There are very few home features that have as big an impact as your garage door. You might be in a subdivision neighborhood where row after row of garage doors feature prominently on façades. Or, your home may sit on a larger lot where your garage is set back and more subtle. No matter where you live, your garage door makes a statement. Curb appeal says a lot about your home’s value.
A new garage door speaks volumes about your home’s attractiveness. It also speaks to potential buyers when your home is for sale on the real estate market. Experienced realtors know well how their clients react when viewing properties. First impressions are crucial. They can immediately convince potential buyers to drop in and walk through or to drive past and look elsewhere
The importance of garage doors for resale value can’t be overstated. A new garage door is one of the top ways to improve curb appeal. Changing your tired and dull old garage door for a chic new look adds value to your home. A new garage door will also make help you sell your home quicker. A faster sale translates to value.
If you were to ask any realtor what home improvements add the most value, invariably they’ll say your garage door. But don’t just take a real estate agent’s word for it. Stand back and look at your home from the street. Does your garage door send the “buy me” message? If not, you should replace it.
But why does your garage door play such an important role in the look of your house and your ability to sell it? It’s because of the amount of visual space your garage door occupies. Think about the ratio of garage door area compared to that other vital architectural component—your front entry door.
A typical front entry unit is 36” by 80”. That’s 20 square feet. A standard double-sized garage door is 192” by 84” or 112 square feet. Your garage door is five and a half times larger than your entryway. Compound that massive visual space with proximity to the street, and it creates an even greater impression. That’s why you’ll hear home designers, builders and realtors speak about how vital “garage door architecture” is.
So many home designs have their garage door as the largest architectural detail, usually for practical reasons. Large, up-front garage doors enable easy access for vehicles of any size. Setting garages back from the façade takes more space and increases construction costs. That’s why when you drive through America’s newer neighborhoods you’ll be greeted by large garage doors. And all of them give a first impression – some better than others.
Does a Garage Door Increase Home Value?
When you ask a realtor if a new garage door increases home value, you’ll get a resounding “yes.” They’re not just saying that as part of a sales pitch. They can back it up with multiple studies done on how much value a new garage door adds to your home. Every single study reports the same thing. Replacing an old garage door with a fresh, modern looking model provides one of the highest returns on home remodeling investments you can get.
The Cost and Value Report is a trusted and credible publication. They’re now in their 28th year. In studies done in collaboration with the National Association of Realtors, the Cost and Value Report consistently states that replacing your garage door is the single best home improvement project you can undertake. That’s for both upscale and mid-range projects.
These studies look at national averages where return on investment value is rated. These figures vary depending on the reporting area, but every one consistently supports the idea that garage door replacement increases home value. They also report shorter selling times for homes with new garage doors.
Expected investment returns vary by city and region. Returns from the Pacific Northwest, Middle Atlantic and California regions reported return ranges from as low as 78 percent on investment to as high as 146 percent. That works out to an average of 115.6 percent or $1,156.00 back on a $1,000.00 investment. Nowhere else can you get that big return on your remodeling money than a new garage door. That includes spending on big-ticket items like kitchen, bath and flooring upgrades.
There’s no doubt a new garage door gets you the best bang for your buck. It costs far less than most other home improvements and has the highest return value. That includes increasing that all-important curb appeal, which makes for a quicker sale. How could you go wrong with that?
Changes in Garage Door Designs
Modern garage doors are far superior to what was available even ten years ago. Back then, most garage door designs were the plain and simple sectional overhead models. Many were flat steel, but you could upgrade to raised-panels with wood grain embossing. Most were white with painted enamel finishes baked-on for durability.
There were limited options for older garage doors. Upper windows were a favorite upgrade. Some windows even displayed mullions like traditional grids or the now-dated sunbursts. But most older garage doors were designed for a practical job. Little thought was given to architectural aesthetics.
Garage doors built in the past 20 years also used a limited range of materials. Light-gauge steel was the most popular material because of its light weight and relatively high durability. Manufacturers tried aluminum as well, but the material simply couldn’t stand up to the rigors of daily ups and downs. Medium density fiberboard (MDF) was another option. MDF took nicely to paint, but these garage doors were excessively heavy. They also didn’t do well in wet conditions.
Today, the range of designs, materials and options available in garage doors is extensive. In fact, choices can be almost overwhelming for the average homeowner. Current garage door designs are sometimes so aesthetic and sophisticated that it’s hard to tell if you’re looking at a garage door or a carefully crafted architectural wall feature.
Garage doors that are selected to complement your home’s original architecture can be stunning. You can make an enormous difference to a home’s curb appeal by changing just one feature – the garage door. In less than one day you can go from being another Plain-Jane on the block to a head-turner. That’s what the right garage door can do.
A Wide Range of New Garage Doors
Now you have a range of garage door designs to choose from that may not have been dreamed up yet when your home was built. You can choose from traditional designs with tried and proven raised panels. Today, you can also customize the color of your garage door to match your home. You can upgrade to old-fashioned carriage house designs that appear to swing from side to side but, in reality, roll up. Or, you can stick with classic designs.
The clean lines of a modern garage door might be all that’s necessary to create a crisp, horizontal effect while remaining understated. You can turn to real wood for a rustic or country look. Many lightweight and durable materials are available in today’s designs. Nowadays, painting and staining are easy as well as long-lasting.
