Garage door may not be the grandest feature of your exterior, but is the final touch that will enhance the look of your home and unify the whole architectural design.Whether it is a garage doors installation project, or a garage doors repair job, it can be a challenge as there are so many options available.
Before jumping into different garage door styles and ideas, let’s first understand a few things about garage doors and how they can help complement the look of your home and increase your curb appeal.
The Facade
Almost all exterior features of your home can be seen from the street: landscaping, entrance doors, roofs, windows, front porch, railings … And of course, your garage and the garage doors. The space where your vehicles are stored and protected is called “the bay”. Most contemporary homes have a garage that can fit from 2 -3 cars.
Before choosing a garage door, take a look at these tips and suggestions from garage doors installation professionals:
- Garage door hardware:
This may be a small feature on your garage door, but still has a huge impact on the overall look and function. Some new automatic doors don’t have any hardware and opt for a clean, sleek look, while other conventional ones repeat metals and styles in the hardware used on doors, windows, lighting, and other fixtures. - Style:
Next time, pay attention to your neighbour’s garage door and see if you want to coordinate with them or whether you want your garage to stand out. A lot of times, it is of best practice that you choose your garage door style based on the architectural style of your home. For example, if your home boasts a modern and simplistic exterior, your garage door can be simple in style yet coated with a sleek and prevalent colour. - Accessibility:
As the place where you store your vehicles, consider the garage’s accessibility one of the most important feature. Think of when you access your garage and your vehicle, is it easy to access from your driveway, your front yard, your front door and is there any difficulties moving your vehicle to and from the garage? - Color:
One of the most common options is to match the color with the exterior of the house for a consistent look. Reach for colours that complement one another. Of course, wood and even some kinds of metals can be painted. You can leave the doors white if they came that way, but it is all up to you to spruce them up to best fit with your home. - Scale:
The garage should not overwhelm or upstage the house, either in size or architectural features. It should be the feature that completes the whole façade of the house, works in harmony with other components and easily accessible for homeowners. - Materials:
Familiarize yourself with your home’s architectural style and materials. Most common garage doors materials are: Wood and Wood Composite, Steel, Fiberglass, Vinyl and Aluminum. If you’re still unsure of what materials will work best for your home, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Our team at B&W Garage Door Specialists is experienced in helping several homeowners install and repair their garage doors.
Types Of Garage doors Styles and Inspirations
For single-family residences, garages fall into one of these categories:
Detached Garage Doors
Carriage doors were originated from carriage barns or houses, for horse-drawn carriages in the early 1900s. Carriage houses were separate from the main house because they were usually added on and there was plenty of room on the property to accommodate another structure. Up until the 1950s, most garages were built for one car. By the 1960s, as families grew and women entered the workforce and became more independent, the need for larger garages led to the creation of two-and even three-car garages.
Attached Garage Doors
Attached garages are connected or structurally part of the main house. An attached garage can be accessed via the inside of your house or through the garage doors. Some people–especially those who have homes without basements–don’t have room in their garages for cars and use them for storage. During the home building boom, garages an integral part in the design of a home and were often designed to be prominent in view.
Raised-Panel Garage Doors
One of the most common garage door styles is the raised panel. Raised-panel garage doors have really become the standard, the style most people think of when they think of garage doors. The original raised panel doors featured floating panels that fit inside a rail-and-style frame, but in the modern version—such as the very common fiberglass type—the door panels are often solid and are simply molded to resemble the classic raised-panel door.
The popularity of this look ensures that you can find raised-panel doors in all materials, including wood, fiberglass, aluminum, or steel; and with a full list of garage door options from which to choose.
Carriage Garage Doors
Carriage-style garage doors are very popular choices for a variety of house styles. They generally replicate the look of doors found on old carriage houses, but they can look quite good even on many contemporary homes.
Traditional carriage doors swung open manually from the center, but you can find modern carriage door models that fold open with automatic openers while still offering the charm of traditional swing doors.
Contemporary Garage Slab Doors
Matching house styles with garage door styles is perhaps never more important than with contemporary designs. A modern house design that features clean lines and high-tech materials should include a similar type of garage door. Doors with tempered glass panels (clear, frosted or tinted) encased in painted aluminum frames are one popular choice.
Also returning to popularity in some retro-modern home designs are slab doors, in which the door opens by folding up as one single panel, rather than as three or four separate horizontal panels that bend at hinges as the door raises. Like carriage doors, slab doors require a specialized automatic opener.
When choosing a garage door for your home, you should also consider the region in which you live and the type of weather your new door must be able to withstand.
If you live in Western Canada, Calgary for example, you’re no stranger to harsh weather conditions, whether it’s torrential downfalls, biting cold, massive snowfalls, or even extreme weather events like strong winds, thunderstorms, and wildfires. And, you’ve probably noticed that all this turbulence Mother Nature throws our way can take a toll on your garage door.
Below are some inspirations for your upcoming garage doors installation
This set of carriage-style garage doors in rustic brick blend very well with the overall color-scheme of the house. This style also complements the clean, yet the vintage character of the whole architectural design.
If you’re looking for something more subtle, yet still enhances the look of your front exterior, this white set of garage doors fit perfectly with the natural colour of the stones and the muted grey roofs. The garage doors in this design don’t stand out; they instead tie all the other elements together to create a unified and cohesive look.
We hope the information given above has eased your confusion and concern when it comes to getting a new set of garage doors, which material to buy or which style fits best for your home. Don’t hesitate to contact us or give us call at (403) 275-6048 if you still have any further questions regarding your garage doors installation, repair or other services.
