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How to Replace Garage Doors

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How many times do you open and close your garage doors in one day?  If you’re like our family, we do it on average about 8-10 times a day.  It’s something you really don’t think much about, but these guys are crucial to our survival.  Even when we are away on vacation our neighbor feeds the cat and that requires 4 times.   All that wear and tear takes its toll, and the weather here in Michigan doesn’t help.  Our garage doors were almost 25 years old.  When you think about it, 25 years, opening and closing 10 times a day…well, I just checked on my calculator and that is almost 100,000 times someone has messed with our doors.  That is crazy.  So, here we are.  The day has come for new doors and I’m here to tell you “How to Replace Garage Doors”. It was way easier than I ever imagined.  You may be wondering though, did we do it ourselves?  Of course not.  That would be insane.  Here’s how we replaced our garage doors the easy way (if you need just a great garage door opener, that info. is below, too).

First, the BEFORE & AFTER photo:

How to replace garage doors! I had no idea how easy it is. She explains everything.

BEFORE:

How to replace garage doors! I had no idea how easy it is. She explains everything.

Okay, so the before photo doesn’t really look that bad, does it?  Seriously though, it was.  Every single time we opened that big garage door I was afraid that bottom panel was going to fall off.  In fact, a little piece did fall off every couple days.  That entire garage door was falling apart from the inside out.  The garage door opener was fine believe it or not.  The small garage door had other issues.  It didn’t even open anymore.

Here’s the AFTER again.  Get ready to ooooooooha…

How to replace garage doors! I had no idea how easy it is. She explains everything.

We ignored the garage door issues for quite a few years because we didn’t want to spend the money.  I mean, who wants to spend money on garage doors-blah!?  Then we finally woke up and realized that if we were ever going to sell this house in the next couple years, we will definitely have no choice, but to replace both of these doors.  So, why not do it now and enjoy the new doors while we are here?  SMART.

I can honestly say the new doors have made such a difference in our lives.  We don’t worry about them falling apart every time we open them, and just look at those beauties.  They are gorgeous.  The day we got them our friendly neighbors sent us a nice message telling us how much they liked the new fabulous doors.

Here we are BEFORE:

How to replace garage doors! I had no idea how easy it is. She explains everything.

Here we are AFTER:

How to replace garage doors! I had no idea how easy it is. She explains everything.

Can we get a close-up, Redhead?

Sure can!

How to replace garage doors! I had no idea how easy it is. She explains everything.

And another side view.  Pardon the landscaping it just warmed up here so things are hardly blooming in these photos.

How to replace garage doors! I had no idea how easy it is. She explains everything.

Here’s the small garage door and you can really get a look at the windows and “wood grain” even though these are not wood.  Check out that cute hardware, too.  One of the advantages to having windows in the doors is that it really brightens up the inside of our garage.  Saves electricity, too.

How to replace garage doors! I had no idea how easy it is. She explains everything.

Okay, we’ve seen how much of a difference they make to our curb appeal and how they update the home instantly, but how did we do it???

How to Replace Garage Doors 

  1. Measure your garage door(s) width and height and jot it down.  Decide if you need/want new garage door openers in addition to the doors.
  2. Call Home Depot for an appointment or walk in (like we did) and head over to the “door” section and there will be someone in charge over there.  Let them know you want to purchase a new garage door(s).
  3. Home Depot will ask you many questions about your preferences and you will actually “design” your door(s) right then with their help.  You will be choosing the design (Gallery Collection by Clopay), the color (the color we used is “Ultra Grain Oak Walnut Finish”), and if you want windows/hardware right then and there, so think about these things before you go.  They will also be asking what grade of insulation you prefer.  You will be able to see the costs in front of you, so you can adjust as necessary.  We went with a higher insulation because of the Winter here in Michigan (I also paint out there often).
  4. Pay for the door(s), openers, and labor at this appointment, so they can set up an appointment to come out to measure, and so they can begin making your door(s).  We chose to use our Home Depot credit card and pay no interest for 24 months.  That way, I can pay a little each month and I pay it all off before that interest accrues (see total cost below).
  5. Home Depot will call the next business day or so to set up the measurement date.  You will have to be home for them to measure, and they will need the garage door entrance area to be clear of all items so they can measure.  We just parked our cars in the driveway and pushed everything to the back of the garage.  Measuring only takes a couple minutes.
  6. They will call you in about 4-6 weeks when your door(s) is ready and set up the installation date.  We only waited 4 weeks.
  7. Installation for both of our doors took 1/2 of a day.  For some reason I pictured the door coming all in one piece ha ha, but it actually comes in panel sections and only 1 person came.  There will be some cardboard boxes left over at the end that they do not take with them, however they do take the old door unless you want it.

