Just as with other home repair and remodeling projects, there are many options available when replacing your garage door. And compared to other home remodeling investments, there is one key advantage to keep in mind with respect to garage doors: You can expect nearly a full return on your investment in terms of home resale value. That superior payback is confirmed every year in a national survey of real estate and remodeling professionals.
So why settle for just an ordinary door? Here are some simple ways to customize and personalize your selection.
These suggested upgrades are well worth a little extra time to discuss with your dealer, as any one of the options may add greatly to your satisfaction with the door’s performance as well as appearance. The upgrades generally fall into 2 categories: Mechanical/Performance and Aesthetic. Note that some of the options are only available with certain door designs. Many are also standard in our Distinctions and Aspen™ Series.
These 10 garage door upgrades can increase your home resale value.
- Superior R-value insulation
- Thermal break section joints
- Powder-coated hardware and track system
- Anti-break-in locking
- Heavy duty cable drums
- Windload hurricane-ready doors
- Custom colors
- Custom window glazing, placement and sizes
- Distinct finish woodtones
- Decorative hardware
Mechanical/Performance Upgrades
1. Superior R-value insulation
Warmer garage, warmer house!
Choosing a door with best R-value is particularly important for attached garages of course, unless you have a free-standing garage that you are heating and cooling. An attached garage typically shares large wall areas of the home. With an insulated door that can help you moderate temperatures inside the garage, the direct transfer of extreme temperatures to and through those walls can be minimized.
Raynor’s NeuFoam™ polyurethane process completely fills the space between inside and outside door panels, providing up to 18 R-value with 2″ thick doors.
Standard with RockCreeke™, Aspen™ Series and Country Manor™ doors. Also available in other door series.
2. Thermally broken section joints
Guarding against unwanted moisture and air infiltration, Raynor’s proprietary WeatherLock™ section joints have a continuous thermal break and air seal between the panel sections. This modified tongue-in-groove design provides exceptional strength along with energy savings.
Standard with RockCreeke™, Aspen™ Series and Country Manor™ doors. Available with other door series: Joint seals with mechanical locking vinyl thermal break
3. Powder-coated hardware and track system
The EnduraCote™ hardware option adds an attractive powder-coat finish on all surface hardware. This clean-looking system helps make the door motion ultra-quiet and also extends its operating life with maximum protection against rust. Coated are all tracks, hinges, panel end caps, springs, torsion tubes as well as rollers which also have premium ball-bearing design.
Standard with Masterpiece™ Series. Optional with any Raynor residential door.
4. Automatic door lock
Providing extra assurance against unauthorized intrusion, Raynor’s SecureLoc™ Anti-Break-In system locks automatically with a positive, sliding bolt action when the door closes. It also unlocks automatically with the opener or can be opened and closed manually with a simple sliding knob.
SecureLoc is available on select residential openers, including the Prodigy II WiFi.
5. Heavy duty cable drums
If the door you are considering has windows in the top section, Raynor’s TruBalance™ drums will prolong the life of your opener and also give you extra peace of mind in knowing that you will be able to lift the door by hand easily when the power goes out.
The drum is that wheel mounted at the far left and right of the shaft above the door (as you view it from inside the garage). Though drums may look pretty simple in concept, there are actually many types and each has its purpose. Working with the springs and cables, TruBalance drums keep the door motion even throughout its travel. It won’t fly up when you lift it. And it won’t crash down when you are closing it.
Heavy duty hardware is optional with any Raynor residential door. TruBalance drums come standard with doors up to 8′ high with oversized windows in the top section.
6. Windload hurricane-ready design
Windload rated garage doors are a longstanding requirement by code in south Florida, Texas and other regions. But as storms have been mapped and studied, there is a broader perspective today that suggests such wind protection is not just for beach houses anymore.
Covering the largest opening in most homes, the garage door is tasked with being perhaps the biggest guardian against penetration of wind-borne objects. The garage door also serves to keep the wind from entering and creating a destructive lift that can lead to entire collapse of the structure. Raynor’s Hurricane Ready™ door systems address all of that with heavy duty end styles and hinges along with high strength horizontal trussing.
Windload options are available with most Raynor residential garage doors except for AP200LV and Country Manor.
Aesthetic upgrades
7. Custom colors
While there are a wide range of popular colors available as standard in Raynor doors, you can go well outside the “catalog” with a palette of more than 1500 special order colors in steel doors and another 188 colors for doors with aluminum rails and stiles.
Whether you wish to match the color of something else on your home’s exterior or simply want to make a distinctive architectural statement with the garage door, your Raynor dealer can help you find a perfect finishing touch.
The colors are applied as a third layer at the factory. For steel doors, Raynor’s ColorWave™ paint process utilizes Sherwin-Williams® Polane™ enamel colors. This durable paint is an industrial grade coating designed specifically for garage doors. For aluminum doors, ArmorBrite™ powder-coat colors are applied, also providing rugged performance and long life.
8. Custom window glazing, placement and sizes
Further creative touches are now possible with these virtually unlimited combinations of window types, shapes and sizes as well location pattern on the door.
Customize the windows of an AP200 using the VersaView™ design styles to have the windows spaced creatively in just about any arrangement: vertically along the side(s), stair-step, diagonal and other patterns to suit your tastes.
Raynor’s AP200LV and Country Manor doors offer oversized windows in the top section providing 20% more glass area for visual interest and extra light.
9. Distinct finish woodtones
Simulated wood looks as well as real wood panel garage doors have lead manufacturers to continue expanding the range of choices available. One new option with Raynor’s Aspen™ Series is to specify a steel door with woodtone pattern. These designs have a two-tone finish with woodgrain textured patterns running vertically between the embossed panels and horizontally with the rails to deliver a distinct, true grain appearance.
10. Decorative hardware
Another timeless look is to accessorize the door with surface hardware for an extra touch of authenticity, echoing classic door styling for the castle you call home. Choose from several handle and strap hinge styles, or magnetic hardware, all crafted in strong die-cast metal with black finish.
Where to go for advice
For ideas beyond the ordinary, definitely ask your Raynor dealer for advice in finessing your door selection. All or most of the above options are available in Raynor’s most popular door designs, particularly those in the Aspen and Country Manor series. Your dealer will know how to prepare your order for special handling at the factory.
Of course, be sure to talk about options available in openers as well. There are some great new choices with Wi-Fi® control, built-in surveillance cameras plus other security and convenience features.
Show me some custom combinations
Upload an image of your home and view it with various new Raynor door designs incorporating custom touches you are interested in exploring. Visit our online Design-a-Door page to get the thinking started.
