Choosing the Right Garage Door for your Property

Whilst there are many types of garage doors to choose from, not all designs will suit all property types. With garages ranging widely in their construction, certain spaces may be better suited to one particular design therefore it is strongly advisable to carry out some research prior to ordering one.

What Types of Garage Door are Available?

Gone are the days where the only 2 styles of door were the up & over or side hinged designs. With modern manufacturing techniques improving all the time, there are a number of other designs that offer far more benefits to the user in terms of practicality and levels of security offered.

Up & Over Garage Doors

Fitted to the majority of UK homes, an up & over door consists of a single panel that swings out as it rises within the opening. Available in a wide range of styles, the 2 most popular types of mechanism employed is either “canopy” or “retractable” lifting gear. You can tell the type of door by looking at its position when open. A canopy door will have approx 1/3rd protruding out of the entrance of the building hence the name “canopy”. In comparison, a retractable door swings back inside the garage along horizontal tracks and is completely housed inside the garage roof space when open.

Whilst both door types are relatively cheap to purchase, the level of security provided tends to be low.

Side Hinged Doors

Ideally suited to garages where regular pedestrian access is required as the whole door does not need to be opened to gain access. Manufactured by a range of leading companies, the side hinged door is available in a range of materials including wood, steel and GRP.

The drawback to this design is that due to the swinging ark, vehicles cannot be parked close to the entrance otherwise they will not open. As such, this form of door only tends to be fitted to single garages.

Sectional Garage Doors

Constructed from individual panels that hinge together a sectional door rises vertically within the opening, curving back around a tracking mechanism as it does so. Once fully open the door panels sits in the horizontal position with the roof space of the building.

This simple yet effective design enables the maximum width and height to be achieved as the tracking mechanism is fitted inside the garage and results in no frame being required.

Roller Shutter Garage Doors

Simplistic in design, a roller garage door is a relatively new concept that provides many other benefits the above door types cannot offer. Vertically opening, the door coils into a neat and compact box that is stored inside the garage (behind the lintel) enabling much more storage space to be created inside the building. In addition to this, cars can park right up to the door without running the risk of having access issues. Available in both insulated and single skin designs, they are supplied in made to measure sizes. With a wide range of leading UK manufacturers to choose from such as Seceuroglide or Gliderol, this form of door is fast becoming the post popular style being fitted into residential garages.