Cost of New Garage Doors

As mentioned above, we decided to use our Home Depot credit card with no interest for 24 months.  After the bill comes, I divide the total cost by the months I have to pay it, and I make a note to pay that much every month, so I don’t get nailed at the end with a large scary payment.

The total cost for the two doors, 1 garage door opener, and the installation came to $4092.06.

Large door: $2407.53

Small door: $1684.53  

Keep in mind the color, windows, hardware, and insulation choices  all determine the bottom line.  For example if we opted not to get windows we would have saved about $700.00.  Honestly though, I think they make the doors so much prettier.

Some of the links in this post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.  Read full disclosure policy here.

Garage Door Opener Only

If you’re in need of a garage door opener only, this is the opener we purchased with the small garage door and I love it.  It’s quiet, smooth, and the lights are very convenient.  You can even control it from your phone!  I totally recommend this garage door opener.  Click here for complete information: GARAGE DOOR OPENER.

Lets take another look.  Here they are BEFORE:

How to replace garage doors! I had no idea how easy it is. She explains everything.

Here they are AFTER.  Even the sky appears prettier  😆

How to replace garage doors! I had no idea how easy it is. She explains everything.

How to replace garage doors! I had no idea how easy it is. She explains everything.

How to replace garage doors! I had no idea how easy it is. She explains everything.

Click here for more garage tips!

GARAGE TIPS

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26 Responses

  1. Can we say fabulous!!! Oh my goodness, makes me want to replace my doors. Lynne

    • Julie says:

      Thank you, Lynne! I really can’t believe how much these changed my day to day life. Who knew that garage doors were so important. Not me! Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend! ~ Julie

  2. Dad says:

    They are very nice, smart move getting the windows, looks great. love, Dad in NY

  3. Laura says:

    Those doors are so pretty. We actually have replacing ours on the list so this is helpful since I havent looked at pricing them for 15 years when I out the originally ones on.

  4. carol says:

    Gorgeous doors; so elegant. Love the woodgrain and the windows and the hardware. Makes a very elaborate ad- dition to your home. Perfect fit!! (your home is so very nice; how can you ever think of leaving it?). We put new doors on our garage a few years back……really does give the home a facelift. Ours are just white panels, but they re-
    placed some awful yellowed white fiberglass (YUK) doors. It made a much needed fresh clean view to the front of our home.

    • Julie says:

      Good morning Carol, You read me well. I have no idea how I will ever part with this place. It’s become part of me so it will be very very difficult. Hopefully where we go will keep me busy. I can focus on the bad parts, too. There are some bad parts I don’t talk about ?

  5. Jan says:

    Gorgeous look and so helpful . . . I’ve read where wood doors are heavy and have maintenance problems, so I was delighted to discover that we can get the wood look without the hassles.

  6. ColleenB. says:

    Absolutely Stunning, Outstanding as well as Gorgeous. Made a world of difference.
    I really Like the wood grain look, as well as them windows; great choice on having windows.
    Makes for a very classy, rich looking to the front of your home. All blends well with your brick.

    • Julie says:

      Thank you, Colleen! I was thinking the faux wood would look too faux, but you are right! It blends right in and looks richer. Now if I could get rich ?

  7. Cindy says:

    They’re gorgeous Julie! Wise decision going with the windows and better grade of insulation.

  8. Roxann says:

    I love your garage doors! Did you also die or stain the driveway a lighter color? It looks so much whiter.

    • Julie says:

      Ho Roxann, That is a reslly great question! No we did not change anything with the driveway. The only difference is the time of day I took the photos and the temperature. The before photos were taken when it was cold, and the after photos were taken recently and it is warmer. Also, the before photos look wet? Very odd! Thanks for pointing this out.

  9. Cindy says:

    The garage doors are very pretty, but am surprised that you didn’t go with white doors since the rest of the trim on your house is white.

    • Julie says:

      Hi Cindy, White looked very dated to me. We had white originally before we had them painted brown. The wood also compliments the brick and the brown shutters ? Thanks for stopping by! -Julie

  10. Ivory says:

    Fabulous doors! I love, love, love them.

  11. Kyle says:

    I love the doors. What a nice look and I bet you have a bit more light inside the garage which is nice as well.

  12. Windy teVelde says:

    WOW! They look amazing! That’s a dreaded item on my “TO DO” list as well, BUT your post actually just re-lit my fire to tackle that project (as all of your posts usually do).

    Thanks for the tips & enjoy the remainder of your weekend!

  13. Darlene says:

    Always think “resale value” even when it’s these big ticket priority items. The windows are added character to “great” looking doors. Fresh, rustic, and appealing!

  14. […] appreciate the blue a lot better. It stayed this way for approximately 10 years. You may notice the updated garage doors match the shutters and it all flowed […]

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