Having a functional garage door is essential but do you know what else is important? Having one that matches your home. Until recently, home owners didn’t have much of a problem as all houses looked perfectly fine with the white paneled aluminum doors that you see virtually everywhere. However,as the design of homes has changed, those old models just don’t cut it anymore. You need something sleek, modern, and fit for a house of today. As a Hollywood garage door repair expert, we have seen our share of doors,and we have some suggestions for you as you strive to build your modern home.

Garage Door

Steel and Glass are Where it’sat!

As we rapidly tear through the 21st century, we see an increased number of steel and glass garage doors. Using a steel frame and transparent glass panels, allows you to maintain a sense of security without having to settle for the same aluminum garage door that you grew up with. Depending on your preferences, a professional garage door service can install one of the multiple types of window panels, all with varying levels of transparency.

Insulated Steel is Key

If the glass panel look doesn’t match the aesthetic you are going for, consider a steel garage door which provides a lot of security. Steel doors are better than glass panels in some ways as they can be insulated which helps keep energy use down. In addition to lowering your monthly utility bills, you may also find that these doors are far more secure than many of the alternatives, making them an excellent choice for higher crime areas.

Don’t Be Afraid of Wood

We know: A wood door sounds like the least modern option in the grand scheme of things, but you might be surprised by how sleek and modern they can be made to look.  How exactly is this done you may ask? Some wood garage doors are paneled in the style of modern 21st-century doors,and then there are those that use offset windows to provide a slightly different and intriguing aesthetic for any modern home.

Watch the R-Value

Any garage door service company will tell you that the higher the R-value, the better off your garage is going to be. While you need to consider the R-value for every wall in your garage, you do face some particular challenges at the garage door as it is an opening. Greater R values mean slower heat transmissions which have two benefits:

  • The temperature in your garage will be well regulated (comfortable)
  • You will cut your energy bill in half

While there are other methods of measuring efficiency, the R-value is the most common. The higher the value,the slower the transmission of heat, which means less heat escaping your garage door. There is a range of conditions that determine the R-value of a garage door which include the following:

  • Door thickness
  • Insulation type
  • Material

Garage doors

Most garage doors in the industry range from 5.0 to 20.4 on the R-value scale and while higher values might be a little more expensive they can save you money in the long run.

Apart from the R-value, there is also the U-factor which is a representation of heat flow through the material. The lower the U-factor is on a garage door, the better it is. However, this isn’t the most critical piece of information as most manufacturers only conform to the R-value scale.

While choosing a garage door for your modern home can present a number of challenges, the right model is out there, and you can get the exact look that you want. As we move forward through the 21st century, we are going to see amazing new designs, some of which will completely change the way we think of homes.

Make sure you check back next week to learn a few tips that new homeowners should know about their garage door.