A garage door is an important element of any house. They keep the things inside your garage protected while keeping harsh weather out. However, no matter how strong yours is, the day will come when your garage door will need repairs. In some cases, though, a full replacement might be the better option. It can be difficult to know which is the best option, which is why we’re here to help you determine what factors you should consider when deciding to repair or replace your current garage door.
How Old the Garage Door Is
Before you do anything, you need to consider the age of your garage door. In general, most garage doors will last up to 30 years, no matter how good their quality was initially. Even if the damages are minor, it might be better to cut your losses and buy a new door if yours is hitting its upper limit.
Look at it this way—if you own a car that’s on its last leg, you wouldn’t want to spend money touching up the paint job. You’d either wait until it fully breaks down or look into buying a new one. You can use the same logic with your garage door.
What Kind of Damage You’re Dealing With
Once you’ve considered the age and determined that there’s still a lot of life left in your garage door, it’s time to look closer at the damages. Garage door damage can be something small, like chipped paint or small dents on the door. However, it could also be something much more significant, such as rusted-out or broken parts.
A larger issue is likely at play if your door has trouble moving up or down or makes a lot of noise when functioning. If it doesn’t move at all, though, then you’ll know that the damages are quite significant. When the damage is too extreme, it might be easier to simply buy a replacement.
How Much Each Option Costs
While replacements might sound like the better option at first glance, that is only because we haven’t looked at the price yet. Most of the time, buying a new garage door will be more expensive than fixing up an old one.
However, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, damages can be so extreme that fixing your old garage door will cost significantly more than starting from scratch with a new one. Either way, you’ll want to make sure you find a door contractor that won’t overcharge you when helping you out with whichever option you choose.
What Kind of Benefits You Stand To Gain
When considering whether to go with a garage door repair or replacement, the final aspect you should look into is the benefits you stand to gain from either option. With a repair, you can keep the garage door you already know and love. If it’s been good to you up until this recent incident, there’s no reason to believe that would change after repairing it.
However, replacing the door with a new one has many more potential benefits. You can buy a garage door with many new features, such as improved energy efficiency and stronger weather protection. Plus, you can rest easy knowing that the new door will work perfectly for years to come.
