Replacing a garage door isn’t something most homeowners do often, which makes it difficult to know what to expect. If you’re at the point where you’re considering installing a new garage door, you probably have a few practical questions: how much it will cost, how long installation takes, and what’s actually involved in the process.
This page walks through what to expect from garage door installation in Sacramento: what the process looks like, how long it takes, and how to choose a door that fits your home and your budget.
The Garage Door Installation Process
Preparation
The first step in replacing your garage door is booking a consultation with an experienced technician, who will inspect your garage and measure the door opening to ensure a perfect fit. A consultation also gives the technician an opportunity to help determine the type of hardware you will require.
Then comes the fun part: choosing your door! There are many styles and materials of garage doors out there, each of which has its own features, maintenance requirements, and costs. If you need help choosing the right door, we discuss how to choose the right garage door below.
Once the installation appointment has been booked, make sure you’ve cleared space in your garage for your technician to work—and prepare to be on site during installation in case there are questions or you need to provide additional access.
Installation
The technician will first remove the old door, along with its hardware—like old tracks and springs—and then install fresh mounting hardware, followed by the new door panels. If you are having a new garage door opener installed, the technician will do that also. The entire process typically takes no more than a few hours. Once everything has been installed, the technician will test the new door and opener to make sure everything is working properly.
How to Choose the Right Garage Door
First thing’s first: what are we even looking for? Installing a new garage door isn’t just about style, but that doesn’t mean style isn’t important. There are sectional overhead garage doors (the most common kind you see on homes), tilt-up garage doors, swing-out garage doors, sliding barn doors, and carriage house-style doors. If you want to play around with different styles, try our Design Your Door module.
Common Garage Door Materials
- Wood garage doors have a special, natural beauty, but they are the most expensive type of garage door. You can expect to pay anywhere from $1,200 to $4,000, depending on the quality. The upside to wood? It is a good insulator on its own, so you won’t have to deal with filling the door to insulate it. However, wooden garage doors require more consistent care throughout the year than other garage door materials. Solid-core wood doors are warp and rot-resistant, but it is still important to inspect your door regularly and refinish it every 1 to 3 years to prevent water damage, cracking, and pest infestation.
- Aluminum garage doors have the advantage of being rust-resistant, and cost between $1,500 and $2,000 for a 16×7 double door. Aluminum is an eco-friendly material because it’s infinitely recyclable. The downside to aluminum is that it dents easily—however, fixing dents in an aluminum garage door can be a quick (and even fun) DIY.
- Steel garage doors last a long time and are low maintenance, plus offer the widest selection of color and price range. You can get anything from a single-layer entry level door to a three-layer premium model. Prices range from $750 to $3,500. Steel overhead garage doors are durable, corrosion- and impact-resistant. Even if you dent them, you can often repair a dented garage door panel yourself. Steel garage doors need to be insulated, though, and they are heavy. If you choose a premium steel garage door, you may need to also install a more powerful garage door opener.
- Fiberglass garage doors are made from composite material, so they have several advantages over steel and wood: namely, they can’t rust, corrode, or warp. However, fiberglass garage doors absolutely need insulation to be effective at temperature regulation. Fiberglass garage doors range in price from $800 to $2,700.
- Composite garage doors offer the best of both worlds. Made of faux wood, they offer a beautiful woodsy feel without suffering the elements. Costs can range from $1,200 to $2,000. Composite materials won’t corrode or rot, so they’re low maintenance. However, if a composite garage door panel breaks, the whole panel will need to be replaced.
Don’t forget about the windows! If you want to let a little light into your garage, consider doors with windows built into the design. If your garage is a multi-use, toy, or living space, a full-view aluminum and glass garage door is a stylish option that lets in plenty of natural light.
Will your Garage Door be Insulated or Uninsulated?
Even if your garage isn’t heated, whether or not the garage door is insulated will have a big impact on your home’s energy efficiency. If your garage is attached to the house, you’ll probably want an insulated garage door. It not only helps with the energy bills, but lessens noise pollution from outside. You don’t need to live in a place with extreme weather to benefit from an insulated garage door; the simple prevention of energy loss is enough of a reason.
