Garage - it's situated behind the house so not very prominent

I would want windows in the garage door to let some light in...

I would just get a simple door similar to what you have now with no windows. Windows are an added cost, and I wouldn't spend any extra for a garage that isn't prominent, unless for some reason you need the extra light in there. I'd spend any extra money getting a better quality door, rather than "design features" that would be wasted, IMO.

This post was edited by sas95 on Sun, May 4, 14 at 13:09

I think I agree with Sas...unless this is a space where You or DH like to tinker, no windows needed. Also, no windows is added security.....people can't peer in to see what you have and no windows to clean.

So sorry this happened to you Kellie. I don't want to step out of bounds but am wondering how this could happen. Is this not an electric door?

Here is how it happened.....my husband was preparing to mow the lawn so the car was pulled out slightly to be able to get the mower out. So just the bumper of the car was in the way of the door (so basically above the sensors on the floor). Husband finished mowing, put the mower back, shut the garage door which landed on the car bumper. Guess it doesn't have the "stop when it hits something" feature so there you have it. I am thinking perhaps that homeowners insurance may cover the cost to repair the garage and the car which would allow us to get something a bit fancier than plain. I have mixed feelings about the windows. I love the look, but honestly the garage isn't much of a feature of the house due to placement, and it is a good call about allowing eyes to peer in. We do not work out there because it barely allows space for two cars and our "stuff"

How about something like this? (thanks for the website sas!)

This post was edited by kellienoelle on Sun, May 4, 14 at 14:35

Kellie, we got custom wood doors made by the company linked below. Our garage is very visible so it made sense to spend the money on what is a big part of our front façade. Good company to work with and we are very happy with the doors.

The site has lots of photos which might help you to make a decision.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ranch House garage doors

Kellie...I think those doors look nice...you get a little pizazz with the hardware.

Kellie, the same thing happened to us! The driver accidentally hit the door button while backing out. Tthe door hit the rear window of the minivan, shattered it. The car was still moving backwards, so of course it knocked the door off its track and we couldn't get it back down. Our garage door guy came out and knocked it back in place, but it's a wood door so any damage is reparable. We'll fix the trim etc when we paint this summer. Although, I'd love a new door...

Those sensors aren't 360 degrees LOL. Oh, and we still sometimes hear broken glass rattling around in the cargo door.

If you get a similar door, get larger squares. Or a Shaker-style door, you know, like kitchen cabinets.

Hunh...I thought that in addition to the sensors, they were supposed to have a resistance thing so that if they hit too much pressure going down, they go back up.

Our garage door has windows, but they are very high up so no one can see inside anyway...unless they are with the NBA, maybe.

I thought so too Annie. So this was an unpleasant way of finding out otherwise. On the brightside it was only a car and not my dogs which tend to dart in and out and would have been catastrophic if they were what the door hit. Since we'll be replacing this is a feature I will be certain that I ensure is in place!

bpathome - I feel like i got off easy now! Ugggh, sorry that happened to you. But at least now we know that we aren't alone. I can't get mad at the guy, I drove my car into the far wall of the garage in the past. The garage was fine, the car not so much. Same car too, I am thinking it may be cursed.

chispa - my those are just beautiful. I love the deep natural wood doors (although know they wouldn't look right on our house). I bet yours are just beautiful. I think it is totally worth the splurge if your garage is located near the front of the home and quite visible. They really change the look of the home.

Here is an option with windows. Looks nice but I'll have to see the pricing.

Curious, I know you said you weren't willing to spend much because they are not prominent; but aren't they prominent from the rear windows in yourhouse, or no?

Windows that can't be seen through but that let light in and still look like windows are no big deal.

One problem with electric openers is that the door can go out of adjustment, usually the door gets heavier as the spring(s) lose their springiness, and it becomes a simple matter to just turn that little force adjuster just a wee little bit to get the door to open, and then some on the door closing too since it's now not running as smoothly and can back up from jolting, at least on Clopay and Liftmaster/Sears openers.

