Why Upgrade Your Home’s Garage Door?

This is a great article for Sacramento homeowners researching the benefits of replacing their home’s garage door. Abel Garage Door has over 28 years experience repairing, servicing and installing garage doors in Sacramento.

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This article was provided graciously by Cathy Wempe

When considering your home’s overall value and potential improvements – don’t forget your garage door. Industry research shows that a garage door replacement or upgrade is a smart investment. An automatic garage door, a custom garage door, and today’s “green” garage doors are excellent ways to boost curb appeal while also increasing home safety and energy efficiency.

Garage Door Upgrades Impact Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is a critical factor of every home. Often, an attached garage takes up nearly fifty percent of a home’s façade, and as such, greatly affects the overall visual impact of the home. Whether you’re considering a move, a refinance, or simply want the nicest looking house on the block, exterior upgrades such as a custom garage door and/or a new automatic garage door have been shown to increase curb appeal and a home’s overall market value. Whether your home is traditional, modern or transitional, there is a garage door available to suit your style and budget. And, by adding custom windows and other garage door accessories, you can personalize your garage door to suit not only your home, but your own personal style.

Increasing Home Safety with an Automatic Garage Door

“Tech-up the garage” is one of REALTOR.com’s top ten “Low Cost High Impact” home improvements for 2009, indicating that upgrading your garage door is a sure hit in the cost vs. value equation. Not only does upgrading to an automatic door with an automatic garage door opener or wireless keypad system assure you a return on your investment, it increases the safety profile of your home for you and your family. Unlike traditional, non-automatic garage doors, all residential automatic garage doors sold in the United States since 1993 are required by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to be outfitted with an external entrapment protection system. This system can be an electric eye, a door edge sensor or any other device that provides protection from any individual or object being trapped beneath a closing garage door, as the door automatically reverses. Along with these numerous safety design features, the wireless keypad systems now available on most doors help to keep your family safe by allowing access to the home even when a family member loses or forgets their keys.

“Green” Garage Door Installation for Increased Energy Efficiency

As the largest moving part on a home, your garage door plays an important role in maintaining its energy efficiency – a critical factor in “green building” and sustainable architectural design. Seasonally, your garage door either helps you keep the heat in or keep the cool in, which means having the right garage door can determine your heating and cooling budget. By upgrading to an energy-efficient, insulated garage door with a life expectancy of nearly twenty years, you are lowering your household’s carbon footprint substantially. If your garage is attached to your home, you will also find that upgrading to an insulated garage door will have such a significant impact that the Internal Revenue Service has declared certain models eligible for an energy savings tax credit under the Energy Tax Incentives Act.

So, as a homeowner, if you are considering making any improvements this year, remember that for increased curb appeal, safety, and adding some “green” to your home and your pocketbook, don’t forget your garage door!

Cathy Wempe of AE Door, a Cincinnati-based residential and commercial garage door retailer. For 30 years, AE Door has been an industry leader in entry and storm doors, commercial garage doors openers and windows.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/Why-Upgrade-Your-Home’s-Garage-Door?/1391338

Sectional Garage Door and Opener Checklist for Home Inspectors and Homeowners

Introduction

The garage door systems industry recognizes the important safety role played by home inspectors. This checklist intends to help home inspectors maximize the value of their service to homeowners and home buyers.

This checklist covers the most important parts of a basic inspection of a residential sectional garage door connected to an automatic garage door opener. This checklist does not apply to tilt-up one-piece doors. Read more

Botox For Your Garage Door

Need a Face Lift … For Your Garage Door?

We have GREAT NEWS! We can change the look of your garage door for pennies, instead of paying the “Big Bucks” for the cost of a new garage door.

We recently complete a garage door rennovation for a home in Citrus Heights. The original door had a single window, which didn’t give much light to the garage. By removing the top panel of the garage door, we were able to retrofit the panel with the addition of 5 new windows. We were able to complete this upgrade the very same day.

