If you’re looking to sell your house, the garage will be a key factor when assessing the worth of your home. Repairing the garage door is among the most requested home renovations for those who are preparing to list their home for sale. Repairing or replacing garage doors, along with regular maintenance of the garage door, can increase the value of your house in the marketplace. With this great value, it’s not difficult to understand why people want to upgrade their garage doors.
However, does your garage door truly require replacement? Sometimes, it’s more beneficial than replacing. If this is the case, how do you decide whether to repair or replace?
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How do you fix your garage door?
If you’re experiencing issues regarding your garage doors, the first thing you should think about is not replacing it. Based on the issue, you can identify that it may be cheaper to fix it, rather than replace the door. There are a few issues that you can be sure will require repairs rather than a door replacement.
1. The door suddenly stopped working.
While this may seem to be the best moment to change the door, unexpected breakdowns are usually easy to identify because the problem is typically isolated to one particular location and is not something that has happened in the past.
Examine the batteries of your remote and determine if they’re dead. If not, you’re probably better off calling an expert to identify the issue.
2. Your garage door is dented
A scratch or dent in the garage door is usually simple to fix and doesn’t need a full replacement. Repairing the damage is fairly easy; however, you should perform it as quickly as possible to ensure repairs are as cheap as they can be. If you leave the issue unattended for a long time, it could extend to other panels of the garage door, making it much more difficult to repair.
If you are in a position that requires replacing several panels, it may cost as much as the replacement of the entire door. So, make sure you get this repair done in the shortest time possible.
3. The garage door is sluggish and heavy
Garage doors are heavy and this is the reason springs and hinge pins are used to help support your lift mechanism to take on the weight. With time, the wear and tear of use, the springs may wear out and cause the garage door to appear slow and heavy. This is a sign that you need to replace the springs. It’s usually an affordable and simple solution. Contact a professional and ask them to replace the springs and make sure they are balanced to ensure that your door is functioning just like new.
4. Your doors lean towards one direction.
If your garage door is leaning towards one direction, it’s an indication that the garage doors are skewed. This places a great deal of tension on the mechanism for lifting and speeds up the rate at which the mechanism will fail.
The good thing is that the fix is not difficult to do. Contacting a professional skilled in garage door installation and repairs will help you repair your springs and balance your doors to reduce the pressure on the lift mechanism. Although this may seem to be a straightforward task but it’s best to let an expert handle it because this could be risky in the event that you aren’t sure of the right way to go about it.
Is the time right to change your garage door?
After a certain point when you reach a certain point, you will come to a place where repair is no longer an option, and you’ll need to replace your doors completely. Here are a few indicators you can look for to figure out whether you should take down the door rather than trying to fix it.
1. The door has not been functional for a long time
As we’ve said before that small problems can easily be fixed if they’re discovered at an early stage. As they get more serious, they could exacerbate the problem and even force you to change your garage door entirely. Since garage doors are one of the things that are used often and frequently, small problems can cause significant damage over time.
If this occurs, then it’s recommended to replace the garage door as the price of individual repairs could be much more expensive than replacing the garage door completely.
2. The door is damaged to the core.
If you’ve suffered a great deal of damage in a short period, like severe weather or a fallen tree falling onto your door, then repairs may just not suffice to resolve your issue with a malfunctioning and damaged garage door. While the number of components might be the same but the cost of fixing and replacing every single one of them will be a lot more expensive than changing the garage door completely.
3. The door isn’t designed to protect children.
Modern garage doors are equipped with child safety sensors that instantly stop the door when in motion when they detect pets or children in the area. The reason it’s more beneficial to upgrade the garage door instead of opting for an aftermarket installation is that this option can be more expensive than just installing a brand new garage door that has these sensors.
Another thing to remember is that aftermarket doors don’t provide any assurance that they’ll perform just as well as a brand-new door.
4. This door was used for quite a while
Repairs are wonderful, but if you’re trying to increase the value of your home before the date of selling, there’s a vast difference between having a new door and one that has been repaired numerous times. Although a coat of paint might make an old door attractive, it will not look as sleek as modern designs available on the market.
Another point to be noted is that the new garage doors are also made to fit the dimensions of SUVs and modern cars in the mind. Also, older garage doors could be manipulated in security significantly more easily than the latest doors that have modern security systems.
Conclusion
The choice of repairing or replacing your garage door will depend on the situation you’ve got to hand. Whatever you decide, you should make sure that you get expert assistance in the process of making those repairs. Repairs and replacements for these are more difficult than typical home improvements.
A mistake in repairs or replacements to your garage door could lead to a waste of time and time, ineffective installations, loss of funds, and even injury to yourself if you’re not careful. If you’re uncertain whether your garage door requires replacement or simply a repair, you should have a professional visit and conduct an extensive study. So, you’ll determine the best solution for keeping your garage door functioning for a long period.