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Posted:
Jan 21, 2014
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Commercial Overhead Garage Doors

Commercial overhead garage door product information provided by one of our suppliers –  General Doors Corporation.  They have a complete line of products for pretty much every commerical overhead door application.  This is just a sampling of their insulated door product line.

24 Gauge Insulated VB (vinyl back)

Industrial & Commercial Steel Garage Doors by General Doors Corporation are designed, engineered and manufactured specifically for the rigors of everyday use. All of our doors are built tough with the proven strength of deep ribbed, box girder construction eliminating sag, resisting wind load and reducing impact damage. A strong continuous exterior of galvanized steel provides optimum security, while the double coated, baked enamel finish promises years of low maintenance, good looks and worry-free durability.

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Steel Raised Panel (SRB)

Compare the Steel Raised Panel (SRP) Commercial model with any other make of steel door. The manufacturing quality and superior appearance are readily apparent after installation and for years to come. Engineered for widths up to 20 feet and heights up to 14 feet, this door combines the beauty of our raised panel design with the rugged construction details needed for any commercial application.

Our 24 gauge door construction is…

17% thicker than 25 gauge
31% thicker than 26 gauge

The SRP is 2-1/8″ thick pan-type door constructed with full 24 gauge steel.(.022 thickness)

  • 1-3/8″ thick Polystyrene insulation with a vinyl backing.
  • R-Value of 6.85, U-value of .85
  • Steel is rust-proofed with hot dipped galvanizing, pre-painted on both sides with a primer, and finished with a top coat of baked on polyester for an exterior paint thickness of 1.0 mil.
  • Finely detailed wood grain surface with deeply embossed panels for a sharp, well defined appearance.
  • Raised panel sizes of appropriate proportions and spacing ensure all door sizes have an authentic raised panel look.
  • Tog-L-Lock fastening system provides strength to joints without burning or piercing the metal.
  • Resilient vinyl weather strip attached to the door bottom with an aluminum retainer minimizes air infiltration.Rivet-free door surface creates a smooth, uniform look.

 

srp-commercial

 

Advantage Commercial

General’s Advantage Commercial Door is a three layer product, made with a 1-3/8” thick polystyrene core sandwiched between two 26-gauge pre-finished steel skins with a thermal break. The steel is protected by a G60 galvanizing layer topped by a heavy duty two-coat baked–on polyester paint system. Available in widths up to 18ft, and heights up to 14ft.

  • Sandwich-type construction with 1-3/8’’ polystyrene insulation, pressure bonded between two skins of 26 gauge (.017) G60 steel
  • Steel is rust-proofed with hot dipped galvanizing, pre-painted on both sides with a primer, and finished with a top coat of baked on polyester for an exterior paint thickness of 1.0 mil
  • Three layer construction provides a calculated insulation value of R-6.7, along with exceptional strength and substantial, solid feel during operation
  • Finely detained wood grain surface with deeply embossed panels for sharp, well-defined appearance
  • Raised panel sizes of appropriate proportions and spacing ensure all door sizes have an authentic raised panel look
  • Double tongue and groove joint for the tightest section fit possible
  • Thermal break between steel skins
  • Also available in a flush versionHeavy duty hardware and commercial grade 14 gauge full leaf hinges are standard
  • Three year hardware warranty

 

Commercial garage door

Posted:
Jan 2, 2014
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Jason Steich Garage Doors Doylestown Pa

Here at Steich Overhead Doors, we love our Garages.  We thought we would share a few things about garages that you might enjoy.  All of us at Steich want to wish you a properous New Year.

Garages Create Innovation

Everybody has a place where their mind works best. For whatever reason, there’s always that little nook in the world where you can put on your thinking cap and get our brain into hyper drive. This place could be your office, workplace, bedroom, or even the shower. But for many of the great minds before us, this place was the garage.

The Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, Apple, Microsoft, YouTube and the Ramones, all called their garages home to their creative juices. The conception of the biggest companies, most significant inventions and greatest rock bands came in that large port intended for your cars.

garage door

Garage Where Apple Computers Began

It was a garage where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak put together the boards of their first computer. It was a garage where Tommy Ramone wrote Blitzkrieg Bop. And it was a garage where the Wright Brothers began their work on motor-driven flight.

There must be something about the cold concrete floor, the smell of exhaust, tires, oil and paint (because all garages smell like that), that activates the creative nodes of the brain. How else could one explain the concoction of so many brilliant ideas in a single place? Well, believe it or not, there are reasons beyond the smell.

