3 Types of Modern Garage Doors
Ever since the first Model T Ford became available in 1908, people have needed a place to put it. It wasn’t until 1921 that the world’s first overhead ‘garage’ (from the French garer meaning ‘to cover’) worked its way into the American home. Now a staple of home architecture, garages come in all shapes and sizes – from double wide lengths to carriage house designs. In this article, we cover three of the most popular types of modern garage doors, along with materials used and where to find them.
Modern Garage Door Materials
Garage doors can take up 30-40% of the curb appeal of a home, which is why having a gorgeous garage adds a lot of market value. Contemporary garage doors have a beautiful, modern exterior .
They’re the most commonly manufactured design on the market, making them easy to purchase and replace. They’re typically made of aluminum, steel, wood and fiberglass or composite and come in a range of bold, contemporary designs.
Aluminum
Glass and aluminum is a very popular option for contemporary aluminum garages. Often seen in commercial buildings and modern homes, these garages allow plenty of light in through frosted windows. Lightweight, durable and corrosive-resistant, aluminum garage doors are perfect in a humid environment or by the sea as they can resist salt and moisture.
Steel
The most popular garage door material, steel is the number one choice for most homes and commercial buildings. It’s also the cheapest. The price of a steel door is ⅓ of a wood door and steel tends to run cheaper than fiberglass and aluminum.
Steel is also durable, stable and resistant to rust. It makes a great insulator and comes in high R-values. The higher the R-value (how insulation resists the flow of heat), the more money saved on energy bills.
Single car steel garage doors range from $700-1200+, but a highly customized door may run up to as much as $3,500+. Overall, steel is an excellent choice for a garage door and comes in a variety of practical and beautiful contemporary designs.
Wood
Wood is a classic option for a garage door, but it requires maintenance and costs more. For those preferring a natural wood-grain, it’s the only option. However, buyers should keep in mind that these garage doors will need staining every 2 to 3 years or so.
Fiberglass
On garage doors, fiberglass is often faux wood. Built on a steel frame, these garage doors use fiberglass (fiber-reinforced plastic) or fiberglass composite for the exterior of the door. Fiberglass is a great insulator, especially when placed over steel.
These types of exteriors often realistically capture the beauty of a naturally wood finish. They’re a bit pricier than steel but still not as expensive as real wood. For buyers who want a durable garage, wood-look finish, and good insulation – fiberglass is the way to go.
Midcentury Modern Garage Door Features
Shape Windows
Midcentury modern windows come in all shapes and sizes, and that includes circles, squares, diamonds and rectangles. For a retro garage door with all the trappings, find a midcentury modern with geometric windows. Rectangular cutouts are the most common, and still pretty fashionable in the 21st century. Search Clopay’s Canyon Ridge Modern and Modern Steel catalogs for a great selection of midcentury moderns with shape windows.
Retro Prints
Another popular feature in classic midcentury modern designs are the raised patterns and lines found in garages of the 50s and 60s. These blast-from-the-past designs are often kept as part of the home’s original garage and stand out among the neighborhood for their bold originality. If you find one, try renovating it and repainting it. Or use a midcentury pattern to give your garage door a 1950s DIY makeover.
Carriage House Garage Designs
As the original ‘garage’, these designs are made to resemble an original carriage house with swing-out doors. They may look like an old-fashioned carriage house, but roll up like an overhead garage with an electric remote control.
The beautiful design is especially prized by homeowners looking for charming, rustic garage doors. Also known as the ‘farmhouse’ style, they usually comes in wood or faux wood and can be found in the Clopay, CHI and Amarr collections.
Based in sunny Southern California, Heritage Doors carries a wide selection of garage doors in midcentury modern, contemporary and farmhouse or carriage house designs. We cater to anyone looking for good quality and craftsmanship – if that’s you, feel free to check out our services or just give us a call at (951) 880-1999!
