If it’s true that the “clothes make the man”, does your garage door design make or break the style of your home?
Most homes today have at least a 2-car garage. When you are looking at your home from the street, the first thing that catches your eye is the garage door.
Still not convinced? Next time you go outside, take a look.
Imagine you’re relocating to a new city and you are taking a trip to see some potential homes. When you pull in the driveway, what’s the first thing that you see? That’s right—the garage door. Now that you see how much of an impact it has, let’s get back to the conversation.
What is your garage door to you? Is it just a functional part of your home that exists for protection? Have you ever asked yourself things like:
Do I LIKE my garage door ? Am I proud of the finished look? Does my door represent my style and fit with my home?
If you haven’t, it might be time. If for nothing else, there is 1 MAJOR REASON that you need to consider improving your garage door so that it reflects your home and style. Read on to learn what that is and how to create the perfect look with yours.
So, What’s the big deal with garage door style?
It’s simple, really: MONEY.
Many garage doors are on the front of the home or face the street, which makes them a large part of the structure. Whether you realize it or not, your garage door has a significant impact on the impression that your home makes to friends, neighbors, and others who visit.
Even if you have the nicest exterior with the best landscaping and curb appeal, that boring or outdated garage door is going to get noticed.
Sprucing up your garage door can do a lot for your home’s look, as well as for its value. The National Association of Realtors reports that houses with a garage door that is well-maintained and eye-catching, along with a clean and organized space can increase the speed or sale price of a home.
Homeowners can expect to get as much as 4% more for their home just based on the garage door having that “WOW” factor that new buyers are looking for.
In a report published in 2018 by Remodeling Magazine, garage door replacements offer the best return on investment among the 21 projects studied. An impressive 98% ROI is expected from almost every garage door replacement, according to their research.
This has to help convince you that it’s time to do something about your door.
Step One: Consider the Architecture of Your Home
Now that you’re aware of why you need to improve the appearance of your garage door, it’s time to start with the most important question: What is your home’s architectural style? This is a critical part of choosing the best garage door design.
Fortunately, you can typically place your home into just 1 of 3 categories: Traditional, Modern (Contemporary) or Country Style (or Carriage House).
It doesn’t matter how many floors your home has or what type of structure it is because they all fall into one of these styles.
Do you associate the word “traditional” with “old”? It’s not the case! This style is one that has evolved based on blending classic styles with modern ideas and designs.
If you enjoy stained glass, hand-carved kitchen cabinets, and multi-paned windows , Traditional is the style that you want. If you’re someone who buys your furniture, cars, and clothes so that they’re well-made but will hold their style for the next decade or so, you’re suited for the Traditional style.
This is one of our more traditional looks, the 9x7 garage doors in Desert Sand with a Classic Mix Pattern.
One- and two-story cottages and bungalows have a distinguished architectural look, offering a classic, harmonious feeling inside and out. This lends itself well to the traditional style seen below:
These are another 9x8 garage door set, shown here with Catchet Windows in Moka Brown, in the Prestige XL Pattern
The popularity of contemporary design is increasing by the day, as more people embrace the simplicity and boldness it offers. This style is defined by the use ofearthy hues and dark colors for elegant coordination that looks seamless. Modern / contemporary style often has elements that are surprising in size.
For contemporary design, check out our 9x7 garage doors in Black with Harmony Windows (Right-Aligned) in the VOG Pattern
Really, though, contemporary styles are a balance of simplicity, forms, and the purity of clean lines.
What about these? This is the CALIFORNIA garage door in Black Aluminum, featuring Satin Glass windows, featured in the 6x8.5 and 16x8.5 sizes.
As this set illustrates, architects in contemporary design utilize large windows that often seem to extend the home into the outdoor space, creating the illusion of more from every angle .
Image: Interior Design Magazine
Once you get out of the city, this architectural style is quite popular! The carriage-house is a popular style that uses elements like cornices, large porches, and dormers to provide plenty of enjoyable outdoor space for those cool summer evenings.
Digging these doors? These are our PRINCETON P-21 Garage Doors with X-Shaped Overlays in Chocolate Walnut, featuring 8 lite Panoramic windows.
Other common features include projecting roofs and the multi-pane gridded windows, like shown above.
You like this look? This is a CAMBRIDGE CC Garage Door, Ice White door & overlays, and with 4 lite Panoramic windows
The garage doors that are designed for enhancing country-style homes pay homage to classic swing doors of decades past. They usually feature an A-shaped, V-shaped, or X-shaped overlays, all of which offer that classic barn effect that fits perfectly.
