If you’re shopping around for a new garage door, then you may find that there are more options than you’d thought. After all, there are roll-up doors, sectional doors, swing-out doors, sliding doors and more! So how do you decide on the best option for your application? Well, we’ve come up with a list of pros and cons that you can weigh while you look at garage door options. We’ve broken down three of the most popular garage door styles in our blog series Weighing Your Options so that you can learn about the benefits and drawbacks of each individual style. In our first edition of the series, we’ll be looking at sectional overhead doors. We’ve outlined the pros and cons of sectional garage doors below — and don’t forget, you can always count on Front Range Raynor of Fort Collins for installations and repairs on any and all garage door types!
What is a sectional garage door?
Sectional garage doors are doors with horizontally oriented sections that are bracketed together on a series of hinges. The whole of the door travels along a track to switch between open and closed positions. A sectional garage door relies on an operator (the motor) and a chain to pull the garage door up to its open position, and to slowly release the door to its closed position. Overhead sectionals rely on torsion springs to operate — the spring takes much of the weight and strain off of the operator. These doors are common for both commercial and residential use.
The Benefits
There’s a reason why sectional garage doors are the most common choice for residents across the nation. These doors are economical, they look great, and they’re easy to use.
Cost: Sectional garage doors are less expensive than roll-up garage doors, and they may cost about the same as some carriage house doors. Depending on the style of door and its features and components, you can expect to pay between $750 and $3,500 for an average-sized residential garage door.
Aesthetic: Folks love the look of these garage doors, and there are hundreds of aesthetic options available. If you’re looking for a garage door that will perfectly match the look of your home, then it’s likely that you’ll find a suitable overhead sectional door. These doors can be made out of steel, wood, vinyl, aluminum — you name it — which means that you’ll be able to find a door that fits your home. Beyond that, these doors are available in a variety of colors, and they can be outfitted with decorative hardware for added appeal. Also, you can find sectional doors that have windowed panels, or even doors that are made entirely of windows!
Ease of Use: As far as ease of use goes, you can’t get much more streamlined than an overhead door. As you well know, you can open and close these doors with the push of a button. Plus, you can install an in-garage button as well as a remote control to turn on the operator of your garage. Beyond that, you can outfit your garage door with laser sensors that ensure that the garage closes safely.
Applications: As we mentioned, sectional overhead doors are common for both commercial and residential use. Driving down the street, it’s likely that you’ll see house after house with sectional doors at the front of their garages. You’ll also see sectional doors lining warehouses and commercial buildings. Nowadays, sectional doors are even becoming popular in retail applications, and you may have recently seen this type of door at a restaurant, enabling the staff to open the door to let in the open air. Since sectional doors are inexpensive, relatively compact, easy to use, and available in a variety of materials and designs, they often prove to be the ideal option for any application.
The Drawbacks
There are few drawbacks to sectional garage doors, but you should be wary that they will require some space for the tracks and operator, and they will, inevitably, require repairs down the road.
Space: If you’re installing a sectional overhead door in your home or building, you’ll have to make sure that there is sufficient space to install the track system and operator, so that the door will have a place to stow itself while in the open position. Most overhead doors require about a foot of additional space above the height of the garage door opening for the track and operator. However, we can install a low-clearance door opener and track with only a few inches of space vertical space necessary for the system.
Repairs: Over time, your garage door will need repairs and maintenance. You could experience a broken spring, a faulty operator, or track misalignment, all of which will require attention. Fortunately, most of these repairs are relatively inexpensive, since all of the components of the door are easily accessible and since these parts are common. Of course, if you should ever have an issue with your garage door, you can always give us a call for repairs.
Call Front Range Raynor for Installs & Repairs
Here at Front Range Raynor, we’re proudly provide sectional doors from a variety of manufacturers, and we offer both installation and repair services for garage doors. If you’re curious about the options available to you, feel free to visit our showroom in Fort Collins. You can also call us for service and installs, or if you have any questions about our services and products.
Check back soon for our next chapter in this blog series: Weighing Your Options Part II: Overhead Roll-Up Garage Doors!