When you’re choosing how well-insulated you want your new garage door to be, you should consider:
- Direction of the garage: Is it on the south-facing end of the house? It probably needs more help to resist heat intrusion.
- Location of the garage: Is it next to bedrooms and living spaces? Beefed up insulation will eliminate cold or hot areas in interior rooms and will also cut noise.
- Construction of the garage: Are your garage walls insulated? If they are and your door isn’t, you’re not really reaping the benefits of insulated walls. However, if the walls aren’t insulated, you’ll still see a drop in energy transfer with a high R-Value garage door.
What is the R-Value of a Garage Door?
When you’re browsing new garage doors, you’ll likely come across R-Value pretty often. In a nutshell, the R-Value is the door’s resistance to heat flow. It’s essentially how well-insulated the door is. This means keeping out that hot California air, which means a cooler garage in the summer. If the garage is attached to the house, you’ll save a lot on your air conditioning bill as well.
How Much R-Value Do You Need?
Naturally, the higher the R-Value, the better the insulation. A well-insulated garage door has an R-value of 12 to 18. The type of insulation used has a big effect on R-Value, as does its thickness:
- Polystyrene is inserted in panels of your garage door and doesn’t have a perfect fill, so there’s less of a seal. However, it’s cost-efficient.
- Polyurethane is sprayed into the door in a foam that expands and creates a better thermal seal. Polyurethane tends to have a higher R-Value, but the thickness of the garage door itself can also affect the R-Value.
Deciding on a Garage Door Opener
If your garage door bit the dust really soon after you replaced your garage door opener, then this step might not be for you; most newer models are compatible with nearly all kinds of garage doors. The only thing you may need to worry about is lifting power, if you choose to install a garage door that’s heavier than the previous one.
But for the rest of you, we recommend installing a new automatic garage opener when you have the garage door installed. It sets you up on a whole new, custom, seamless system, and it ensures that all the garage door parts begin to wear from the same point in time. This will help you properly schedule garage door and garage door opener maintenance.
Different garage doors need different garage door openers. The size, weight, and style of your garage door, as well as the overhead and flank space, are going to determine which kind of automatic garage door opener system is right for your door. Regardless of the brand and load of garage door opener you choose, though, it’s always a good idea to install a door opener with “smart” features like remote operation, monitoring, and ability to integrate with your home’s security system.
Another reason to upgrade your garage door opener is because you need a battery backup unit. In fact, we literally can’t replace your garage door or its opener without one due to the 2019 California law CA SB 969. Backup power units for garage door openers are a great safety feature in emergencies, and convenience features in rolling blackouts or storm-induced power outages.
Choosing the Right Exterior Door Installer for the Job
Perhaps just as important as the specs of your new door is the actual installation of the new garage door and opener itself. You need a local, trusted exterior door installer and servicer who reliably sends out skilled, friendly, licensed, and insured garage door technicians. They’re not too difficult to suss out— Google and Yelp reviews can tell you a lot about a company.
Quality Garage Door Installation for Sacramento Residents & Businesses
If you’re looking at a new garage door install at your home or commercial facility, call SACS GARAGE DOOR REPAIR for a free estimate. In addition to installation, we also offer garage door opener repair to the Rancho Cordova and Greater Sacramento areas, including Carmichael and Folsom. Our service is prompt and professional, and our technicians are friendly, licensed, and insured. Schedule an appointment for a consultation and a quote. Need emergency service? We’re on-call 24/7; give us a call.
Frequently Asked Questions
On the low end, total cost for replacement of a garage door is typically $800 to $1,500, which includes labor and materials. Costs are higher for pricier materials, double-car doors, upgraded hardware, insulated doors, and custom sizing.
Typically 3 to 4 hours, but may take up to a full day. A standard garage door installation can be completed relatively quickly, but can take longer if structural repairs are needed, the door size is non-standard, or there is heavy customization needed on-site. Installation of new garage door openers may add a few hours to allow for running the wiring and programming remotes and keypad.
Maybe! If you recently installed a new garage door opener, it may not be necessary to replace it. However, it is often recommended to install a new garage door opener when replacing the door to ensure maximum compatibility and reliable functioning. It may also get your routine maintenance on the same schedule. If you are replacing your existing garage door with one that is much heavier, you may need to replace your opener with one designed to handle the additional weight.