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A new garage door ranks as one of the top five home improvement projects that generates the highest return on investment at resale, according to Remodeling magazine’s 2016 Cost vs, Value Report. Homeowners can expect to recoup 91.5 percent of their investment in a new garage door.

Ten years ago, garage doors didn’t rate as an important exterior design consideration, but that has changed. Today, the range of garage design and material options is almost endless, which means you can get a door that not only secures your home and enhances its curb appeal — it can improve its energy efficiency at the same time.

So you ask yourself, how do I buy a new garage door? This isn’t an item you just try on or have delivered to your home to just see how it looks with all your other décor.

We at A Plus Garage Doors can help you here. We represent many excellent manufacturers and can not only give you different styles and colors to choose from, but also can advise on which doors have the best curb appeal and can improve your home’s value the most.

Here are some tips when buying a new garage door.

How much do garage doors cost?

Once you figure out the look you’re going for, evaluate these popular garage door styles and see what fits your budget:

Aluminum garage door: Rust-resistant aluminum is ideal for humid, caustic environments. The average cost for a 16-by-7 double door: $1,500 to $2,000.

Steel garage door: Steel doors offer the broadest range of color, insulation, and price options. You can get anything from an entry level, single-layer, non-insulated door up to a premium three-layer, 2-inch polyurethane insulated door. The average cost for a 16-by-7 double door: $750 to $3,500.

Wood garage door: There’s no substitute for the distinctive look of wood. It’s typically made of moisture-resistant cedar, redwood or cypress and offers the most flexibility for custom designs. The average cost for a 16-by-7 double door made of quality wood: $1,200 to more than $4,000.

Composite wood garage door: A durable, low-maintenance material that looks like real wood, faux wood composite eliminates many of the drawbacks of natural material. It’s moisture-resistant. The average cost for a 16-by-7 double door: $1,200 to $2,20

Should you buy an insulated garage door?

Most garages aren’t heated, but your garage door still impacts your home’s energy efficiency. Construction materials and insulation technologies for garage doors have improved significantly over the last five to 10 years. Today’s doors provide a tighter seal against the façade to keep out the elements.

If your garage is attached to the house, your best bet is to purchase an insulated door, especially if there’s an occupied room above the garage. It will help reduce both noise and the utility bills.

Also, consider the direction your door faces. If it’s baking in the sun all day or getting blasted by the wind, an insulated door will better regulate the temperature inside.

What’s the safety factor for the garage door?

If you live in a high wind or hurricane-prone area, make sure your garage door can withstand the elements.

Because of their size, garage doors are more susceptible to wind damage than other exterior openings. Garage doors must have additional bracing, heavier gauge tracking and other necessary hardware to help keep them in place under extreme winds.

If you’re buying a new door, look for models that are “storm ready” with a built-in passive reinforcement system, which requires no advance set-up before a storm

What else do I need to know before buying a garage door?

If you’ve never purchased a garage door before, here are some common misconceptions:

• Buying a garage door opener is a separate purchase — not included in the price of a new garage door. However, most garage door installation companies also sell openers.
• Interested in carriage house doors, but think you lack the room for doors that swing open? Not to worry! Carriage-house style doors only look like they swing open. They actually move up and down on a standard track, just like every other garage door.
• Be sure to ask if the cost of the garage door includes installation.

We at A Plus Garage Doors hopes this information helps when you are considering a new garage door. If you were to ask any of our customers, you would find that we are not only one of the most affordable garage door companies in Baldwin County, but also one that will advise you of the best options when either buying a new door or replacing one. Please call us in Eastern Shore at 251 626-0773 or in South Baldwin at 251 971-3331.

 

We all know Baldwin County is a great place to live. But what do you really know about Baldwin County. We at A Plus Garage Doors would like to share some facts that we hope you will find interesting.

• According to the 2015 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of the County is 203,709
• Baldwin County is the largest county in Alabama based on are. The county has a total area of 2,027 square miles, of which 1,590 square miles is land and 438 square miles is water. This makes Baldwin County larger than the state of Rhode Island.
• The county is named after Senator Abraham Baldwin, even though he never lived in what is now Alabama
• The county was established on December 21, 1809, ten years after Alabama became a state.
• In the early days the town of McIntosh Bluff on the Tombigbee River was the first county seat. It was transferred to the town of Blakeley in 1810, and then to the city of Daphne in 1868. The Alabama legislature declared in an act in 1900, that the county seat be moved to its present location in Bay Minette. The city of Daphne resisted this relocation. To achieve the relocation, the men of Bay Minette devised a scheme. They fabricated a murder to lure the Sherriff and his deputy out of Daphne. While the law was chasing down the fictitious killer, a group of men from Bay Minette stole the County Courthouse records and delivered them to the city of Bay Monette.
• The county is broken down to 6 regions- North Baldwin, Eastern Shore, Central Baldwin, South Baldwin, Southwest Baldwin, East Baldwin
• It has 8 cities and 6 towns-  The cities are Bay Minette, Daphne, Fairhope, Foley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Robertsdale, Spanish Fort. The towns are Elberta, Loxley, Magnolia Springs, Perdido Beach, Silverhill, Summerdale
• There is one census-designated place Point Clear
• There are 31 unincorporated areas and one Ghost Town of Blakeley
• Two separate areas in Baldwin County have been designated as “Outstanding Alabama Water” by the Alabama Environmental Management Commission. These two areas are a portion of Wolf Bay and 42 miles of the Tensaw River. As of April 2007, only 2 other areas in Alabama have received what is the “highest environmental status” in the state.

