How to Match Your Garage Door to Your Homes’ Style

A garage door has a major impact on curb appeal. It can take up a third of the front façade, so therefore has a profound influence on aesthetics. For this reason, you want to choose a garage door carefully based on style. But matching it to your house improves ease of operation as well.

To start, here are the most common types of garage doors on the market:

• Raised Panel: This is pretty much the standard and what most people associate garage doors with. Modern raised panel doors are typically solid. They’re molded into the classic shape rather than having floating panels in a rail-type frame, and can feature wood, aluminum, steel, or fiberglass.
• Traditional: Most traditional-style garage doors feature the standard roll-up configuration. Horizontal, hinged panels bend at the seams, but at the same time create a seamless design. The door easily rolls up on overhead tracks, while most can be ordered in your choice of materials and colors to match the style of your home.
• Carriage: Suiting many different house styles, carriage-style doors replicate the look of older garage doors but can be made to match the look of contemporary homes. While traditional carriage doors swing open manually from the middle, modern units can fold open and incorporate automatic garage door openers.
• Contemporary Slab: Match a home that has clean lines and high-tech materials. You may want to go with materials such as tempered glass and painted aluminum frames if such a design works with your home. Doors that fold up as a single-panel are increasing in popularity again, but require a specialized opener to operate.

What Material Should I Choose?

If you are going for a contemporary look, a glass-paneled garage door works, while vinyl is fade-, dent-, and rust-resistant, which makes it suitable for coastal homes. Wood is still preferred for classic styles. However, your options are always open to make a statement. Specialty garage doors are available in practically limitless combinations; some have scrollwork and unique finishes that can enhance the look of your home. Steel is common with classic carriage house doors, which are often multi-layered and coated with a composite material to increase durability and efficiency.

Matching a Garage Door with Your Home

There are many styles of homes and not every type of garage door will work for each one. Here’s a look at different home types and what doors you might consider:

• Ranch: A popular home style with a modest façade that usually demands a classic, subtly designed garage door. A Planks door can add dimension to a more contemporary-style home, while carriage house and raised panel doors often suffice.
• Contemporary: Eye-catching and often asymmetrical, contemporary homes can allow for creativity, so you can choose from industrial-style aluminum, sleek/minimalist Sterling, or textured Planks to customize your garage door.
• Tudor: The late Medieval and early Renaissance stylings of Tudor homes, with stucco exteriors and numerous decorative elements, are best complemented by overlay garage doors. Faux or natural wood, or steel, are often preferred, generally in the form of carriage house or recessed panel models.
• Craftsman: Often featuring stone and brick exteriors, tapered columns, and a front porch, craftsman homes are quite versatile when it comes to garage door styles. Raised panel, stamped carriage house, and recessed panel doors can provide the look that you need.
• Modern Farmhouse: Is usually all-white and has abundant windows. Carriage house doors most suit this architecture, but some homeowners prefer solid-color, steel garage doors or natural wood. Aluminum-glass doors have been installed as well.
• Colonial: Symmetrical and rectangular, colonial homes are best accompanied by a garage door that reflects these traits. A classic style is best, with raised panel, steel overlay, or stamped carriage house doors the most common for colonial residences.

Contact Mesa Garage Doors

There are many variables to consider when choosing a style of garage door for your home. At Mesa Garage Doors, we specialize in a wide range of styles, and can customize residential garage door installation just for you, based on your vision and the architecture of your home. Call 800-893-1107 for help choosing a new garage door or to receive a free estimate.