So, just free advice: every so often disconnect the emergency release and operate the door by hand to see if it's having troubles. Your car hood may thank you.

Also, if you have the below type of connecting arm, make sure it's going straight up and down when the door is fully closed or else someone like me can break in as easy as pie. This is from construction experience.

Good point, they are actually very prominent from anywhere that we are likely to be outdoors....on the deck, screened porch. Plus abut 95% of our waking hours are spent in the rear of our house (family room/kitchen combo and master bedroom) where the garage is visible, so point taken. As of now, we have so little of interest to look at from that direction that the garage does become a prominent feature for us. So maybe it won't add to the homes "curb appeal" but if we pick something nice it will add to our own enjoyment of the house. Seems like that should be reason enough

I will be interested in what you choose. I was shocked at the pricing of garage doors.

The carriage doors I loved were almost 3000 a piece - I need two single car garage doors.

Plus, my HOA isn't a big fan of fancy carriage doors, so I'm perplexed with getting something more interesting than basic raised panel pebble grained metal and not spending an arm and leg on a garage door.

What brands are you looking at? I have looked at Clopay and Lamar and will be checking out Overhead,

Since you have so little green in the back yard, and since your patio and drive become your outdoor room, I think it would be nice to have something lovely to focus on instead of these large hulking doors being recommended on this post.

I would 86 that piece of roof over the opening and replace it with a wall mounted trellis. Very inexpensive on Amazon. Trailing a climbing rose on the trellis. Do something a bit more creative with the doors in the contrasting color. Add lights and it becomes a destination for events.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon Pergola Kit for Garage Door

We did a garage door that looks like two carriage doors but is one big vinyl automatic door. We also put a window above, added a light, and a small copper roof (those were all DH's idea, I must admit). I was certain I wanted real wood, but I could not get the function and look i wanted with real wood.
{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Specs and pricing in original thread

What a very clever reworking of a mundane structure!

I've never seen faux double doors like that. (Or maybe I have and was fooled.)

Thanks Worthy. The key to the faux look is, IMHO, the middle stile in a contrasting paint. Our vendor could provide that only in this particular brand vinyl door. If you saw the before in the link, it truly was mundane!

mtnrdredux - that is very clever solution. I think that I may have to steal that once I can get around to our garage doors.

My neighbors have garage doors that look great. It's all side entry so they do not show from the street. I had to sneak though the woods to take this pic (but I was out taking pics of our PJM rhododendrums so I slipped this one in).

Love Beverly's suggestion of a trellis. We have the roof, which is ok, but the trellis would be perfect for a front entry garage.

Oh such lovely ideas,

bonnie - love those. There are some similarities to what I was leaning towards with the hardware. Mine is a double which I think tends to lose something in translation.....

Which leads me to mtn....yours is fabulous! Thanks for the link to the information on your doors because I love them. We have Overhead Door come out to take a look this week and I'll ask if they can get close to your look for ....about a quarter of the price. I think I know their answer. I agree that the middle stile is the key!

And Beverly - I love that trellis. However, I love the solid overhang when I run outside when it is raining so I can stay dry why I punch in the code to open the garage.It sure is a nice look though. But tell me more about the color you would recommend, the website has the option to try out different colors. My vision is limited to trim or to the house color.

cold winter - I missed you information the first time around because I was posting simultaneously. Thanks for the tips! I don't know what happened with ours. We have lived in this house a year only so probably didn't do any investigation. Learned the hard way.

caroleoh - I will keep you posted. I have not done any investigation yet so am currently happily oblivious to the replacement costs. $3K for a single door? Well that stinks. We have Overhead coming out this week so will at least have a baseline. I do know that I have a lot of other things that need my dollars so like many things I may be wanting champagne on a beer budget.