A Great Place to Escape?

The biggest enemy to your creative mojo is distractions. Detached from the house, garages are a place of solitaire. It’s a place where one can work in peace without any one bothering him or her, and, more importantly, without him or her bothering anyone else. You can make noise in a garage without fear of retribution. Do you think the Ramones would have practiced in Johnny’s apartment? Well, even if they tried, I guarantee it didn’t last long.

Garages are large, open places. When the area one works in is small and tight, it can have a negative effect on how the brain functions. A wide open space gives the brain air to think and do its magic. Ideas often times match the location they were concocted. Small ideas come in small places, big ideas, big places. There is no hard science behind this statement, but it makes a lot of sense to me.

Choose the Right Garage Door

Garages are also great for work because they offer the greatest ventilation system in the entire house, the garage door. That’s right, without the garage door a garage would just be a big room. But add in that large, fiberglass, rolling door and it becomes a creative workshop. The garage door also gives your light into the real world that a small window cannot accomplish, alleviating any feeling of isolation. Of course, if you work best in isolation, you can close the garage door.

Garages are where ideas take shape and dreams become reality. If your garage serves as the stepping board for your next great idea, you’ll want to make sure everything is working as it should. I’d love to help out because, afterall, a garage is far more than a car port.

Give us a call.  We would love to talk about you and what you do with your garage.

Posted:
Dec 16, 2013
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How to Measure for a Garage Door

Jason Steich Overhead Doors is an authorized Amarr Garage Door dealer.  Here is some information from their website about how to measure your garage door opening.

STEP ONE:

Measure the width of the door opening at the widest point.  This is the distance between the right and left sides of the finished opening.  The inside of the garage door should be framed with 2in. x Measure the width of the door opening at the widest point.  This is the distance between eth right and left sides of the finished opening.  The inside of the garage door should be framed with 2in. x 6 in. wood jambs

STEP TWO:

Measure the height of the door opening at the highest point.  This is the distance between the floor and the top of the finished opening

STEP THREE:

Measure the width of the areas beside the openings.  3-3/4 in. is required on each side for installation of the vertical tract

STEP  FOUR:

Measure the area between the top of the door opening to the ceiling.  Carriage House doors require 15 in.  of headroom and all other doors require 12 in. of headroom for the door installation.  An additional 3 in. is required for a garage door opener.

STEP FIVE:

Measure the distance from the opening to the rear of the garage.  The door height plus an additional 18 in. is required for the door installation or an additional 4 ft. 2 in. plus door height if installing an automatic garage door opener.

These measurements are used for pricing only.  An authorized Amarr dealer will re-measure to assure proper fit.

 

measure a door

 

 

CHOOSING A DEALER

We believe that the installation of a garage door is not a do-it-yourself job. A garage door is the largest moving object in your home and because of the large number of parts; installation of a garage door is highly technical. Connecting the springs can be particularly dangerous, and proper installation is critical to the performance of your door.

Professional garage door dealer/installers can typically install a door in a few hours and are careful to make sure safety requirements are met. Installations by most homeowners typically span several days and cause much frustration. In addition, incorrect installation can void certain warranties, so we recommend a trained garage door installer to handle the job for you. One of the other services a professional garage door dealer can provide is the disposal of your old garage door if you are replacing a door.

Jason Steich Overhead Doors is an authorized Amarr Dealer.  You can be sure we can give you the proper installation and service you require.

Posted:
Nov 25, 2013
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The Dangers of Replacing Garage Door (Torsion) Springs

Much like the shocks on your automobile, which are supposed to be replaced every 50,000 miles, garage door springs, or torsion springs, have a relatively short life expectancy. Garage door springs age in dog years and are meant to be replaced every five to six years. The potential dangers of failing to replace your garage door springs can have catastrophic consequences. Once the springs break, the massive weight of your garage door (typically upward of 250 pounds) crashes to the ground, crushing everything in its way.

In most garage doors, the torsion springs provide over 90 percent of the lift needed to make the garage door operate smoothly. And after years and years of lifting and going through drastic weather changes, the torsion springs tend to weaken and a break becomes inevitable.

So, the options seem pretty straightforward; responsibly replace the springs on your garage door to avoid a potentially dangerous situation, or keep the springs in place beyond their expected lifespan and hope your insurance covers the damages.

I think the choice is clear.

The problem is, when people want to replace the torsion springs on their garage doors, they think it would be easy, and cheaper, to replace it themselves.