Do you enjoy this design? This is our Vantage SHAKER-CS LONG Garage Doors in Dark Walnut with decorative hardware and Stockton Insert windows.
As soon as you see one, you’ll know if the carriage house style is the right garage door for your home.
By now, you can see that garage doors are far more elaborate and go well beyond the basic white, classic embossed garage door! B & M Garage Door offers a total of 38 different garage door designs, available with 12 colors and over 100 window options.
And that’s just what we have now. Because of the growing interest in upgrading garage doors to become a part of the home’s design, manufacturers will continue to offer even more selection in the years to come.
Step Two: Choosing Your Color
Colors are always going to vary depending on the period or decade in which they were first introduced. As time goes on, some will go out of trend and others will come in, and so goes the cycle of home design.
Why is this the case, though?
Many architects and designers will claim that their new products are simply a tool to keep up the demands of customers who want new designs and unique personality pieces to add to their home.
Global trends can also influence the homes and garage door colors.
In the past 5-7 years, darker colors like charcoal, mocha, and sandstone, have been quite popular.
You might also like to ground yourself into nature and enjoy the richness of wood , without its high-level maintenance.
For colors that give you that classic wood look without the work, try these 5 best-sellers:
3) Dark Walnut
4) Cherry
5) The Brand New Iron Ore Walnut
These 5 paints are baked-on in the factory to offer the look of a great wood garage door without the maintenance and effort.
Right now, the trendiest color is Black.
This sleek door is the EASTMAN E-11 Garage Door in Black with four of the lite Panoramic windows.
Black is a color that sends a message that says you enjoy a simple, elegant style that is just modern enough to go beyond traditional.
Of course, since this color is SO popular, you’ll find black garage doors in a variety of modern designs but also in plenty of carriage house and traditional designs. Black goes great with natural or faux stone, dark gray homes, rich woods, and even houses that are red brick or painted white.
A lot of fashion designers tell people that black is a thinning color and that it is popular for that reason. Why is this the case? Black absorbs light completely.This creates the optical illusion of thinness.
Perhaps you’ve got a double garage door, but you don’t want it to be the focal point of the home . You can use black to “shrink” the appearance of the door and make it seem smaller to the naked eye.
Keep in mind, though, that black garage doors are going to get warm—black absorbs all of the heat from the sun and can even become hot enough to burn the skin when touched.
The average single garage door is 9x7. You can imagine the wide space of black you’ll have to worry about in the heat. If this isn’t a concern for you, you’ll enjoy having a black garage door on your home. But it’s an important consideration for those with families or small children around, especially considering a quality garage door can last up to 20 years.
If you want to avoid the heat, consider Sand, Claystone, or even White to offer a neutral look without the heat transmission. These colors blend in, won’t draw extra attention, and can allow you to direct people to focus on other things.
Step 3: Add Windows; Add Light & Personality!
There are typically 2 reasons that you will add windows to a garage door:to let natural light in and also to enhance the design or look of the door. Depending on the architecture of your home and the design of the garage door that you choose, there are hundreds of options for windows.
You’re not sure about windows. You’re wrong. Trust us. The character and natural light that you get from windows are a must-have and 20 years is a long time to regret such a simple decision.
It's not about whether you want windows. It's which windows you want. Here's what you should be keeping in mind:
1) Layout:
Windows really can go just about anywhere. You can choose from single or double windows, left or right side windows, windows on upper sections only, or in unique designs to add a special touch.
2) Decorative Inserts:
Do you want these? They’re typically more for the Carriage-House or Traditional style, but they can add a distinctive, elegant touch.
3) Glass Type:
There are many types of glass available, depending on the amount of privacy you desire and your style preferences.
Whatever your tastes, you’ll be able to create the perfect windows for your garage door.
A good garage door IS going to last you at least a couple of decades. Instead of stressing, let us help!
Contact us to discuss your options and get some guidance in creating the perfect garage door design.
Our team here at B & M Garage Door can even provide email quotes or bring you into the showroom to get inspiration and a firsthand look at our products.
Give us a call!
Mississauga: 905-569-9133
Georgetown: 905-873-4848
Into Apps? Check out our Design Centre. You can create your perfect garage door and upload photos of your home to see how the final design will look.
Need more inspiration? Check out these great residential garage door ideas for yourself.
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