The homeowner put a fresh coat of paint on the door and wall la … the home had an entire new look at a fraction of the cost.

You too can take advantage of this incredible savings by calling Abel Garage Door today for your free estimate over the phone.

Saving Money On Garage Door Repairs

In today’s economic environment, there are many companies struggling to survive. We would like help educate the public in ways companies can cut costs. And it really boils down to three simple things:

1. Lower your Labor Costs – Fire your high priced technicians and replace them with less experienced and lower skilled employees. Or just, reduce the number of people you have working for you.
2. Reduce your materials cost – Look for cheaper sources of materials. And if you’re really desperate, find sources of used parts and use them in your repairs.
3. Reduce your margins – It’s one thing to make a little less, knowing that your customers are less willing to spend money. It is a totally different story, when you reduce your price to break even! Companies that do this are on the brink of going out of business.

There are no SECRETS! And the old adage remains the same: “If it sounds too good to be true, it is.”

Frankly, I’m a little pissed off at what some of my competitors are doing out there. I find it totally unacceptable when companies make promises they don’t back up. For example, many offer a coupon advertising a service call for $29.95  This is ridiculous! On average, in any given market, it takes a minimum of 30 minutes travel time to get to a customer. Round trip that’s an hour. Combine that with fuel cost and wear and tear on the vehicle cost. The break even amount of a service call is on average $20  THAT DOES NOT include the time it takes once you are on the job.

Bottom line: Consumers Beware - You are GUARANTEED you will be pressured once the technician arrives with additional fees and services.

Another trick used quite frequently by less than desirable companies: Being too greedy or incompetent by telling customers that the only way to fix their door is to replace it with a new one.

In servicing thousands of garage doors over our 28 years, most doors can be repaired for less money than it takes for a replacement. We have the ability to replace the hinges, springs, and cables on a door for less than a couple of hundred dollars. And if through our inspection of the door, we find that the costs will exceed $200, then we have a choice to make.

Important rule of thumb: If the repair on the garage door costs more than $200, you are $200 away from a new door(A new door installed is about $400)

Now I realize this is a blanket statement, but for most doors, repairs are typically limited to replacing a couple of hinges, the cable and maybe even a bearing or two. And if you really had to, replacing a panel on the door. The costs here are still less than a couple of hundred dollars.

I also understand, replacing an old door with a new one is always better, but let’s get real! Repairs almost always cost half of what a new door costs. When we’re all trying to save money, we get the most out of our money with a repair and a can of paint.

Here’s the last tip: Most garage door openers can be repaired to function like new. All too often, other companies are looking for the quick buck. If the opener is broken…sell them a new one! I personally, don’t like to buy a new one if I can fix it!  If I had money to burn, sure I’d buy a new one but times are tough. We are here to help!

These are just a couple of the ways to save money on garage door and opener repair. We believe in educating our customers to make informed decisions to get the most for their hard earned money.

Abel Garage Door has been servicing the Sacramento Metropolitan market for over 28 years. We know what it is like to struggle in tough economic times. We’ve done it before and we are doing it now. We strive to provide the most cost effective and value for every service we provide. We know survival is guaranteed to those that provide top quality service at an affordable price.

We place our customers first.

We are fully licensed, bonded and insured. We are open 7 days a week from 7am to 7pm with emergency service available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

GARAGE DOORS & GARAGE DOOR OPENERS:

A DOZEN REASONS WHY YOU NEED NEW ONES

It goes up, it goes down. But a new garage door can do a lot more than that. Here are a dozen reasons why you need a new garage door and garage door opener.

