5 Good Reasons You'll Want to Replace Your Garage Door

Replacing a garage door isn't exactly on the top of most "to-do" lists. In fact, most homeowners don't give them much thought until their garage doors either stop working properly or when they start losing their good looks. When it comes time to have yours replaced, you may be tempted to drag your feet on the whole thing. However, there are 5 good reasons why you shouldn't wait to replace your garage door.

Your Garage Door Isn't Getting Any Younger

Your garage door seems like it can last forever, but as with everything else involving your home, garage doors do have a finite lifespan. In fact, some experts say that the average garage door offers about 30 years of reliable service if it's well taken care of. Keeping your garage door past this point could prove costly since age-related maladies could result in frequent, expensive and time-consuming repairs.

Most homeowners spend an average of $1,062 to purchase and install a garage door and $211 to have one repaired. Repeated repairs of old garage doors can easily exceed the cost of buying and installing a brand-new one, so it's usually cheaper and less of a hassle to replace your garage door when it reaches the end of its expected lifespan.

Newer Garage Doors Have Better Safety Features

Safety is paramount when it comes to your home and family. A garage door that's decades old may not have many of the safety features that today's garage doors offer. These features include automatic reversal systems that detect obstacles in the door's path and advanced diagnostics that monitor door operation over time. Installing a new garage door featuring these and other safety features can go a long way towards enhancing your home's overall safety.

It Can Boost Your Home's Value

Another benefit you'll get from replacing your garage door is that it can increase your home's curb appeal, which in turn increases its overall value. A recent study from Stratamark Research and Clopay Building Products found that replacing an old garage door helped increase a home's list price by as much as 4 percent, depending on the style of garage door and how well it blended in with the home's overall décor.

Best of all, you may be able to get your money back if you decide to sell your home. Homeowners may be able to recoup as much as 91.5 percent of the job cost of having a new garage door installed. This makes replacing your old garage door a solid investment.

You'll Benefit from Lower Energy Costs

The vast majority of older garage doors weren't built with energy efficiency in mind. Not only do most of these doors lack the proper insulation for maintaining a comfortable environment inside the garage, but the weatherstripping used for these doors may not be adequate for blocking drafts. These factors often lead to significant energy loss and higher heating and cooling costs as a result.

Today's garage doors feature complete insulation and improved weatherstripping to block extreme heat and cold while keeping temperatures inside at a comfortable, constant level. Investing in a new garage door can help significantly reduce your heating and cooling expenses, especially when used in conjunction with other energy-saving measures. If your garage also doubles as a workspace or a play area, then you'll appreciate the added comfort.

A New Door May Help Reduce Your Insurance Costs

Most homeowner insurance providers offer discounts and other benefits for making sensible and beneficial improvements to your home. As a result, you may be able to reduce your monthly premiums by a small yet significant amount simply by installing a new garage door that offers better safety and efficiency features. This and other discounts can help make your homeowner insurance more affordable over the long run. For more information, contact companies like AAA Garage Door, Inc.