I would like to talk about a couple of home improvement products that not only make your life easier but can also add significant value to your home – everyone is a winner.

Today I would like to discuss Garage Doors and what automated garage doors are available on the market.

These really are good – perhaps you have a disability, perhaps you feel vulnerable getting out of your car in the dark winter nights or maybe you are just plain lazy and looking for the easy life!

If any of the above applies to you then an automated garage door could significantly improve your life and add value to your home.

These garage doors come in many different shapes and sizes. You may choose to opt for a roller garage door – this is a slatted door that is quite attractive in appearance. It rolls up into a casing. These doors are generally quite quiet and provide good insulation for your garage.

The negative point about these doors is that you need the headroom above the opening to fit the box in the first place. If you do not have this then the box will have to sit within the opening – this could leave you with a vastly reduced opening height, which is a huge issue for smaller garages or owners of large vehicles.

There are solutions to this issue – doors are available that rather than rolling into a coil they continue on a track on your ceiling roof – this allows to very little headroom requirement. Generally though these doors can be a lot more expensive than the traditional roller door.

Another quite attractive door is the same as mentioned above but the slats remain vertical and the door slides to the left or right wall of the garage. Of course here you need the depth of the garage to be available and if you have a side door or windows it may not be a practical solution

Options are available other than the slatted roller door. Sectional doors are similar but they have much larger panels. These can be very attractive but they come with added complications.

Finally the typical up and over doors are also available with an automatic operation. These tend to be the noisiest of doors so bear this in mind if you have a bedroom above and need to use the door when people may be sleeping. Kits can be purchased that allow you to motorise your existing door. These allow for quick and easy automation at low cost.

All the above operate on the same principle. You have a remote control in your car or on your person. As you approach the door you press the remote. The door should be pretty much open by the time you reach your garage. Dive in and press the button again and the door closes.

A few points to be aware of when considering using a garage door of this kind – What will you do in the even of a powercut – or even a breakdown? There are several options available today including manual override systems and battery backups.

For our take on Garage Doors Check out review Blog. Roller Garage Doors and other home improvement products

Another motivation to make this change is for the security reasons. Chances are if you have older windows they could be tapped a few times or knocked on and then the locks will give way. With the replacement windows you could lock the windows and you can find them stay this way. Many of the home burglaries are occurring not through actual breaking of a doors or windows, but by just lock open and crawling in through windows or doors with faulty locks! Security is a vital thing to consider about when buying new windows!

Noise reduction is yet another very common cause to prefer these windows and garage doors than the aluminum varieties. Vinyl options have a dual pane, which provides you with a barrier to all the noise exterior of your house. You’ll be able to enjoy the comfort and calmness of your home without thinking about what is happening outside, and isn’t that what we all need when we are at home?

There are a lot of people out there who do not opt for these doors and windows and try to insist you also. But overall you can find that there are a lot more benefits than aluminium doors and windows. In some climates you might have to pressure wash the surface so as to keep it free of mildew, but this will be a small price to pay for the savings, security, and the elegant look that you get from the product.

Ronvictor is a expert author for Replacement windows and New construction windows. He has written many articles in various topics such as vinyl windows, Vinyl Replacement windows, custom vinyl windows. For more information visit: http://customorderonline.com Contact me at ron.seocopywriter@gmail.com

Henderson garage doors are supplied with 2-10 years guarantee, which would please even the most demanding customer.

The Henderson range of garage doors includes steel doors, timber doors, insulated sectional doors, insulated roller doors and last, but not least, the elegant GRP doors which are moulded and hand-crafted to imitate the finest timber in all its details. The Henderson GRP garage doors come in several finishes: Abbey, Ashton, Caversham, Cumberland, and they can have a wide range of colors such as matt white, mahogany, mild oak, dark oak, burnt oak, beige or glass white.

The Henderson timber garage doors are sourced from recycled timber, in order to protect the environment and they are encased in a steel box which gives them strength to resists thieves or heavy storms.

Besides the elegance and beauty of their garage doors, Henderson offers an improved security for all models, thanks to a new, innovative slam-latch locking system which clamps the door to the frame.

Garage door installers have reasons to prefer Henderson, thanks to the easy fitting of the door in place. This is possible because many components are already fitted on the doors at delivery, thus decreasing the installation time.

PC Henderson ltd has almost 90 years of garage door manufacturing experience, as they were established in 1921. They have offices in both Europe and Asia, in Ireland, the Netherlands, China and Singapore, and their products arte available through distributors all over the world.

Can you believe that until now more than 3,000,000 Henderson garage doors have been installed?

What Kind of Garage Door should I buy?