Cheaper? Maybe.

Easier? No way.

Replacing garage door springs is a dangerous task and is a job best left to professionals. Torsion springs are tightly-wound heavy duty springs that, if detached incorrectly, could cause major and unnecessary injuries to yourself or anyone in close proximity.

To quote one online DIYer: “(Despite) many years of dealing with garage projects, I did not hesitate for a minute in determining that the springs on a garage door was something I did not want to handle. Why? It’s dangerous. Those springs are under an enormous amount of tension, and one slip up could easily cause serious injury.”

Furthermore, the massive size and weight of garage doors poses other dangers. If you aren’t able to lift a garage door by yourself, you should not attempt to replace torsion springs. And since lifting a garage door is a nearly Herculean feat, and few of us are professional body builders, handling garage doors is likely to cause serious injury.

Purchasing torsion springs is yet another problem. First, as a necessary preventative measure to stop potential injuries, it’s very difficult for the average Joe to walk into a store and buy torsion springs. Torsion spring providers have chosen to make it difficult to purchase torsion springs in order to avoid lawsuits with regard to accidents. Thus, many times, they refuse to sell to unskilled persons. Meanwhile, garage door repair companies have easy access to parts and really should be utilized whenever a garage door repair issue arises.

If it’s time to replace the torsion springs on your garage door, please avoid unnecessary, dangerous work and contact us at Jason Steich Overhead Doors.

Posted:
Nov 11, 2013
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Should I Convert My Garage Into Living Space?

That’s a really good question to ask before you jump right into construction.  There are a couple of questions you should ask yourself  before you begin a remodel of your garage space.

How Badly Do I Need the Extra Living Space?

If you are in a situation that requires you to find extra living space in your home, say there is a new baby in the family, or you need room for an aging parent,  and a garage conversion would save you from having to move to a new house, then converting your garage to living space might be just for you.  On the other hand if you would just like to have an extra room, one that won’t be in constant use, the conversion would not be so attractive.

How Will This Affect the Resale Value of my Home?

Normally a garage conversion will not increase the resale value of your home.  In many cases it will, in fact, decrease the value.  It depends on the style of your home, where your garage is located and how well you integrate the change into the overall style and design of your house.   We have all seen the conversions on the garage that faces the street where the homeowner simply fills in the garage door, usually with a material that doesn’t match the rest of the house, leaving the driveway as is.  It doesn’t really look so great.

The best layout for a garage conversion would be one where the garage doesn’t face the street.  If the garage is accessed from the side or in the case of a corner lot, from the side street the conversion will blend with the existing house.  Matching the homes materials is a must.  Even if these things are done, it won’t guarantee your home’s value will increase.  One thing you should consider is to contact your local real estate agent and get their advice about the conversion.  Of course if you don’t plan on selling your home, then the resale consideration wouldn’t be as important.

 Don’t Forget the Basics

Remember if you do convert the garage space, you will need to consider the extra heating and cooling necessary for the additional living space.  You will need to evaluate your existing HVAC system to see if it can handle the conversion.   You will also need to inspect your main electric breaker box to determine if it will allow for additional circuits to be run.

Converting your garage into heated and cooled living space could increase the property tax evaluation on your home. A 400 square foot increase can make a considerable difference.

If you plan on adding a kitchen or bath, a space that requires additional plumbing and electrical wiring, be ready for some pretty steep remodel costs, especially if your home is on a slab foundation.  In that case you would probably need an upfush toilet, for instance.   The most economic conversion would be to an office or gym, something that doesn’t require plumbing or an excessive amount of electrical wiring.

If you do decide to go ahead, good luck with your conversions.  Spend a little extra time before you begin to get all the information you need.  You want to be satisfied with the results when you are finished, not shocked by the costs and re-evaluation of your home

Call us at Steich Overhead Doors and we can give you some tips on this type of home remodel.  If you do decide on the conversion, we will be glad to remove your old garage door and haul it off for you.  If you home is the right style and you are looking for lots of light in your new room, we can show you some of our carriage house, aluminum and glass and wood garage doors that homeowners have used in a garage conversion.  It could save you a ton of money and increase the curb appeal of your home instead of decreasing it.

