Garage Doors: Frequently Asked Questions

It’s often said that the lifespan of a garage door is 15-30 years, but in reality this depends on many factors. The material your garage door is made from is important. Traditional wooden doors are prone to warping and rotting. Steel or aluminium doors tend to last a lot longer.

– The material it’s made from
– Whether you take the time to maintain your garage door; if you do, the openers will last a lot longer
– How often you use your garage door. More frequent use can cause increased wear and tear to the hinges and openers
– Local weather conditions; high levels of humidity, salty coastal air, and temperatures that fluctuate to extremes can all damage your garage door over time.

– Is your garage door not working as it used to?
– Does it no longer close properly?
– Are there signs of visible damage or wear and tear?
– When opening, is it slower than it used to be?
– Does it have outdated safety features?

You should carry out a visual inspection monthly and open/close your garage door to ensure everything is working as it should. Every three months, lubricate the hinges and rollers of your garage door. Consider cleaning the tracks too. Once a year, you can get a professional in for maintenance and deep cleaning to get the most life out of your garage door.

Up and over garage doors are the most traditional and remain the most popular today. However, they open in an outward direction so if you have a short driveway you will struggle to park your car far away enough to open the door. Up and over garage doors are also not as well insulated as most roller garage doors. If you are planning on converting your garage into a habitable space (an office or an extra bedroom, for instance) an up and over door will not provide the insulation you need.

On the other hand, roller garage doors curl up and into a box at the top of the door. They give you much more space to utilise within the garage itself, and also work for shorter driveways. Roller garage doors have better insulation than their up and over counterparts, and they feature improved seals to keep draughts out. They also commonly feature sensors at their bottom edge that automatically detect whether there is anything blocking the way, keeping your garage door from closing on top of something.

We recommend AlluGuard Roller Garage Doors. As they open vertically and roll up into themselves, they allow you to use all the space in your garage for storage or a conversion. AlluGuard Roller Garage Doors have high quality insulation and a strong, yet silent motor for quiet access.

If home security is the main reason you are upgrading your garage door, we recommend SeceuroGlide Sectional Garage Doors. Their safety-first designs are sleek and modern, and they still have all the insulation benefits of AlluGuard.

In terms of convenience, an electric garage door is hard to beat. They tend to be aesthetically pleasing and can add curb appeal to your home. You could even choose a door with some glazing to let more light into your garage. If you or someone in your family has mobility issues, electric garage doors eliminate the hassle of lifting a heavy door over your head. They can also be very handy additions to homes with elderly inhabitants.

Sectional and roller garage doors are best, as these newer types of doors come with improved security capabilities. We recommend SeceuroGlide garage doors. They are built to the police preferred specification and have been certified with LPS Security Rating Level 1. They come with an auto-locking system that prevents the door from being forced upwards by an intruder. The end plates, guide rails, and bottom slat that locks into the side channels have all been reinforced for extra strength and safety.

We can fit an Alluguard roller garage door for you from just £995. Contact us to find out more.

Garage doors usually fall under permitted development in the UK, meaning you do not need planning permission to change yours.

There are a few exceptions: if your home is a listed building or in a conservation area, or your local authority has removed your permitted development rights.

Yes; we offer made to measure garage doors that are built to the specifications of your garage. We can fit garage doors up to 5.2 metres in diameter.

Most electric garage doors are designed with energy efficiency in mind. They use a minimal amount of electricity while sitting in standby mode. The amount of electricity consumed while opening and closing does depend on your personal usage levels, but each time you choose to do this it only uses a small amount of power.

Electric garage doors increase the curb appeal of your home. They offer higher security than a normal garage door, as well as more convenience which is important to some buyers. If you are planning to convert your garage into a habitable space, you will most likely need to upgrade to an electric garage door which has better insulation.

Electric garage doors provide extra security benefits because the in-built electric motor doubles as an extra lock. Without the remote control or smartphone app required to open the door, nobody can get inside. Electric garage doors are also difficult to force open manually, as they are connected by a chain.

All the electric garage doors we supply come with manual overrides, ensuring you can still open your garage from inside in the event of a power outage.

If you live in a colder climate or want to use your garage as a gym, home office or another type of living space, insulated garage doors are absolutely worth the cost. They help your garage to be more comfortable and consistent year-round in terms of temperature.

While some older garage doors are made from wood or a thin sheet of metal, insulated garage doors are made from two layers of steel or high-quality aluminium with layers of insulation inside. Insulated garage doors help keep warm air in and cold air out. They also provide significant noise reduction and tend to be more durable.

Unless they have been converted, garages are usually unconnected to the heating and cooling systems of the main home. If your garage is attached to your main house, cold temperatures can enter your garage and penetrate through into adjacent rooms. An insulated garage door can certainly minimise heat loss in the colder months. If you are thinking about using your garage as another room for your home, you will definitely want to invest in an insulated garage door to keep temperatures stable.