sorry, I think it looks better with the windows :)

Laurie

I prefer the windows, too. It just looks right.

The other Laurie

I prefer it without windows, but I generally don't like windows on garage doors.

I don't like making it possibile for someone to peer into my garage, either while I'm home or away. I don't like the increased possibility of wind, storm, or other damage.

But I know, these aren't concerns of yours. You're asking about aesthetics. Still I like the way the focus is more on your house this way. I think garages should be less conspicuous than the houses they belong to.

Your house is SO cute, btw! I just adore a classic Cape Cod.

Looks better with the windows.

Thanks, all! I think I'm going to go with the windows.

I hear ya, stinky-g. Not sure if you can tell, but there's a window on the outside wall of the garage, so anyone can peek in if they want to already. Hadn't thought about storm damage, though.

It is a cute house, isn't it? I really love it : )

What a charming home!

Honestly, I would skip the windows - I think the blank doors put the attention on the house.

But I am wondering if there are other plain doors that are equally affordable with different styling? Maybe something like the Westfield or Newport styles on this site:

wayne-dalton

I kind of like the simplicity of the Newport, no windows, and how it echoes the vertical feel of the windows and front door panels on the house. Adding interesting hardware, something in iron for a cottage feel, could be nice, too.

I think the blank doors put the attention on the house.

And I find it's just the opposite ... without windows the garage sticks out like a sore thumb.

I'm torn. But if you do windows, I wonder how it would look with the windows on the very top of the door vs. part-way down....

I like the windows, but in the top section. Cute house!!!

"Still I like the way the focus is more on your house..." without the windows, & the more I look at your pics, the more I feel that way!

I think you've decided to go w/windows though. I do understand that it's probably hard to go in another direction when you're used to the windows.

I looked at the link Les gave you & I love that Newport door. There are lots of doors out there that have more dimension & detail than the standard door in your mock-up. True, you probably will pay more for those styles, but they have great curb appeal.

I have windows in my garage door and I love the light they bring in. (I do agree that there is the "burglar peek issue" but I do have two big dogs and not much to steal inside. Hopefully, the peek in the other windows to realize that.) Anyhoo, I am with the other posters who say it might look good with the windows on the top.

When I added a garage to my old cape in 1995, I bought flat doors (fiberglass) and had matched V groove pine applied to them. It gives it a carriage house look that I just love. It made the doors heavier, and so I needed a stronger garage door opener, but you may be able to get a similar look with paint on flat doors by painting the 'grooves' on them. Many people have stopped and told me how much they like the garage, and people have asked how to obtain the look.

I'm so glad my3dogs posted that pic!

Imo, if she had windows on her garage doors, it would distract from her adorable house.

Her window-less doors look so stream-lined, & yet the dimension the pine boards give add so much style. It's the kind of detail I was talking about that standard doors just don't have. Look at the curb appeal! These doors really underscore the whole cottage vibe she has created, inside and out.

Of course, my3dogs kind of sets the standard for that look! Her taste is impeccable.

Wow, I love that 3dogs! Are the doors all one piece, or do they roll up? What a great look.

Oh, stinky! You are so kind....I do love my little house and garage.

The garage doors are in 4 parts, as most are....The boards are cut on an angle so that they cover the top of the board below when the doors are close, so all you see is a very fine line between the 3 sections. If you look very closely at the pictures you may be able to see the horizontal lines.

Okay... the contractor I'd like to use carries Garaga Doors from Canada (he's got the best ratings on Angie's List!) so what about this door from their line?

Its the Eastman E12 with the Standard hardware. I have to have the house painted next so I could have the doors painted to match the trim when I have that done.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garaga Eastman Estate Village Doors

Imo, if she had windows on her garage doors, it would distract from her adorable house.

My3dogs' garage has more architectural features ... the arches and the cuppola ... that makes a difference.

I think those look great, Rabbit. What do you think?

I see that they do have the option of windows in the top, so you could do that if you prefer. It might be interesting to see what the Orion glass option looks like, in the case that you decide you want glass. I think that might echo your windows nicely.

What color will you be painting the house? Hard for me to tell for sure, but it looks light a light grey now. You might consider having the doors painted the same color as the body of the house. That way they will feel more like a part of the house, and make the whole house feel bigger. Do the trim around the door in the same trim color as the rest of the house, of course. This will also be effective if you decide on windows in the garage - the doors will feel less prominent once they are the same color as the house.

Personally, I don't like blank garage doors. They look like blind faces. They detract from the house, and look too modern and too forbidding. Buildings of any sort need windows.

But (to go back to your original quandary for a moment), $450 is a bucketful of money.

Here's what you can do... Get the plain white steel doors, without windows, and then PAINT black (or dark grey) squares on the front of the garage doors. These will read as windows, and will look like this:

When we replaced our plain doors with doors with windows, I chose a door with vinyl inserts that fit the outside of the window. They are removable to wash the windows, so I had my hubby add solar screen material to the outside, held in place by the inserts. Two reasons, keeps out the hot sun here in Vegas and you cannot see into the garage unless the light is on at night. Love the extra light in there, and you can see who is outside the garage too. I think they are Clopay brand. I got the insulated ones, well worth the $. hth, Barb

I have to agree with Natal. No windows draws my eye to the garage, not the house. I like the size of the windows you have now, don't go smaller than that.

Now I love the last picture you posted that has handles on the doors. With those kind of doors I don't think you need windows.

I'm wondering though if maybe the garage doors should be painted the same color of the house? They would blend in better, IMO.

I love your house!

I like the most recent doors you mocked up better than the first ones you showed. I think they would look good with the glass because the top panels look like they were made for glass. Without the glass, it seems like something is missing. I also agree with others who said the glass should be closer to the top of the doors, and these doors would address that issue.