 

Posted:
Oct 15, 2013
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Painting Your Garage Floor

If you have installed a brand new garage door, it might get you to thinking about painting your garage floor.  You can see by doing a quick search on the internet that there are quite a few products available to get the job done.  There is also a large variation in cost of materials.  You can find garage floor paint for around $40 a gallon that promises coverage of 500 sq. ft. up to two part epoxy paint systems for coverages of 250 sq. ft. for over $300.  What’s the difference?

floor paint

Wide Range of Costs

Well, the old saying, “you get what you pay for” seems to apply here.  In order to get results that you will be happy with, you will need to properly prepare the surface of your garage floor prior to painting.  On bare concrete, this will involve cleaning and in most instances, etching the floor.  The more expensive kits will contain the cleaning and etching solutions, as well as a clear finish top coat you apply after the color coat has been applied.   The inexpensive one part paint will give you a very thin coat and you most likely will need to apply additional coats to get any lasting results.  Some kits contain color chips you can add that will provide a different look, or you can buy these separately and add them to most compounds.

New Materials Do a Great Job

Some new materials, like the resin Polyurea, claims to provide up to 4x the durability of commercial epoxy floor paints.  It’s also much more flexible than epoxy paint and allows for any natural concrete movement.  It is widely used in industrial applications and will give you good results, but does cost a bit more than most epoxies.

With the cost of the preparation materials and a quality coating, you should be prepared to spend around $80 per bay to get a professional quality job that will last.  You can save money by purchasing the cleaning and etching solution separately.  Kits normally use trisodium phosphate (TSP) as a cleaning agent and muriatic acid for the etching solution.

Preparation is the Key

Coating your garage floor not a complicated job but does take time.  Preparation is the key to a long lasting finish.  You will need to get the surface free of all grease and oils.  The concrete should be slightly porous so it will accept the coating.  This is the job of the etching material.  If your floor has been previously painted, you will just need to rough up the surface.  A floor maintainer – a power floor surfacing machine – can be rented to do this job fairly easily.  You can also use this to treat bare concrete as well.  Just be diligent in removing all dust and  rinsing all cleaners completely away before you apply your coating.

Clean and Dry

One of the most important things to be aware of is the need for the floor to be absolutely clean and dry before you begin applying paint.  Be sure to allow enough time for the floor to dry.  This time will vary depending on the climate.  In humid conditions, you may need to use a fan or heat lamps to speed up the process.  The same goes for waiting for each coat to dry before applying another.

In some cases, your garage floor may not be properly sealed against moisture.  Any moisture that is wicked up from the ground under the garage floor will ruin your finish, no matter how diligently you follow preparation and application directions.  If you think you might have this problem, tape a piece of clear plastic to an area of the floor and see if any moisture is trapped under the plastic after a few days.

If you buy a quality product and follow the manufacturers’ directions carefully, you should be satisfied with the results.  It’s a pretty easy job for a do-it-yourselfer and, if you are like a lot of us, the hardest part of the task will be getting everything out of your garage so you can get started.

 

 

 

Posted:
Sep 27, 2013
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Custom Carriage House Garage Doors

Most major garage door manufacturers offer a line of doors in the Carriage House style.  These doors are normally more expensive than the base metal panel garage door, but for the extra money you get a striking enhancement to your home’s curb appeal and general overall appearance.

Carriage doors come in various materials and window and hardware treatment.  Most people think of natural wood when considering this type of door, but you can get the same style in a composite material or stamped steel that will give you the look of natural wood.

Most wood garage doors are constructed of Western Cedar or Clear Hemlock Fir.  The construction can be a combination of wood, insulation and composite material as well.  If you are considering purchasing this type of garage door, your best bet is to call a reputable garage door company and let them give you an overview of the options available.  Trying to research information available on the hundreds of style and material combinations on your own can be a daunting task, so we recommend you save yourself a lot of time and just give your local company an call.

If you do decide to go with natural wood, be aware of the recommended maintenance requirements of this material.  Here is information from a major garage door manufacturer concerning finish of their wood carriage house garage doors:

The finish on your door must be inspected for discoloration and coating delamination every 12 months and more frequently if exposed to direct sunlight or harsh environmental conditions. The door must be re-coated with a layer of exterior grade, UV resistant, clear protective topcoat at least every 2 years for maximum longevity. In locations of severe weather exposure, more frequent maintenance may be required. We recommend Minwax® Helmsman® Spar Urethane or Minwax® Clear-Shield™.  We recommend a Minwax® gel stain or high quality exterior-grade latex paint. Gel stains tend to be more vivid than paints in final appearance; however exterior-grade latex paints tend to last longer.

Custom Composite garage doors

If you decide against natural wood, a composite option is available.  Here is some info from their website on a composite door from Coplay, one of our recommended suppliers.

