Building Garage Doors: Create a Beautiful Facade

A modern home.

When building a new home, it is essential to look at all the details. The exterior’s finishing touches are very important, including building garage doors. These doors should be taken into consideration as much as the front door or exterior lighting. They all set the tone for wanting to see what’s on the inside.

Choosing a Garage Door

The door styles on a home need to reflect the architectural style. In most cases, the garage doors are positioned on the side or front of the house so that they play readily into the overall design.

When building garage doors, there are generally two types: wood or steel. Wood garage doors are available in either paint grade or stain grade facing over a hardwood interlay and are reinforced with Polystyrene cores for insulation. The natural beauty of wood creates a warm, inviting appearance to the home. Weathered effects such as distressing or wire brushing add additional ambiance.

Steel doors offer less maintenance, with heat-cured, fade-resistant finishes. A steel door can offer as much of the same appeal as a wood door, and may be more weather resistance depending on the climate. Steel doors might also be more cost-effective.

Decorative Elements

When building garage doors, there are many design elements to consider. A custom arched top will enhance the lines of the home, but be pricier to create and install. Standard straight tops work very well and are easier to produce.

Some garage doors are meant to emulate a carriage house on traditionally styled homes. While they may lift straight up like a regular door, the doors can appear to have folds or moldings on them to give more architectural effect. A modern door may be simpler in style, with minimal elegant lines.

If windows are included on the doors, then many choices can occur. This ranges from how many are desired, whether they are arched or straight, and the general layout. Both wood and steel doors are enhanced by the inclusion of windows.

Hardware

Building garage doors wouldn’t be complete without including decorative hardware. Nowadays there is so much to choose from in numerous finishes. Bronze, black, antiqued nickel, and blackened iron are just some of the options available to add extra interest. Matching door hardware and hinges with the exterior lighting is common and adds flow to the overall exterior design.

Creative options are limitless when it comes to building garage doors. This is an area that should not be taken for granted when building or remodeling the perfect home.