When looking for a garage door, you notice that there are two major designs: tilt-up doors and sectional roll-up doors. Sectional roll-up doors are more expensive than tilt-up doors, but the extra cost is well worth it.Tilt-up doors consist of a single panel of material. To open the door, you have to pull it out and pivot it up to slide it along the roof of your garage. Sectional roll-up doors, on the other hand, are made of a number of horizontal sections. Each section is hinged to the next section, allowing the door a certain degree of flexibility. Because the door is mounted on rollers, to open a sectional roll-up door you just have to lift the door and it will roll into place along the roof of your garage.

Sectional roll-up doors are superior to tilt-up doors

From a purely practical point they take up less room. Because you don’t have to pull the door out, there will be more room in front of your garage door for things like your car. The door will also take up less room in the garage, since it can be placed higher up than a tilt-up door.

What should my Garage Door be made of?

Garage doors, both tilt-ups and sectional roll-ups, are primarily made from wood or steel. Of these two materials, wood is the cheaper and – arguably – more attraction option. If you decided to get a wooden door please keep in mind that just like your deck, a wooden garage door will be more easily damaged by the weather than a steel door. If you live in a particularly hot or cold climate, you may find your self with a warped or damaged garage door.
Steel garage doors are more expensive, but you will not face the same problems that you would encounter with a wood door. If you decide to get a steel door the main thing to check is that it has been properly prepared to prevent rust.
Garage doors are also occasionally made with aluminium or fibreglass. While both of these materials are less expensive than steel doors, you should be careful when using them. Neither material is as strong as steel so they will not hold up to the usual wear and tear of a garage door. And once again depending on your climate, they will not be as energy efficient as a steel door if that is a concern to you.

How do I look after my Garage Door?

Just like any other exterior surface on your house, your garage door will need periodic maintenance to keep it working smoothly and looking as good as the rest of your house. You’d be surprised how the look of your garage door not only affects the overall look of your house, but the perceived value of your house too.

No matter what material your garage door is made of, it should be washed regularly. If you have a wood door, you should repaint the door every other year to ensure that the wood stays protected. If you have a steel door, you can give it a yearly shine with car wax

To prolong the life of the mechanical parts, you should lubricate all moving parts with motor oil whenever the door starts to feel sluggish.

Safety Concerns with Garage Doors

Every year, children are seriously injured from accidents involving garage doors. To avoid these preventable accidents, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that you should only use automatic garage door openers if they have an automatic reverse function. This will reverse the closing of the garage door if an obstacle is encountered.

You may think choosing garage doors is straight forward, however there are many things to consider, such as whether your garage is adjoining your property, is it a single or a double garage, how much clearance inside and out is needed and so on. Also, the appearance of the garage door can influence what material you use. There are four basic types of garage door and three different materials commonly used to construct these doors. We take a brief look at the four types of garage door which are sectional, roller, side hung and finally the common up and over

The first type of garage door we look are sectional garage doors. These doors open vertically and so are perfect where space in front of the garage is at a premium. They are a versatile solution for a new garage door with the added bonus of aesthetic appeal, which is obviously very important as most garages are located at the front of the house. A sectional garage door has a series of hinged horizontal panels that lift up and lie parallel with the ceiling of the garage when the door is opened. There is no overhang or canopy and it is possible to park a car right up next to the door as there is no protrusion at any point of the operation of opening the door.

Roller garage doors are very similar to sectional garage doors. The major difference is the need for a certain amount of headroom inside the garage above the door opening. This is because the door rolls up inside a drum above the opening of the garage door. Like a sectional door there is no need to allow any room inside or out to operate the door. Also, roller doors are often automatic.

If it is traditional look that is required for a garage door then side hung garage doors are the usual solution. For those people for whom image is important, a timber side-hung door is essential. Also, for period properties, this type of garage door will be much more in keeping with the appearance of the property rather than a newer steel or GRP style of door. Side hung doors can be fitted directly onto brick or onto a wooden frame.

The final type of door we consider is the most common variety which is the up and over garage door. There are still the most popular type and are extremely versatile. They are manufactured from all three of the common materials used in garage door construction, which are timber, steel and GRP. The up and over garage doors can be either automatically or manually operated which gives even more choice. Importantly, they are relatively easy to install and operate.

Matthew Anthony is a regular contributor to a number of home improvement sites including hot tubs and garage doors.

Your overhead garage door is likely the biggest mechanical device in your home. It is important not only in protecting your cars from the elements, but also in guarding them (and your house as well) from burglars and intruders. Care in using your overhead garage door will guarantee its continuous function for years to come.

A typical overhead garage door normally weighs four hundred pounds. Springs are installed to make it easier to lift. Newer models come in wood, steel, aluminum or fiberglass. The most popular choices nowadays are wood and steel. Owing to its natural look and affordability, wood is still a top choice, although it is not as durable as steel and requires more maintenance. To keep a wooden overhead door looking good, you have to paint over it several times.

