What is the best garage door?

What is the best garage door for your home or business?

There are four main types of garage door on the market. Each style has its own benefits and drawbacks.

The four designs that you will see across the UK are the Roller Shutter, the Up and Over, the Sectional and the Side Hinged.

This article is all about which is the “Best”. We understand that what is best for one person is not best for another – so let’s look at the pros and cons of each garage door in turn.

What is the best garage door for me?

As with everything in life, it’s fair to say that you get what you pay for. The more money you spend on a garage door, the more features and benefits you will get in return.

There are 7 key things that garage doors are built to be good at (or not as the case might be):

1. The actual look of the door. What designers like to call “kerb appeal” these days..
2. The security features.
3. The thermal insulation value – how much heat will you lose through the garage door.
4. How well does it keep out the wind, moisture in the air and the rain?
5. Is it fully automated or manual?
6. How quiet are they in operation?
7. The length of manufacturer’s and fitter’s warranty.

Yes, there are other factors too (like they can be operated from your smartphone for example) but these are the seven big factors you should consider. It’s easier to know what is the best garage door for you when you have identified your priorities.

So, it’s important to understand that what is best for you, what is your highest priority, might be different to what is best for me.

What is the best type of garage door if I don’t care about the cost?

The more you pay for a garage door, assuming of course that you have not been over-charged in the first place, the more features and benefits you get.

A good garage door will actually repay you many times over in saving heat.

It is important to work out what that cost saving each year will be. If you are heating your garage that will add up to a lot of money over the life of the garage door.

Having a fully automated option will also make your life easy and a long warranty means you won’t be paying out for repairs in the near future,

So, if you can afford the initial higher price, there’s only one type of door that ticks all seven boxes (and others too) and that’s the Sectional garage door (like the one shown in the picture above).

Okay, you could argue that it doesn’t tick the “cost box’ since it is the most expensive. I would argue that although the price is indeed higher it still the best value for money option because it delivers so much.

The sectional garage door is so named because it usually comes in four to six horizontal sections which fold into the roof space of your garage. I know what you’re thinking. Surely the roller door would be a better choice since it rolls into a tiny box?Isn’t that a technological step forward?

Whilst it’s true, it does indeed take up very little space which is a real benefit, that comes at a price – as you will see.

The sectional door is by far the most popular because not only does it tick all the boxes outlined above but it looks great on pretty much any building. Visually, it certainly adds value to any property.

So, what’s the downside of the sectional garage door?

Only that it will cost you more money. A fully automated double is probably going to set you back around £3k plus the vat depending on the size. That’s fully fitted by the way and with a long guarantee. We give you a ten year warranty on these doors. At the other end of the scale, an up and over door will only cost around £700 (fully fitted and with a warranty).

Quite a few manufacturers make sectional garage doors but Hormann are generally considered to be the best in the market place.

Are Roller Garage Doors a Good Choice?

Roller doors are certainly one of the most popular types of garage doors these days. It’s an excellent design and takes up very little space. We probably fit more roller doors each week than any other design.

They’re made up of a series of horizontal slats that roll up and down to open and close the door. Everyone loves the fact that they roll up into that tiny little box above the garage opening.

The choice of colours and finishes is almost unlimited. If you look at the garage doors in your area, you will notice that a great deal of them will be roller shutters, either manual or automatic.

They are a great choice if you want to add value to your property but there’s a few issues that you should be aware of if you are thinking of buying one.

The sectional door we just talked about is usually 42mm, or for industrial applications, 67mm thick. That’s why they give such good insulation from the cold and great sound insulation as well. The roller door, in contrast, is thin by comparison so its thermal insulation is virtually zero.

Now this whole idea of heat (and also sound insulation) on your garage door may not even be a priority for you whereas the cost saving may well be a very significant factor.

The manufacturers will also tell you that it has brushes on either side to keep the wind out and a rubber strip at the bottom to keep the rain out. Anyone who has a roller door will tell you that they don’t always work as well as you would hope.

Again, you may not care about how cold or hot your garage gets, or how much moisture there is but for many people, this is an important factor. If you have an integral garage you don’t want cold wind blowing around the door seals.

If you use a dehumidifier in your garage to keep the moisture down (very popular for car enthusiasts), or if you use the garage for anything other than storing stuff not affected by heat, cold or humidity, then this is an important factor as well.

Finally, the roller doors can also be a little bit more noisy when opening and closing (it’s all relative of course, Sectional doors are whisper quiet when opening and closing).

So bearing in mind these minor niggles, you have to decide on your personal priorities. Some of the factors I have listed as important may not be important to you at all.

Cost may be a much more important factor. An automated roller door can be fitted very quickly so the labour is less and the door itself is a lot cheaper too. There’s also the big advantage that it takes up very little space inside your garage so lots to like.

Best garage doors – what about Up and Over doors?

Up and over doors are absolutely everywhere.

Builders love them because they are cheap as chips and they can be fitted very quickly. In fact, they are the cheapest door on the market – unless you buy a second-hand one on eBay of course. Typically prices start at around £700 that’s including vat and fully fitted.

Are they any good?

Well it depends on your priorities – the main boxes they  tick are the “cost” and “looks” boxes.

You will get instant kerb appeal without paying out too much money. The downsides are they give little or no thermal insulation, have very little resistance to wind and rain and they are easier to break into than other models.

So, if you do decide to go this route, try and budget for additional security features that will be offered to you as an option. Additional thermal insulation can also be added either when fitted or at a later date.

So, in conclusion, up and over doors will save you money, they are fast and easy to fit and are an easy way to refresh a tired old garage that already has an up and over door that’s maybe seen better days.

Side-hinged Garage Doors

Side-hinged garage doors are also very popular. They are something of an older design that opens on hinges mounted on each side of the garage entrance.

This style has been around for decades and is still very popular. I remember my house had them back in the eighties. They are known for their simple design and easy installation although you need a good fitter if you want to get good thermal insulation.

The side hinged doors has a great look. They have a kind of “French Chic” to them, if done well, and can look very exclusive. This makes them more of a lifestyle choice and they work exceptionally well with some house designs where a more modern look doesn’t work so well. To be fair, what I am describing here is often more bespoke than off-the-shelf.

There’s quite a choice of materials, including wood, steel and aluminium. Choose double-skinned metal for the best security.

Side-hinged garage doors are sometimes more expensive than other types of garage doors but that will depend very much on the material you choose but they offer many benefits that make them worth the extra cost.

What is the best garage door – Conclusion.

Okay, as I said at the beginning, the more you pay, the more features and benefits you get.

As is often the case in life, cost will determine the one that’s right for you but remember, the cost of maintaining the door and the insulation it provides means you should look at the real cost over a ten year period and not just the purchase price.

Despite the extra cost you will feel the benefits of having a quality garage door every single day – even on those days you don’t use it.

If you’re interested in getting a no obligation quote for a new garage door, give us a call or drop us an email.

We have 5 superb showrooms covering Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and South Wales. The telephone numbers for the Showrooms appear below. Our telephone lines are manned 24/7.

Links to all the most popular types of garage doors

• Sectional garage doors
• Roller garage doors
• Up and over garage doors
• Side-hinged garage doors