Full cladding and overlay faux wood Carriage House doors combine the beauty and texture of natural wood with the energy efficiency of an insulated steel door.

 

composite door construction

composite door construction

 

Canyon Ridge® Collection Limited Edition Series carriage house doors are constructed of an energy efficient, durable steel core and finished with full composite cladding and overlays that have the appearance of authentic wood doors. The cladding and overlay materials are molded from actual wood pieces to replicate the natural texture and intricate grain patterns of the species they emulate.  These two layers are attached to an Intellicore® polyurethane insulated steel door for added strength and energy efficiency.  The end result is a distinctive, customized wood-look door that is often indistinguishable from the real thing.

Canyon Ridge® Collection Ultra-Grain® Series doors featuring Intellicore® insulation technology present a  smart choice for homeowners. Clopay’s Intellicore is proprietary polyurethane foam that is injected into a garage door, expanding to fill the entire structure. The result is a door with incredible strength and durability. Its dense insulation also produces a quieter door, while it’s industry-leading 18.4 R-value provides year-round comfort and improved energy efficiency.

Steel Carriage House Door

You can get the ruggedness of steel construction and still retain the look of a traditional wood carriage door.  It provides a good combination of features and value.  In addition to fine detailing and low maintenance, General Doors, another of our recommended suppliers, offer many features in their steel carriage garage door like:

 Natural woodgrain texture with a beaded panel design

  • Unique center bead creates authentic old-time swinging door look
  • 24 gauge hot-dipped galvanized steel skin   (17% thicker than 25 gauge steel)
  • Durable 2-coat baked-on polyester paint finish
  • 2” thick sections assembled using Tog-L-Lock fastening system
  • Resilient bottom weatherstrip in aluminum retainer to minimize air infiltration
  • Heavy duty hardware and standard design full leaf hinge

 

 

Posted:
Sep 25, 2013
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How To Save Money on a New Garage Door

If you are considering replacing your old garage door here are a few things for your consideration that could save you some money on a new garage door

These tips are for those of you on a budget.  If you are fortunate enough to have an unlimited amount of money to spend on your new garage door,  you should not have to read any further.  In that case your biggest problem will be having to choose among the almost unlimited styles and colors of doors available.  We will cover that topic for you in a later post.

Can You Install the Door Yourself?

If you have a bit of skill in this area and some time on your hands, you might consider buying your door and installing it yourself.  This can lead to some savings.

Downsides to a self install:

  • You might be surprised at the amount of savings you will receive.  Many reputable garage door companies will be getting the garage door and all the hardware at a reduced cost, so the installation costs you save might not be as much as you would expect.
  • Preloading  and releasing the tension on a torsion spring can be extremely dangerous to the uninitiated.  We do not recommend the homeowner try this.
  • Getting the job done right, and maintaining your warranty.  A good local overhead door company will provide a guarantee on their work, should anything go wrong later.
  • Disposing of your old door.  The overhead door company that installs your new door will haul off your old door as part of the installation cost.  Removing and recycling your old door can be a problem for DIY’ers.

Shop around – get some quotes.  This is much easier to do than the first option and is a no brainer.  You should get a couple (or more) quotes from local overhead door companies.  Get some references while you are at it.  Make sure your quotes are for the same product and services.

Don’t pay for features you don’t need

  • Insulation. If you live in a very temperate climate, you might not need as much insulation in your door that you would in harsher climates.  Be aware that insulation also provides noise reduction as well as temperature control.  An uninsulated garage door will create more noise during operation.
  • Style.  There are some really beautiful custom and carriage style doors available.  Yes, they would look great on your house, and even though a new custom door can totally change the curb appeal of your home, if you are on a budget, you might want to consider a more standard model.
  • Garage door openers.  If your door is lightweight and you won’t be operating it more than a normal amount, you probably won‘t need an industrial type door opener.  Belt drive openers will provide a quieter operation but will normally cost more than a chain drive model.  If you don’t have a room over the garage, you might not be too worried about the extra noise.   The more expensive models will have a batter backup system to allow operation when you experience a loss of power and an automatic closer when you drive off and forget to close the door.  You should review these options and choose those that you feel  you have to have if you are on a budget.