On the other hand, steel doors provide greater strength and security. Because of advances in manufacturing, you now get the same elegant wooden look even if your overhead garage door is actually made of steel. The best part is, there’s never any need for regular upkeep. A steel overhead garage door has its setbacks — it is not very easy to repair and is easily dented.

Installing an overhead garage door

Due to safety concerns, manufacturers recommended that those who want to do their overhead garage door installation themselves limit their involvement to periodic maintenance, allowing experts to do the installation and spring maintenance.

Openers for overhead garage doors

The newest safety feature in automatic overhead garage door openers is the use of an infrared and receiver installed at the bottom of each of the tracks. Once the infrared has been transmitted between the transmitter and the receiver, the garage door stops and fully opens. Be sure to test the rollers and hinges of your overhead garage door for wear and tear and proper lubrication, so that the openers can work properly.

Garage Doors provides detailed information on Garage Doors, Garage Door Openers, Garage Door Repair, Overhead Garage Doors and more. Garage Doors is affiliated with Garage Door Opener Parts.

Many garage owners who decide for an upgrade and go for buying a remote control door opener ask themselves if they need a specialist to install it, or they can do it by themselves. Genie has the answers in their animated installation instructions. You watch the film, then decide if that’s a job you can do or not. Genie provides you with the tools you need, so you can buy them before you start installing your opener. Tools like the electric drill, the hammers and the screwdrive are probably found in many homes, but you’ll also need a carpenter’s level, a socket wrench, a step ladder and a few more tools you may have to buy or borrow.

Genie is so trustful in the ability of their clients to install the openers by themselves, that they are selling even products from their premium line in stores such as Home Depot, Sears or Lowe’s. For example, the Genie Direct Lift screw drive garage door opener is considered a do-it-yourself product and it is sold with an installation manual.

The Genie Company History

Founded in 1923, and known in its early days as the Alliance Manufacturing Company, the company produced a broad line of consumer, industrial and military products. When America was at war in the 1940´s, Alliance’s factories produced everything from fuse caps and voltage regulators to canteen handles and generators. In May 1954, the Alliance Manufacturing Company first produced its own garage door opener unit. Genie was the first mass-produced, radio-controlled residential garage door opener, becoming the market leader in design, safety and reliable service – core values Genie still upholds to this day. In the years following the introduction of the original opener Genie, engineering innovations brought about the development of the first screw drive opener in 1958. Further design refinements ultimately resulted in the offering of a split rail. This innovation opened opportunities to mass retailers for the first time in the mid 1970´s. Consumer appeal for this product grew alongside the rapidly developing do-it-yourself market. In 1983 the company entered the home and shop vacuum market, and in 1985 it changed its name to Genie Home Products.

By the time Overhead Door Corporation purchased the company in 1994, the Genie name had become well-known for its reliability for millions of customers around the world. Its continuing focus on product quality, innovation and service remains the hallmark of Genie’s legacy.

Today, Genie manufactures remote-controlled garage door opening systems for multiple distribution channels, as well as a full line of commercial operators private labeled exclusively for Overhead Door distributors. Genie’s line of garage door openers include advanced features such as the Intellicode remote access security system that automatically changes the security code to one of billions of combinations each time the transmitter is activated, as well as the Safe-T-Beam infrared beam system that senses objects in the door’s path to prevent entrapment.

You can search for distributors for Genie garage door openers in your area here.

“By offering the Classica with polyurethane insulation, we are providing a product requested by several builders and garage door dealers,” said Amarr’s CEO Richard Brenner.

“The look of the Classica continues to gain popularity with homeowners and we know that the addition of an energy efficient door will only serve to increase that.”

The Classica Collection (patents pending) is also unique because a standard 7 or 8-foot tall door requires only three sections. Most standard garage doors uses four sections. The 28” and 32” sections are made of durable steel and a indented centerline adds to the illusion of a carriage house door. The designs for the Classica Collection were inspired by the distinct carriage house doors of the 18^th and 19^th century. The Classica Collection is available in 33 design combinations, utilizing a square top, an arch top, and seven decorative windows.
All Classica Collection models are pre-painted in white, but can be painted any color to meet the homeowner’s need. Reasonably priced decorative strap hinges and handles are also available. The Classica Collection 3000 is available for order since June 1st 2006.

More info about Amarr is available here.

There are three main types of garage doorsÂ

• Sectional: open vertically retracting into the ceiling space
• Roller: fits behind the brickwork, opens vertically and coils around a drum above the lintol.
• Up and over: available as a canopy or a retractable door both swing out and made as a single panel.

Check each type’s details to see which one fits better for your home.

The expert advice for your home explains why sectional and roller garage doors are better than the single panel ones, although they are by 25% to 35% more expensive.

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In terms of materials, garage doors can be made of:

• Wood
• Steel
• Aluminium
• Fiberglass
• Vinyl