They secure our possessions; house our vehicles; and greet our visitors.
Taking a stroll around Melbourne you’ll notice that garage doors usually create first impressions for every modern household. So you need yours to look good.
Also, we usually put a lot of trust and expectation in these giant devices. We trust that they will keep our home safe from the outside world. And we expect them to function consistently day in, & day out.
But that only happens when you picked the right one. As with any structure of this stature there are many safety factors that need to be considered when investing in a garage door.
This buyers guide will break down all the necessary characteristics to consider when selecting your new garage door.
Types of Garage Doors
Thankfully we all exist with different tastes when it comes to home design.
This has allowed the garage door industry to evolve not only in function but in creativity as well. Since they often front our premises, many Melbourne residents have looked to their garage doors as forms of style expression.
Garage doors Melbourne vendors offer, come in a vast array of different sizes and shapes to suit every preference. Doors can be:
- Carved out of timber
- Sectioned into steel and glass panels
- Painted
- Left neutral
- Varnished
- Left raw
The aesthetic options are endless.
The style in which a garage door unfolds is also left to buyer’s choice. Some garage doors remain one solid unit as they’re tilted up and down. Others unravel in a rolling fashion either in or outward.
Some garage doors can even have windows. You’ll be able to peer into your garage from the outside to see what is going on without having to open the whole thing up. Convenient, or creepy? You be the judge.
Then there is the option of having a garage door that is either automatic or fully manual and operated by hand. For an automatic garage door Melbourne is a great place to browse as there are many industry leading vendors in town.
Before you do this, however, we recommend taking some time to familiarize yourself with some safety points that could mean the difference between security and injury.
Safety Tips
Garage doors are usually the largest moving device on a property. And often the heaviest too! It’s important to know that such things would come with a range of risks to human safety.
Garage doors and other large access doors need to be professionally installed to ensure safe functionality. We urge you to never attempt self-installation of these devices. And no, don’t trust anyone except those that are qualified.
Be sure to only work with a reputable, licensed garage door company. Here are some features to look out for before committing to a retailer:
- Do they adhere to the standards laid out by the Australian/ New Zealand rule book?
- Is the company insured in the event of injury on the job?
- Do they offer regular maintenance on your purchase?
Any professionally installed garage door will come with a few safety stickers and information plaques. Never remove these from your door frame or motor. Keep them around so future users have the same safety information that you do.
The biggest concern with garage doors is their unpredictability around children. Make sure that your retailer positions the activation buttons on a wall high up so children can’t reach them. Never leave your remotes where a child might get hold of them. When not properly supervised, this can lead to tragedy.
As mentioned above, frequent maintenance of garage doors is highly advised. Because of the number of moving parts; wear and tear is a common occurrence.
Some components of garage doors are particularly prone to rust as they’re made up of springs and joints. The last thing you want is one of these springs snapping back or flying out into the face of someone you love. This is avoidable by simple, routine checks of the space and device. You’ll be able to conduct them alone or call in a specialist if you feel something isn’t quite right.
Benefits of Garage Doors
Once your mind is well wrapped around safety, you can start getting excited about your new addition to your home!
There are so many benefits to installing a well made, quality garage door:
- Your privacy is more ensured than ever before
- Your vehicles are safe from the effects of the elements
- Your family has an additional access point into the house
Garage doors create space. They open up entire walls that would alternatively never allow daylight in. In this way they’re able to enhance both your privacy, but also your social life as you garage can be the space you use to host a gathering of friends.
The biggest benefit, however, is that garage doors today are seen as value adding home features to most buyers. Installing one increases the market value of most homes.
To Conclude
We personally love the idea of being able to so drastically change the dynamics and functionality of a household with the inclusion of one item: A garage door.
The market can be saturated with options and retailers all claiming to deliver the best product. Which one to trust? The proof certainly is in the pudding, but it can’t hurt to keep this batch of information and tips in mind before purchasing one.
Best advice: Make it personal. After all, you will have to look at it every… single.. day.
Make sure you’ll like what you see!
