How to avoid mistakes when ordering a garage door?

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It is certainly worth learning from our mistakes, but preferably not from our own. Our experts present 5 mistakes and oversights frequently made by investors before ordering a garage door.

1. Garage design with unusual construction conditions

There are various types of garage doors on the market but sectional doors are the undisputed leader. They have great insulation properties, are comfortable to operate and allow maximum use of the space inside and in front of the garage. Sectional overhead doors have certain requirements that you should be aware of. Ensuring the right conditions for the installation of the door will help avoid unnecessary costs and complications during installation.

– The lintel (simply speaking it is the height from the upper edge of the entrance opening to the garage ceiling, measured inside the room) should be at least 210 mm. This is sufficient to use a standard track with no extra charge, regardless of whether a drive is used or not.

– The sides of the garage must be at least 100 mm wide. 100 mm wide. This will allow the use of any guide with the most popular torsion springs.

– Installation depth, i.e. the length of the garage – the minimum value depends on various factors, e.g. the height of the gate, the type of guidance and the type of drive used. It is particularly important in the case of automatic gates, which due to the installation of the drive require not less than 3.3 m.

– The garage ceiling and walls must be free from elements that would prevent the installation of the door guide, e.g. pipes, supports, structural beams or windows at the height of the tracks.

measuring garage door

2. Doors too small

We commonly associate convenience with an automatic door. Sometimes we forget how important the size of the door is for our comfort. It is generally accepted that the minimum safe gate width is 2.4-2.5 metres. However, in some cases this may not be enough for complete comfort. The optimum gate width depends on several factors such as:

– The size of the ‘occupant’ of the garage – a small city car, a large family car, or perhaps an off-roader? The wider the door, the greater the convenience and flexibility when changing cars.

– How is the garage positioned in relation to the entrance gate to the property? What does the driveway look like? If you will need to manoeuvre when entering the garage, it is worth thinking about a wider door.

– How the garage will be used – it often becomes an additional storage space for various items, which is worth considering at the design stage.

Also, the height of the door is important for convenience, especially if you often use a car roof box. The standard 2 m height of the gate will not allow you to enter the garage with it, but 2.4 m will. When thinking about a tall door, it’s worth paying attention to how it relates in with your garage design. It is important to remember that the entrance to the garage is not always equal to the size of the door. In the case of a standard track application, if we are talking about an automatic door, the operator will raise the door leaf as high as possible and leave a full opening, but in the case of a manually operated door or other track applications the opening will be a few cm lower.

3. Measurement errors

Ideally, the final measurement of the entrance opening should only be made after the garage is finished. If this is not possible, during the measurement it should be precisely determined what plaster, insulation or tiles will be additionally laid on the walls and floor. All this in order to match the garage door dimensions to the entrance opening in the best possible way. In this way we guarantee maximum durability of the gate construction, its components and drive. It is also a question of savings – appropriate adjustment of the door ensures its optimal tightness around the perimeter of the coat, and thus reduces heat loss.

4. Limiting your own choice

It is not worth to be afraid of unusual dimensions, additions or interesting colouring of the gate. Yes, such a gate will be more expensive, but it will probably cost less than you might think. Manufacturers outdo each other in creating the widest possible offer at attractive prices. For example, our garage doors may be ordered in one of over 40 veneers or even in any colour selected from 200 colours of the RAL palette.

It is also worth taking a walk around the nearest estate of detached houses and pay attention to the dimensions, design and colours of the gates installed in the garages. There will certainly be a few doors completely mismatched with the architectural style of the house and the colours of the facade and roof tiles, but the market offer makes it possible to create very beautiful, ingenious and interesting arrangements.

5. Contacting the contractor too late

All the mistakes described above can be avoided if you consult everything with a carefully selected, professional contractor early enough. Even if you are just designing a house, right now is the best time to verify the garage dimensions, as well as the size and installation conditions of the gate. This will allow you to sleep peacefully and avoid later problems and unnecessary expenses.

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