterior you don’t want them to miss.
Windows: Shining Light Inside and On Your Personality!
Adding windows to your garage is a good idea for different reasons.
First, windows will help to let light into an otherwise stuffy garage.
Beyond that, though, they can help enhance the overall style of your home.
Base your choice on the overall architectural style of your house and find a door with windows that best compliments your vision.
And trust us, you want windows.
Without some extra light, your garage could go decades without some much-needed natural light.
Windows add character to the space and are an inexpensive way of living the room.
When choosing windows for your garage door, consider these 3 things:
1. The Layout:
Pick from the truly strange to the most traditional frames. There are double or single, and right or left windows. You add outer section windows or even the traditional upper section window.
2. Decorative Inserts:
Though these are more suited to traditional or carriage-house style homes, decorative inserts add an elegant and distinct touch to your home.
3. Glass Type: Perhaps you want a bit more privacy. Or, maybe you are open to letting the world see inside your garage. There are many options for whatever your taste.
Who knew garage doors were so complicated?! We completely understand that you might be overwhelmed right now.
Don’t be!
Since a quality garage door can last you over 20 years, here’s the next step you should take.
Get in touch with a garage door dealer near you.
They have the skills and expertise to set you up with the best guidance and make your door reflect who you really are.
Automated Door Systems can easily quote you a price by email or you can visit our showroom for some inspiration from our garage door models.
Do not hesitate to give us a call for friendly service and advice.
- Toronto: 416-239-7777
- Guelph: 519-829-3777
If you prefer cell phone apps, try out our Design Centre app and pick out the perfect door for your style.
You can try styles out on a photo of your garage door. If you need ideas first, lots of gorgeous residential garage doors are waiting for you here, so take a look!
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