There’s an endless array of garage door designs on today’s market. You can work with your garage door supplier to have any style or combination of options installed on your new garage door. But occasionally, that perfect design isn’t quite there. In that case, you can have a garage door custom-made to fit your taste.
Customization doesn’t just mean a unique design that doesn’t exist elsewhere. You can take a stock design that you like and have it custom suited to a particular size. You can also choose your own colors and textures. You can even customize accessories like hardware, fittings and exterior accents.
Custom windows are also an option for your new garage door. Windows play an important part in architectural appeal. They add that perfect touch that compliments your garage door and matches your other windows to give your façade a uniform appearance that gives your home its own unique look.
Garage Door Safety, Security and Energy Efficiency
Garage door windows do more than add curb appeal. They play a crucial role in safety, security and energy-efficiency. Windows let light into your garage, so you can safely move about during the day. Appropriately placed and treated garage door windows provide security from prying eyes. And garage door windows designed not let heat escape help conserve energy in colder climates.
Energy-efficiency is important to many homeowners. Although your biggest return on investing in a new garage door comes from the impressive curb appeal you’ll get, don’t overlook another value found in the right garage door – energy-efficiency.
Once you’ve piqued prospective buyers interest with your house’s looks, they’re sure to check if your new garage door is energy efficient. Older insulated garage doors were poor performers. Usually, they had bare Styrofoam glued onto the inside metal panels. This did little more than prevent condensation. It didn’t offer much in the way of preventing heat loss and preventing air leakage.
By choosing an energy efficient new garage door, you’re adding one more positive aspect to your home that prospective buyers will take note of. Today’s top-quality energy efficient garage doors do what they’re advertised to do. They have exceptional R-value, a measurement of their ability to restrict heat flow, and are designed to control air leaks on all sides. Highly efficient garage doors are well worth the minimal extra expense.
Select a High-Quality Clopay New Garage Door In Phoenix
Clopay is one of America’s leading garage door manufacturers. When you hear the name Clopay, you know the brand represents the finest materials and craftsmanship available in today’s garage doors. Your prospective buyers will recognize the Clopay brand. Even if they don’t see the Clopay name from the street, they’ll know it from the design and attention to detail that goes into every Clopay garage door.
Brand recognition does more than reassure you that you’ve installed a quality product that looks exceptional. It subtly suggests you’ve paid attention to every aspect of your home. That starts with choosing from Clopay’s extensive selection of designs. Here are the leading collections of high-quality new garage doors that Clopay offers.
The Avante Collection transforms your home’s appearance with a modern look. The horizontal Avante lines use aluminum and glass features that allow natural light through the day to filter through your garage and return to a warm glow at night. The Avante collection also has useful privacy features and a stylish look.
You can also customize colors with Avante garage doors. With the right color, right windows and the right amount of aluminum accents, you’ll be sure to improve your home’s curb appeal immensely.
Canyon Ridge is another Clopay collection that adds beauty to your home with its insulated carriage house doors and faux wood overlays. They’re unique, beautiful and constructed with energy-efficient Intellicore© insulated steel bases.
You get the appearance of traditional swing-out carriage house doors with this collection. The doors look fantastic from the street but have every convenience of modern, roll-up operation. A wide choice of composite exterior finishes is available.
The Classic Collection offers traditional raised-panel appearances in a wide range of design and construction options. They give you the classic look of time-tested door looks made with the best materials. Classic garage doors are made of durable steel and come in insulated and non-insulated models.
Classic garage doors are ideal for areas with strong winds. They’re made with Windcode® reinforcement that meets building codes in hurricane and tornado zones.
Possibly the Clopay Coachman Collection is another perfect option for increasing curb appeal. Coachman doors also feature a carriage house design but are constructed of high-quality steel instead of wood or composites. These garage doors are low-maintenance and long-lasting.
Coachman garage doors have the same charming appeal as the Canyon Ridge collection. They also have a swing out appearance but roll-up convenience. You can also get them with energy-efficient insulation..
For a truly custom application, the Reserve Wood Collection is for you. Clopay can work from a professional architectural drawing or even a sketch to produce the garage doors you can only imagine. Choose from exotic woods like Spanish Cedar, Ironwood, African Mahogany, White Oak or Knotty Alder.
Or, you can step up to Clopay’s Reserve Wood Limited Edition Series for designs that are exceptionally beautiful with high energy efficiency and strength.
Choose Stapley Action Garage Door As Your Garage Door Installer
Clopay brand garage doors are your best return on investment for adding value to your home. Clopay garage doors give you stunning curb appeal for a reasonable price. But choosing Clopay as your new garage door brand isn’t enough. You need to make sure your Clopay supplier also installs your new garage door.
Stapley Action Garage Door has been serving the Phoenix Metropolitan area since 1986. Over the years, we’ve installed thousands of new garage doors in homes and businesses. We’re proud to supply and install all of Clopay’s excellent products and to help your home stand out.
At Stapley Action Garage Door, we’re only as good as our people. We’ve assembled a first-class team of installers, sales and service people. Our experienced technicians provide trouble-free installation and quickly transform your façade from plain to outstanding.
Contact Stapley Action Garage Door today or call us at 480-655-1255 if you are looking for garage services in Mesa, Flagstaff and surrounding areas. We look forward to helping you take your home’s curb appeal to the next level.
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