Garage Doors: Increase Curbside Appearance

Curb appeal is one of the most important things when considering the value of your house. It may seem inconsequential, but the garage door can have a huge impact on the appearance of your home, whether for the good or the bad. Having a garage door that both looks good and works well will increase your curb appeal and, therefore, increase your home's value. In addition, newer models are safer and more secure.

There are so many things we do to make our house more attractive, from a fresh coat of paint to elaborate landscaping. People spend hundreds of dollars on the right shrubs and plants and beautiful decks. This money is not spent frivolously because we view our homes as a reflection of ourselves. It is natural and normal to take pride in your home and want it to look the best it can, whether it is on the market or you have no intention of selling it.

However, more often than not, the one component of the home that often goes neglected is the garage door. Perhaps this is because we view it for its utilitarian purpose; we expect to press a button and have it open and close. It meant to protect our vehicles and hide our garage, which we often think of more as a storage shed than any sort of design aspect. However, an ugly or worn garage door can bring down the look of the entire house while a new door makes the house look brighter and more modern.

If appearance is not a big enough incentive to invest in a new door, think about the safety concerns. In most homes, the garage door is the largest and heaviest moving object and having the most up-to-date safety mechanisms is essential to keeping your family safe. Older homes, even homes that are only fifteen to twenty years old, may have automatic garage doors that are unsafe. The newest models have sensors that will reverse the door as soon as it detects an object in its path, before it hits it. Older models do not have this and reverse only after contact, which is often enough pressure to hurt someone severely, especially a small child.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, they recommend all doors more than fifteen years old be replaced. A second safety concern to consider when thinking about upgrading your garage has to do with the security of your home and belongings. Older garage openers provide only a minimal level of security and can easily be "read" by thieves who can then retransmit your code to open the door. The newer model openers use rolling code generation so the number of possible codes are nearly infinite, creating a higher level of security and making it nearly impossible for someone to recreate your code when you aren't looking.

The garage is an important part of your home and not one to be neglected. Not only does the look of your garage make a big difference in the curb appeal of your house, but the function of your door is essential to keep you and your family safe and protected. If yours is out of date, think about replacing it today not only to increase your home value but also to increase your peace of mind!