I like the old doors! I'd replace them with the steel ones, and leave the place looking the same as it does now, it's charming. Smaller windows and no windows don't look right.

I love this forum!

The house is a soft sage green with cream trim and a deep purple front door (the previous owner had some style!) and my intent is to keep the colors

Here's a mock-up of the Eastman doors with windows

Not sure about painting them to match the house.

I like that last picture with the windows and think painting them to match the house color is a great idea...JMHO.

Love that last photo! The best of both elements!

Love the last mockup with the Eastman doors and windows! I would tend to agree that the garage looks better with windows in the doors. And the latest windows really echo the windows on the house. Just lovely!

I like it, too! Except for the hingey things. I kinda think those look hokey on houses. (JMHO.) I think if the doors have enough detail to them (like these) I would paint them the trim color. (That's what I did ;)

kitchenkelly,

I have to agree with you about the fake hinges, they're a little on the hokey side.

Thanks all for the feedback. I'm going to call the contractor and see if I can afford this upgrade! Yikes.

I like the hinges. The home has so many traditional colonial features, even a centrally placed chimney, that the straps look appropriate. Are you in the northeast, rabbit_house?

awm03,

Yes, I'm west of Boston in a 60+ year-old house. I just wonder if the hinges are too much since the rest of the front of the house is so plain.

I think your home is wonderful. It looks like a historical Cape Cod, not a modern interpretation of one, despite its age. It has pretty symmetry & proportions, beautiful windows, and I love the color scheme. It can wear traditional "jewelry" well.

I have a '60s colonial home, but unfortunately, it's a '60s tract home interpretation of colonial. It lacks the things that make the fine old colonials timeless beauties: symmetry, proportion, shadow lines, appropriate trim. Your "plain" little home is elegant, while my larger home is awkward looking no matter what we do to it. Can't overcome bad bones!

I agree, lose the hingy things! That last pic with the windows on top is a good option. And the doors should not be painted to match the house. Good luck with your contractor, you should be able to negotiate right now :)

Hello all! Thanks again for all your advice last summer. The new doors have finally been installed and well, I think they look fantastic! Obviously, they do need to be painted along with the trim and surrounds but that will have to wait until Spring and a fresh infusion of cash.

I couldn't be happier!

Love your house and the colors. Those garage doors look perfect! Congratulations. Thanks for posting the follow-up pic!

Those are beautiful! Wonderful choice, rabbit_house.

Putting in my vote for the windows. I especially like the last photo with the hinges/windows.

Great choice! You got the best possible look with those doors. You're up in my neck of the woods. If you're like us that garage is getting lots of use since the blizzard!

Thanks for updating us! I really do like the new doors. Have you thought about how you might paint them in spring. Here is how we painted our door on the new garage. It is similar to yours, only is a crossbuck. Our colors are also green and a tan/yellow. However we used a third color of rust. Sorry I could not find a picture after I had it all painted. In this picture I had not gotten the windows painted yet.

Wow mary_lu, I love that look! I was going to stick with what's there now and either paint the doors to match the trim or leave them white. But I really like what you've done.

And yes, the car absolutely **loves** the garage in this weather! The bonus is there's now a working opener where I park the car and the other side actually opens again! The springs died a couple of years ago.

Again, I have this forum to thank for inspiring/pushing me to take these doors to the next level. I'm sure this upgrade is going to bring me a real return on my investment when it comes time to sell!

Realized after I posted that you already got the doors! I'm glad I voted for the right ones! They do look good.

WOW! BEAUTIFUL doors!

*??W??*

I really hope the melted snow on the roof near the AC unit is from warm air leaking out of the house and not because you feel 40 degrees or there about is a tad too warm for your comfort level. O-o

BTW, they are very nice doors. I would take some of the cues for m3dogs and mary lu and bring some color to that side of the house. Your doors are just like theirs now. Only different. I'd paint them the same color as your front door or the recessed panels the same as the wall and maybe the muntin and sash of the window too. The hinges would probably look good on a red (darker) door if you go that route.

LOL! I didn't realize this was such an old post and was just about to respond that you must choose the doors in your second mock-up - and then I saw that you already had them installed!

They look great! Love your cottage!

Don't feel like you missed out if you chose steel doors over wood. I insisted on wood composite doors for our front facing double garage doors, but compromised with DH and chose steel for the back single door. DH always mentions that he prefers the steel door. He says it's better insulated, less noisy, etc. I might be just our doors, but he regrets not using steel for both.

I love the new doors! I'd have to see a pic of the whole house to form an opinion on the paint, but when I had my house painted, I had originally wanted the garage door painted to match the trim because that's the way it was when I bought it, but he said if you paint it to match the rest of the house, it makes the house looks bigger. I'm not sure if he just didn't want to have to put two different colors of paint in his sprayer or if that's really true, LOL.

sashasmommy - I'll get a picture of the whole thing and post it. I do have a few months to decide colors. I've been driving around checking out other houses in the area, which helps a lot.

juddgirl2 - I'm totally sold on the steel, actually. The idea of minimal maintenance totally suits me!

and jey_1 - the snow pattern on the roof is from the wind I think. I certainly wasn't running the AC (!) and the snow has never melted like that before. We had ferocious winds for a couple of days so lots of drifting here.

Thanks all for the feedback! I am really happy with this decision.

It was a good decision and the doors do look great.

The snow pattern is from the wind but that is because it sucks the hot air right out through the AC unit. It doesn't appear that corner gets enough sun for it to radiate off the metal to melt the snow that way. You may want to consider getting one of those interior plastic "storm windows" that you install with tape and a hair dryer if you are going to leave it there during the winter. It doesn't really take much to melt snow but that's a pretty big hole in some pretty deep snow at the coldest spot on the roof.

jey