Decorative Elements Make The Door

Decorative iron or aluminum hardware is traditionally added to garage doors to create a style. There are two types of elements that can make a striking difference but are presently underused. Faux Lite Panels and Clavos. When designing a garage door to enhance the look of the home or structure many times these certain elements can be added at very little expense. Certain recessed or  flat panel high definition doors like the Style Setter Pro can have grids added to the solid top panel. These grids mimic the look of a window without the added cost of glazing. Clavos can also be added. Clavos , Spanish for “nail”, are large headed iron or aluminum  square or circular embellishments. Lines or arcs of clavos can create divisions where none naturally exist or can enhance or focus the eye to one area or another.

 

Faux Lites and Clavos

Garage Door Repair

Oh No ! , You just found out your garage door is in need of repair. Broken spring ? , Cables came off ? What to do ?

Call a professional, period.

I have always said that the installation and repair of a garage door is 50% science and 50% art. Anyone can do simple repairs by following the directions but you generally count on the door to work flawlessly for years and years and that’s where the “art” of the garage door repairman comes into play. A well trained craftsman will be able to ” fine tune “ the installation or repair.

The most common way of finding a garage door repairman is to look in the Yellow Pages but be wary of the companies that have big ads that don’t list a local physical address as you are probably dealing with a referral company that actually is not in the repair business and is just contacting a local handyman.

I have heard of some of these companies charge 3 and 4 times the going rate for the same repair eleswhere and also remember …. never ever sign a blank work order.

 

Don't Service This Yourself

The Garage Door Makes the House

The importance of a garage door can be overlooked. The garage door is sometimes the only unobstructed view of the entire home. Selecting the “right” door for the home is very important.

1.) Choose an architectural element on the home to carry over onto the garage door.

2.) Add windows or some other design that will put a “head” on the door.

3.) Paint the door to match the homes’ body or trim color.

Below are two examples:

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The door shown above show the element of the crossbar or gridded windows on the home was added to the door to tie the two together.

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This garage door design features a “head” or “top” design to the garage door, A Style Setter Pro, without adding lites or windows. The home already has a lot of glass and adding more would overwhelm the overall design.

Creating a special design can be fun, easy and economical too. Contra Costa Door in Concord, California has a product called the Style Setter Pro that is adaptable to many homeowners design ideas.