Pick a reputable garage door company.  If you are not careful, you could save a little money up front, only to shell out a lot more later if the garage door is not a quality product or the installation is not done properly.  Steich Overhead Doors have been in business in the northeast Pennsylvania area for more than 30 years, and we will gladly give you a competitive estimate.  Guaranteed no sales pressure. Give us a call at 215-795-2500.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted:
Aug 19, 2013
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Do-It-Yourself Garage Door Insulation

If you are considering purchasing a new garage door, we recommend you give some thought to having a door with built in insulation installed on your garage.  There are various levels of insulation including radiant barriers offered by major garage door manufacturers and, depending on your climate, you can gain considerable energy savings by buying a well insulated garage door.  It will also make the time spent in your garage much more pleasant in the hot and cold seasons.

Remember a 16 x 8 foot garage door represents 128 square feet of area allowing thermal transmittance or heat loss (known as the U-factor).  This unit of measure is the inverse or reciprocal of the R value which most folks are familiar with.  U-factor represents heat loss, and the R-value represents resistance to heat loss.  Before we get too technical here, just be aware that a hundred square feet of single pane glass in your house during a zero degree outside temperature can produce around 7,000 BTU’s per hour of heat loss.  Using an average cost of energy, that’s around $50 a month you could be paying for those 100 square feet of windows.  One layer of steel in a garage door isn’t going to give you much more insulating properties than single pane glass.  Of course your garage isn’t normally a climate controlled space, so your cost savings would not be comparable.  It will, at the least, make your garage a much more comfortable space to work in and provide noise dampening when opening and closing your garage door.

What about a Garage Door Insulation Kit?

What if you already have an uninsulated garage door that looks and works fine?  There are ways you can insulate your existing garage door yourself.  A number of garage door insulation kits are available locally as well as online.  These kits usually consist of a radiant barrier material (very helpful in hot climates) coupled with an insulating material.  The cost will average between $125.00 to $85.00 for a double garage door.  Be sure to check out the reviews, if you can, to see what previous do-it-yourselfers have to say about these particular products.  You can purchase polyurethane foam board with radiant facing material in 4’ x 8’ sheets and cut and fit them yourself to your garage door panels.  This will save you some money, but it will take more of your time.  If you decide on this option, it is advisable to have an expert on insulating materials to help you with your selection and installation procedures.

Most of the kits advertise a time to install of around 1 to 3 hours.  Just remember that an insulation kit will never provide the same insulating values and performance of a factory insulated door.   Many of the kits are made up of materials that can add a lot of weight to your door as well, putting a load on your door opening components.  Some consist of loose materials, and the fastening systems don’t always work they way they were intended.  Always be sure to check out the kits before you buy them and read the customer reviews where available.

Posted:
Aug 14, 2013
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What is a Carriage House Garage Door?

Carriage house garage doors have become very popular, especially in the northeastern part of the U.S.   We get a lot of inquiries about this type of door so we thought we would talk a bit about this style of residential garage door.

What exactly is a Carriage House door anyway?  Before garages were attached to a home, people built carriage houses – also called coach houses.   It was normally set behind the house and was basically a stable or place to house a horse drawn carriage.  This was before the “horseless carriage” or automobile became commonplace.  This style of building was always at street level, without stairs leading to the entryway and sometimes, in more expansive homes, had living quarters for staff above the storage area.

Original Carriage House doors were built to swing out from the center using side hinges.  Modern overhead garage doors incorporate the design elements of a swing-out door in an overhead style door.  These design elements are one of the reasons for this door’s popularity.

Most carriage house doors have the top panel dedicated to some sort of window treatment.  Many traditional Carriage house doors were arched at the top and this design is carried out with square openings using an arched window treatment.  Another feature that may be found is hardware, such as side hinges and door pulls that give the appearance of working side swing doors.

Custom garage doors can provide an almost unlimited combination of window treatments as well as panel design to give you the perfect curb appeal you are looking for in your home.  Amarr, a national manufacturer, for example, offers over 80 different styles of carriage house door in their collection.

Carriage house doors come in natural wood, composite material that resembles wood or steel construction.  These doors can provide very good insulation values.  A high R-value means the garage door insulates well and has increased thermal efficiency.  When comparing R-values among garage door manufacturers, you should look for statements that mention Calculated R-Value based on the Door and Access System Manufacturer’s Association (DASMA) TDS-16.

Wind load doors are built specifically to withstand specific high-wind pressures with an interior wind load reinforcement system. The most popular door manufacturers can add wind load reinforcement to your door to meet local building codes.  Remember, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to make sure the garage door meets local building codes; however a reputable overhead door company should know the wind load requirements for your particular location.

Most manufacturers will provide a lifetime limited warranty for their carriage house style garage doors.