In the last several decades, it has become a common trend for most Americans to use the garage door as the primary entrance to their home instead of the front door. In fact, surveys over the last fifteen years have found that up to 70% of homeowners enter their home exclusively through the garage door. This information has several important impacts for those who are either selling their home or looking to buy a new one. It means that you should now be considering visual appeal, safety, and convenience for a garage door system.
Visual Appeal
Since the garage door has been dubbed the “New Front Door,” it has become even more important that you apply careful consideration to its visual design. In the same way that a brightly colored or elegantly designed front door makes a statement for your home, your garage door needs to be striking to add to your curb appeal. After all, this is likely the entrance that a potential homebuyer will notice first.
To ensure that your garage door creates a great first impression for your home, consider updating the style or exterior finish. Carriage house and modern style garage doors are both eye-catching options that go a long way to elevate the beauty of your home. Whether you choose an elegant carriage design with a clean white finish or a bold statement piece like a modern full-view glass door, the effort you place into the garage exterior will be noticeable to buyers. Maybe your current garage door is only a few years old, but you want to give it some new life. Consider repainting the exterior, replacing the hardware, and giving the windows a thorough wash. Just these small, affordable steps could be the difference in making that great first impression.
Safety
Because homeowners are now using the garage door as their primary entrance, garage door systems are experiencing more wear, more quickly. After all, if you open and close your garage door 2-3 times a day, this translates to a total of 1,500 cycles a year or more. This uptake in the work a garage door must perform means your door needs more attention in terms of maintenance.
The first element of garage door maintenance includes interior hardware like rollers, springs, and cables. The materials on these parts tend to last 10,000 to 15,000 cycles of opening and closing your door, or 10-15 years. However, since homeowners are using their garages more frequently, the average lifespan of the parts tends to be closer to 8-10 years. That is why annual maintenance checks are important to ensure the functionality of your door. Another vital part of maintaining your door is checking the safety mechanisms like eye sensors and automatic reversal. Manufacturers put these in place to prevent your heavy door from accidentally injuring you or a family member. Considering you may have young children and pets frequently using this entrance, be sure to keep up with your maintenance.
Convenience
The last important aspect of the garage door being the new front door is convenience. Since people use the door so often, they should be operating it with remote control access. Instead of worrying about replacing the batteries in a remote or getting out of the car to punch numbers in the keypad, use a smartphone to open the door.
Within the last decade, every major manufacturer of garage door openers has released some variety of smart opener systems. From LiftMaster’s myQ to separate systems like ismartgate, you can find the right option for you based on your home. You simply download the app on your phone, and it walks you through the installation process. In less than 15 minutes, you could be operating your garage door with the latest in both convenience and security technology. This upgraded level of ease and service for a garage door could be the factor that makes your home memorable to buyers.
When considering your garage door as the new front door, every added benefit counts!