We hope this information helped you learn a little bit about an awesome place to live. If you live or are moving to Baldwin County and need a new garage door or repairs on your existing door, we at A Plus Garage Doors have expert technicians to handle all your garage door needs. We also have the most affordable prices in the entire county.

Please call us in Eastern Shore at 251 626-0773 and in South Baldwin County at 251 971-3331.

 

 

 

As the American home has continued to evolve with the speed of new technology, so has the garage door technology. In order to keep up with the everyday busy live styles of homeowners and the need for these homeowners to spread out and utilize all the space within their homes, garages have become a new frontier for functioning space within the home.

Your garage is normally your main entranceway into your home. The garage door and its opener are imperative to the security of your home. Garage Doors and Openers have improved dramatically in the last decade.

Look at a few new options that are available.

 

Control your garage door from anywhere in the world

Garage door openers are now high-tech. You can purchase an opener that can open the door from inside your home, while you are at the office, and even when you are halfway across the world by using your computer or smart phone to access the door.  This technology allows you to monitor whether the door is open or closed, and allows you to operate it from a remote location. This is nice when you need to allow someone into your home. Your garage door may actually serve the purpose of your locked back door. Since many of us don’t even lock that door when leaving home, we just close your garage door.

Electronic eyes

All new garage doors come with safety sensors that prevent the door from closing if someone or something is underneath. If an object breaks the beam of infrared light spanning the width of the door, the garage door will not close. And if something were to cross the sensor as the door is closing, it would cause the door to reverse direction and open up again. This is particular helpful to protect small children from being struck by the door.

Timers for closing

You can now buy timers that will automatically close the door after a period of time of being open. For example, one, five, or even ten minutes after it is open. The only hassle here is to remember to turn off the timer when you are working in the garage and would like it to remain open.

Power Outages

When the power goes out, you had to pull the release with old doors to be able to open them manually. Some newer garage door openers are equipped with a battery backup. This allows you to have access to your home and automobiles when the power is out.

Safety lighting

Exterior lights have also seen technology upgrades, and when placed next to your garage, can deter unwanted visitors.

If you are looking for new garage doors or just wanting to upgrade your technology, please give us at A Plus Garage Doors a call. We will be glad to come out and give you some affordable options to improve or replace your garage door and its systems. In Eastern Shore call us at 251 626-0773 and in South Baldwin County at 251 971-3331. We will be glad to come, meet you, and discuss options. We also do any type garage door repairs needed.

 

Carport versus Garage

You are only concerned about keeping your car out of the weather, a covered carport is all you may need. But a garage can offer so much more. From security to a great place to securely place tools and storage a garage is a great choice.

Here are some benefits of both type of structures

 

Carports

Pros

• Cost half as much as a garage
• Parking your car in carport helps keep the sun from destroying your paint job over time
• Your car will have plenty of ventilation in a carport
• If your homeowner’s associates have not rule against this, you can build a carport from a kit with all the pieces to raise a metal structure in less than a day.

Cons

• Most carports are just big enough to shelter your cars, so you won’t be able to set up your workbench or store anything in it. You really wouldn’t want to anyway, since there is no security in having a carport.
• It won’t keep animals out either, so if you stored anything in it, it may be damaged by an unwelcomed critter.

 

 

Garages

Pros

• With a good door lock, your garage will be a secure place to store many things. You can buy or build shelves and cabinets to utilize in your garage.
• Because it has 4 walls it provides complete protection from sun. hail and wind.
• Also it will keep animals out
• It’s even possible that as your family grows, you may need to convert your garage into an extra room.

Cons

• A quite bit more expensive than a carport
• There are rules and codes to follow when building a garage. City building codes and fire safety regulations are in place for garages.

We hope you feel that once you review these pros and cons that you would agree with us that a garage offers so much more for you and your family. Plus, it offers better secure all the way around.

If you are considering a garage versus a carport, garage doors are a must. We at A Plus Garage Doors install new garage doors and everything needed to utilize them efficiently. We also can repair any existing garage doors you may have. Just give us a call in Eastern Shore at 251 626-0773 or in South Baldwin County at 251 971-3331. You can also visit our website at www.aplusgargedoorsal.com  to learn more about us and the products and services we offer.