Garage Door Installation Guide: Costs, Mistakes to Avoid and DIY Tips

Are you going to build the house of your dreams? Are you thinking of renovating your property as per modern trends? In both cases, your garage door makes a huge difference to the overall look of your home. In addition to the aesthetics, your garage door extends safety and protection to your family, pets, and property.

Thanks to the modern advancements and technological evolutions, garage door openers play a crucial role in adding to day-to-day convenience. It has eliminated all the manual effort; you click a button, and the door opens, you click the button again and it shuts down. That’s how simple it is!

This guide aims at exploring the basic costs for garage door installation, some common mistakes to avoid and important DIY tips for repair and maintenance. Read on!

Basic Costs for Garage Door: Construction and Installation

When you look into the types of garage doors, there are various options to consider. You can go for insulated or uninsulated steel garage door, wooden garage door, or a custom garage door. Each comes with a different manufacturing material, style, mechanics, and weight. Accordingly, the price varies. Here’s the breakdown:

· A simple steel garage door with basic panel ranges under $400

· A simple wooden garage door for 2-car garage costs under $600

· Custom wooden or steel garage doors can range anywhere between $1,200 and $10,000

When it comes to the cost of installation, professional garage door companies charge around $100 for a basic wooden or steel garage door installation. For customized garage doors, the installation cost usually depends on the complexity of the process and time.

To get the most reasonable cost for garage door, it is best to visit your local companies, compare the prices, evaluate the quality, and choose the right option. Remember, expensive is not always the best!

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Here are some common mistakes to avoid if you are looking for a new garage door:

1. Not Going through the Recent Garage Door Consumer Report

There are thousands of garage door styles and manufacturers available out there. Consulting a garage door consumer report and going through the recent trends can assist you in choosing a modern yet functional garage door.

If you are looking for a garage door opener, look into garage door opener comparison. This information turns out to be very helpful. This gives you an idea of the quality mechanism, offering years of stress-free service. Your garage door opener keeps working well only with the basic maintenance.

2. Buying a Small Motor to Save Money

A lot of people try saving some money when buying a motor for lifting the door up. Remember that putting extra strain on the motor will lead to quick wear and tear. One way or another, you got to spend money.

What you need to do is buying the right size of the motor, ensuring proper functioning.

As per experts, an 8 ft. garage door requires at least 1/3hp motor; a 10 to 12 ft. garage door works best with a 1/2hp motor. For heavier and bigger doors, you should follow the manufacturer's recommendation for optimal working.

3. Allowing Obstructions by Fixing Lift Motor at the Wrong Place

The lift motor should be attached to the exact center of the door. A lot of people compromise proper placement of lift motor for obstructions. Be it lights, outlets or any such thing, make sure you remove it to make enough room for the lift motor.

If not placed in the center, the opening and closing of the door cause it to twist and bind over time. As time passes by, this turns into serious damage requiring you to go for some premature repairs.

To avoid additional repair costs, plan the construction carefully. This is the key to a healthy functioning door for years to come.

4. Omitting the Steel Stiffener

Usually, sloppy installers omit the steel stiffeners to save time and effort. However, it is crucial to note here that steel stiffeners, placed at the top edge of the topmost panel, are important to avoid the bending of the panel. If these are omitted, the panels will bend over time due to the repeated jerks caused by the lift motor.

Even though it is slow damage, it can turn out to be very costly. By the time your door needs repair, the warranty will have run out. It leaves you at the hands of local professionals.

Also, steel stiffeners mostly come with electric garage door openers. If your door doesn’t come with one, make sure to ask the manufacturer.

DIY Tips for Garage Door Installation

You might have come across DIY tips for garage door repairs. Note the difference between repair and installation here. We are going to discuss how one can install a garage door himself without having to hire a professional.

But let us trigger a warning here that this is not the best idea for inexperienced individuals!

1. Follow the instructions on the installation kit

Today, most of the garage doors come with installation kits. All you need to do is follow the manufacturer’s instructions and get done with the job.

Be very careful as improper installation can lead to a frequent shuddering, binding, and twisting.

The general way to install a garage door is by joining the seal to the bottom of the first panel. Ensure the right level of the first panel. Once in the right place, fix nails to both sides and keep the panel wedged.

2. Use Lag Screws instead of Nails

When fixing frame members, it is best to use lag screws instead of nails. These allow easy adjustments. However, make sure the screws are tightly in place to offer enough support to the weight of the door itself.

To fix the next panel, use hinges and tools in the kit. Line tongue and groove edges carefully as per the instructions to prevent any leakage.

3. Pick the Right Lift Motor System

There are two lift motor systems: chain-drive and screw-drive.

Chain-drive systems are more reliable. They are easy to adjust during installation. Also, they are easy to repair when the need arises. However, it is important to understand how it works before you attempt to install your garage door opener.

Final Thoughts

Garage door installation is a job often left to professionals. With the proliferation of DIY videos on YouTube, it is now easy to do this task yourself. Just avoid the common mistakes and follow instructions carefully.

However, if you have no prior experience, it is best to leave the job to the professionals for the sake of your safety!