1. New garage doors can increase the value of your home.
   An online survey says that 71% of homeowners who recently replaced their garage door believe it increased the value of their home. When nationwide real estate agents were shown “before” and “after” photos of houses upgraded with new, stylish garage doors, they increased the list price of the home anywhere from 1 to 4 percent. That means a $2,000+ investment in a garage door could increase the sale value of your home by as much as $7,000 if you’re selling a $175,000 home. Look at some dramatic “before and after” photos at GarageWowNow.com, and you’ll see the difference a new garage door can make.
2. New garage doors can put money back in your pocket.
   The Federal Government’s Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 extends tax credits for energy efficient home improvements. This includes qualifying insulated garage doors. That means that adding a new garage door in 2009 can save you money by helping to lower home energy consumption and costs AND it will help pay for itself this year through the tax credit incentive, worth up to $500.
3. New garage doors help you Lower The Door On Crime.
   According to statistics compiled by metropolitan police departments, approximately 50 percent of all residential burglaries can be traced to an open or an unsecured garage door. How many times have you gone in your house after working in your yard or carrying groceries out of your car and left the garage door open? The garage door industry suggests that you Lower the Door on Crime in 2009 by making it a practice to always close and secure your garage door to protect the valuables in both your home and your garage.  

   If you’re looking for helpful security devices to remind you to close your door, you can purchase an open garage door indicator that can be affixed to your door. When a garage door is left open, a warning light will indicate “open door.” Homeowners can sleep easy, knowing their garage doors are closed and their families are safe.

4. New garage door openers have built-in safety features.
   Photoelectric eyes – mounted about six inches above the floor – cast an invisible beam across the door opening and provide extra protection against entrapment. If a door is closing and a child or pet runs underneath the door, the beam breaks, causing the door to automatically reverse.
5. New garage doors can work even during power outages.
   A popular accessory sold with new garage door openers is a battery back-up system that allows you to use your opener several times, even after the loss of power to your home. It’s a wonderful feature that prevents you from being trapped outside in a storm.
6. New garage doors are today’s front door.
   A nationwide survey of consumers said that 71 percent of homeowners use their garage door openers to get into their homes every day, even more often than the front entry door. The key to the front door is now the garage door’s remote control and keypad. Yesterday’s latchkey kids are today’s keypad kids.
7. New garage doors can help you keep your house clean.
   With a keyless entry pad mounted outside your garage door, why traipse dirt in through the front door when you can enter through the garage? You can leave muddy shoes or boots and drenched coats in the garage and keep your house cleaner.
8. New garage doors can be a fashion statement.
   People are becoming more style conscious when replacing their garage door. On many American homes, the garage door claims a third of the facade, so it’s a snap to quickly makeover the look of your whole house. You can easily increase curb appeal when you choose from hundreds of different looks in elegant and stylish carriage house, contemporary or raised panel doors.
9. New garage doors can express your individuality.
   Housing developments have their advantages, but individuality usually isn’t one of them. In homes that are more than five years old, chances are your door is a solid-colored, raised-panel door that looks like every other garage door. Choose a fashionable contemporary or carriage house garage door, and your house instantly stands out from the crowd. Check them out for yourself by viewing the “Garage Door Styles” page at GarageWowNow.com. Wow!
10. New garage doors can protect your family from powerful winds.
    Reinforced garage doors are now available to help your home stand up to brutal winds. Researchers studying the wind effects of devastating storms know that garage doors are often the entry point for severe damage. A new strong garage door is an integral part of maintaining the structural integrity of your home.
11. New garage doors can help accessorize your life.
    Garage door opener accessories abound. Many new garage door openers switch on lights in your home as you’re pulling up the driveway. Some alert you if you left the garage door open. Some door openers are activated only by your fingerprint. You can even make a fashion statement with your garage door remote by customizing it to match your car’s interior.
12. New garage doors should be installed by a professional.
    Don’t try to install the door yourself. It’s a complex and dangerous task. Garage door springs are under extreme pressure and, if not handled properly, can release with enough power to seriously harm or kill someone. Specific tools and training are needed; therefore, it’s highly recommended that you have a professional who can do the job in just a few hours and haul the old door away. The cost of installation is well worth it. Find a professional near you at GarageWowNow.com’s “Your Local Garage Door Professionals” page.

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