Deciding which residential garage door to add to your home brings with it a host of considerations. To make things simpler, your choice can be broken down into two primary decisions: the style of the garage door and the material the door will be made from.

While making each of these decisions, also consider how you typically use your garage space. For example, if your garage is heated, you’ll need to consider how your choice of door is insulated.

Choosing a Garage Door Material

Due to Minnesota’s temperature extremes, fiberglass is an great choice for residential garage door material. Not only will fiberglass resist the weather’s wear and tear, but it also acts as an excellent insulator, making it an ideal candidate for heated garages.

Aside from manual garage doors, all garage doors open and close with ease. However, heavier doors, such as steel and solid wood, may require additional support and stronger motors to open efficiently, which increases their price point.

Assessing Your Use Case

Consider how often you’ll be using your garage door. Every door has a finite life cycle, so understanding the volume of your use can help you determine the rating your door requires. A typical garage door rating is twenty thousand cycles—a cycle meaning opening the garage door and returning it to its closed position. This can be overkill for a door with a low use case, but it might be insufficient if it cycles multiple times per day.

Choosing a Garage Door Style

The most significant item to consider, however, is the appearance of the garage door. Typically, homeowners will choose a garage door that matches the aesthetic of their building in both style and color. Using a garage door that doesn’t match is a great way to draw emphasis to your home’s garage doors. Consider whether you want your home’s garage doors to subtly complement your home’s exterior or to stand apart from the rest of the house.

Considering all these possibilities and weighing all the choices involved in the garage door selection can be difficult. Luckily, the seasoned professionals at American Door Works are happy to discuss the benefits of each door material and style. Our experts can even help you compile a list of possible choices based on your building and use case. Contact us to learn more about our selection of residential garage doors.