All things have a limited life span, especially things that move. Is it worth the money to fix your old garage door or should you buy a new one? Sometimes your just tired of the old door or want a different look. So how to know when Is It time to buy a new garage door?
Repairing Your Garage Door
Usually the first best thing to do with a damaged garage door is to repair it. This is best done after the problem first arises before it gets worse or causes other problems. One such instance may be a bent panel that causes the door to not open all the way.
I recently had a customer with two older wood garage doors with windows but the track & hardware was wore out. The panels were in good condition. I gave him two prices. One was new doors. The other was to keep the old wood garage door panels. Use new track, springs, weather seals, heavy duty rollers & hinges. He said the reason he liked his choice wasn’t the money he saved by bringing new life to his doors but the look of the doors you just can’t buy anymore. His wife was especially happy.
See my post on Garage Door Repairs.
Throwing Good Money After Bad
A garage door has a limited lifetime & it may come to a point on an old door when the joints separate, components like rollers, track, springs, etc are worn. When someone ask me to repair a door like this I tell them that it may be possible (sometimes it’s not) but they are postponing the inevitable. The money spent could on a garage door repair could of been spent to buy a new garage door so it is being wasted. Call me & let give you an honest appraisal. I will give you all your options without telling you it is time to buy a new garage door when it can be repaired.
Old Style Tilt-Up Garage Doors
These are common in garage doors built in the 50’s. The bad thing is when they go bad there are no available new parts. Also with a few exceptions most of them have out lived their service life. Some of the weak points on these doors are the springs, top rollers & the pivot arms. When the pivot on the pivot arm wears off, & you should watch for this, the only thing to holding onto the door will be at the bottom of arm at the bottom of the door.
If the above mentioned parts are in good condition but it just isn’t closing properly it may just need an alignment. Unless your tired of the old door, you don’t like the look or don’t want to worry about it in the future, it is money well spent on repairing it.
Reasons To Upgrade Your Garage Door
Here are a few things to consider if you’ve been thinking is it time to buy a new garage door?
- It’s had catastrophic damage or it’s at the end of it’s service life. This is the most common reason. At this point it is reasonably beyond repair. You can couple this with any other reason below.
- You want a different look for the front of your house & want to Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal.
- You need insulation. See my post on Do You Need an Insulated or Non-Insulated Garage Door & if high R-value is important The intellicore Polyurethane Garage Door Insulation Advantage.
- Your home is for sale & you want to make it more competitive in a tough market.
- You are planning to retire soon & your going through the check list on your home take care of anything that may cause problems in the future. I see this very often.
For more information with help choosing a garage door see my post on Garage Door Selection & Top Garage Door Questions.
We are happy to answer any & all questions. Even those regarding you fixing your door your self! I service Nashville, Antioch, Brentwood, Clarksville, Dickson & all middle TN.
2 Comments. Leave new
Thanks for mentioning that a door with all the functioning parts might just need an alignment. I like my door and I think it matches nicely with my house. Having it repaired as long as possible sounds like a good idea honestly.
It’s interesting that you point out that having a new garage door installed can enhance the curb appeal of your home. I want to put my house on the market next year, so I’m thinking about hiring someone to install a new garage door for me first. I’m going to search in my area for a good business that offers garage door installation services.