Types of Garage Doors
Nowadays cars have become a more important piece in running our day to day errands. This has thus led to garages being an all-important aspect of building plans. It has become too common that it also serves up as the main entrance. Over the years, manufacturers and architects have been improving on the curb attractiveness of garage doors, since they can occupy close to 20% of the house’s front face.
Garage door types
Garage doors basically can be classified into four varieties: Swing-out/up, Roll-Up or Slide to the side, read on more in-depth classifications on garages. Below we delve into a little more detail of the above door types.
Swing Style Doors
These types of doors are commonly made from wood and are suspended on the door posts with hinges. They are appealing to the eye with the solid vertical lines that complement its beauty with that of the house. The hinged side doors are less secure since the doors meet at the center. Also, you shouldn’t park too close to the door as your car may be hit when opening up the doors.
Due to their uncomplicatedness, they are cheaper to maintain. However, they are time-consuming to physically open and close them up, automating these door types could be a tad expensive.
Roll Up Doors
The most common type of roll up doors is the sectional door. Made up of several horizontal pieces joined and fixed with rollers, that draw back to the garage’s ceiling. The whole door rides on two parallel tracks. A heavy duty turning spring wound around a turning bar helps to counterbalance the door weight. This type of door can either be lifted manually or automatically.
Due to their sophistication, these types of doors cost more. Also, with the several parts involved in its operation, they could be potential sources of mechanical problems.
Folding Doors
These types of doors are fully drawn into the garage when opened. Its main advantage is that it is designed for automatic operation. They ride smoothly on a horizontal track that leads back into the garage.
These type of door does require extra space within your garage since their horizontal tracks run across the ceiling of the garage. Also, they do occupy more space for an overhanging opener; this reduces the available height of the garage. With its intricacy, retractable doors are prone to technical problems. Home owners should ensure regular servicing of their doors by a professional to avoid emergencies.