If you are a homeowner you probably have invested time, energy, and money into the maintenance of your home, particularly in the outdoor appearance of your residence. But have you thought about improving your garage door design as well?
A day of exploration in Park City Utah. on a sunny day near sundown and sunset Summer of 2018.
The garage door can affect the outdoor appearance of your home to a great extent. So it makes sense to analyze just how the design of the garage door can be improved to give your home an increase in market value while making your household quality of life better.
Let’s analyze garage doors based on their design now.
Old Fashioned Classical Versus Modern Designs
One way to look at a garage door is based on the theme of its design. The old fashioned classical theme lends itself well to the use of wood as the main material for the design. If your home follows the old fashioned classical style, it may make sense to follow that up to the design of the garage door itself. If you deviate and make the garage door modern and minimalist yet retains the old fashioned classical theme of other parts of the house, there will be a shocking contrast that leaves a bad impression on the viewer.
On the other hand, modern design is good if your home tends to follow a minimalist style. It is especially beneficial to lean towards modernity if you have a remote-controlled custom garage door. This trend can be seen in newer and smaller homes lately. With a minimalist style of architecture, there is more of a tendency to use modern materials like steel and aluminum because this weather well and may be less costly than a wooden garage door.
Size Affects Beauty of Garage Doors
If you want a beautiful home complete with stylish garage doors, you may need to take into account the size of the garage doors as well. Generally, the size of your entire home will influence the beauty of your garage door. This may mean hiring a great architect who will harmonize the style of the house with the style of the garage door. It is important because the key to a harmonious design for house and garage door is to keep the size of the garage door proportional to the size of the house.
Choose Quality Materials for Your Garage Door
Another factor that will determine how beautiful your home will look on the outside is the choice of materials for building the garage door. Here are some of the more popular options:
- Glazed glass
- Glazed plastic
- Vinyl
- Fiberglass
- Wood
- Aluminum
- Steel
Another concern when choosing garage door materials is the weight of the door itself. It may look good but it might be so heavy that the side beams of the entrance won’t be able to carry it for long. That is why newer homes tend to use lighter materials like fiberglass or vinyl, because the side beams installed in such residences may be of lighter materials as well. So remember to take into account the weight of the garage door materials as well as the way it looks for the long term.
When choosing garage door materials, you also have to factor in the cost of delivery of the garage door materials to your home, the cost of labor for assembly and installation of the door, and the expected cost of maintenance. That means it is a good idea to think of how long it will be before your garage door would need to be replaced. You should also be thinking about the weathering effect of the elements on your garage door because some materials like wood may need treatment so that they can last for years without being replaced.
Garage Door Cleaning Tips
Your garage door tells a lot about you, so you have to keep its beauty to have a good overall home appeal. It’s a highly visible surface and highly subjected to frequent use and abuse.
During the warm seasons, homeowners usually neglect to give their garage doors the same care that’s given to patios, windows, and other home exterior areas.
For some garage cleaning tips, here’s a spring and summer garage door cleaning checklist:
- Wash your garage door surfaces and windows with a mild liquid soap, like a dish-washing soap or car washing soap, and water. Use a sponge, a cloth, or a soft brush to wash both the exterior and interior of your garage.
- Don’t use abrasive cleaning agents to avoid damaging the garage door’s painted surface and seals.
- Spot clean stubborn areas with oil stains using bleach and water solution. Rinse all surfaces after spot cleaning.
- Protect the finish of your garage door by applying good quality car wax. Also, apply a vinyl protectant at the weatherstrip located at the bottom of the garage door.
- Inspect for signs of wear by checking the hardware and springs.
Driveway Cleaning Tips
Aside from your garage door, it’s also important to clean your driveway to get rid of stubborn stains and for health and safety reasons. Since it helps remove dirt, debris, and mildew, the best way to clean your driveway is by pressure washing.
Check out these tips when cleaning your driveway:
- Use a broom to sweep loose dirt and debris from the driveway.
- Degrease the surface by spraying the driveway with a degreaser. Keep at least six inches distance away from the surface. Also, scrub the degreaser into the driveway surface using a brush.
- Attach the spray wand tip of your pressure washer designated for washing. Connect the water hose to the pressure washer and turn on the water.
- Place the detergent tube. Once you start the pressure washer, the detergent will flow into the water stream.
- Press the spray handle. Keep a distance of eight to 18 inches away from the surface of the driveway, and pressure wash back and forth. Leave it for five minutes.
- Hold down the pressure washer handle and spray to rinse.
You can hire an expert in pressure washing in Cincinnati, or wherever you’re from, to easily get the job done or if you don’t have the right equipment and skills for pressure washing your driveway.
Conclusion
Some homes come with garage doors pre-installed while other homes still need to have garage doors built and assembled for them. Whichever of these is true for your home, it pays to think carefully about the appearance of the garage door because it does need to have a design that is harmonious with the overall design of your home.
You should take into account other factors that will influence your home’s appearance such as the choice of garage door materials, the weight of the materials when hanging from side beams, the cost of labor for assembly and installation, and even the cost of maintaining the garage door for the long term. Eventually, you will be able to find a happy balance among all these factors so that you can set in place the right garage door to make your home look more stylish and beautiful over time.