We'll get a quote from Overhead this week. Our homeowner's insurance said we could submit a claim for the garage door "repair" (i.e. replacement) and car repair so we'll see what the coverage will be. Pretty sure they won't pick up the bill for carriage doors, but maybe we could pay for the difference. Like so many things....there are so many choices, but I do fear that I may be in for a bit of sticker shock.

Be sure to check out Ideal brand garage doors available through Menards and built by Clopay. They offer excellent prices (with rebates frequently available - check their weekly ad) on steel, composite and wood options, and their quality is top notch with several layers of clading and insulation.

We have three garage bays on our house and chose carriage house doors with recessed panels and windows in the style mtn posted above.

I found that garage door costs can get out of hand rather quickly. We received quotes for double and triple the price we paid through Menards for the same materials and insulation factors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ideal Carriage House Garage Doors

From Clopay to go with the 4 square design of your home. Maybe a starting point.

OK, so we had Overhead Door out to give us a quote. They recommended an insulated steel door in their Thermacore line. The good thing is that there is no upcharge for any of the door styles, so a base price of around $1400 which includes tax, installation and haul away of our old door. They thought our old opener would work fine so that won't need replaced. To add windows is an additional $300 which we will likely do. Again, no additional charge no matter which window design you choose (there are about 20 options). We've had Overhead Door in the past so feel comfortable with them. I don't know all the ins and outs of the door options, but am less concerned about things like insulation since it is a detached garage. Aesthetically, I do want it to look nice. I asked about the fancier carriage door options and boy do the prices go up in a hurry. I have other things that require my funds (like fixing my car!) so I would like to make this less expensive option work

So, the door design options are small raised panels (8 across for a double door), long panels (4 across), flushed panels, and a small panel with vertical lines. This is the one pictured below I'll accept votes for which option would look best! Then I'll have to decide on window options.

And then the plain option (with or without windows).

I like the first one a lot!

I do too! As well as my husband, its his vote. My concern is that it would be too "busy" or that I would grow tired of it. I asked about your trick with the painted middle stile, but again, there is that pesky budget issue that always seems to keep me from my dreams!

But I do think that option adds a bit of pizzazz, is fitting to the house, and doesn't break the bank.

I like the first door and also like the windows (but then i haven't seen all the window choices). I like how the strap hinges and the handles in the middle break up the width on the double door.

Some of the window choices are too busy for me so while there are many options, many I discounted right off the bat. Here is another option of window style and with the hardware placed in a double door option. I think it may be too much, I prefer the simpler option with that door style

I don't think the windows in the last post fit the style of the door and it is busy. It would be interesting to see this last door with the double handles with the windows from the first door (in post at 22:05) but I think the middle strap (not handle) might be overkill. Can you pick and choose the features?

Like this Lizbeth? This is another nice option

Yes-that's it! Now I'm not sure which of the two I like better. Do you have a preference?

After more back and forth, I think I still like the first one better (with just handles in the middle).

I like both the first that I posted and this last one. This lasts suggests a two door look without being busy to me but I am not sure that it like it better than the first one posted.

I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

Adding carriage house hardware isn't that expensive and I think it would be nice on your garage and go well with your home.

Maybe the windows without mullions. I don't think you have them on your home. Then you can always consider painting the door if you get tired of the white.

First one.

I like the first one as well.

Just make sure they test it for the resistance...I think they put a block of wood under the door for it to hit on the way down....it's supposed to reverse itself. I believe there is an adjustment for how much pressure it accepts before reversing itself....safety is key here...

I like the first one the best.

Just an update since I always appreciate when people post the "after", we got the garage doors installed. Unfortunately we forgot to have them do the resistance test as they showed up very late and didn't finish up until we were having to get ready for a party. Once our non-stop rain stops that is on the top of our list though!

Looks beautiful!!

Wow Kellie, it really looks wonderful! You made a great choice!

Looks very nice.

Great choice! I love the windows.

What a wonderful transformation! Perfect choice!

It looks just great! I know you must be thrilled. Thanks for posting the results!