There's a part of the house that often gets overlooked or just not treated with the same imagination as the rest the garage. And one way to automatically add tons of style and curb appeal to your home is to install a new garage door especially one that's a far cry from the bland flat-panel door there now.
It's easy to create a distinctive look when you think of the garage door as an essential architectural element that complements your home's style. With door panels, window configurations, finishes and decorative hardware from which to select, the choices are ample when it comes to designing a custom garage door.
One of the newest trends is garage doors that look like two doors that swing out to open, but still function like standard roll-up doors. They come in design styles that range from classic sophistication to rustic charm.
When choosing a new garage door, first consider the overall style of your home's exterior. Enhance a brick or stone facade with carriage-house style doors featuring multi-paned arched windows. Accent farm-house style with dual-tone doors featuring cross-bar detail and spade strap hinges and handles. Play up Old World style with warm wood tones and distinctive wrought-iron hardware.
Clopay, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based garage door manufacturer, offers a variety
Doors in the Gallery Collection feature decorative handles in the middle that give the appearance of old-fashioned swing-out doors. Crafted of durable, pre-painted steel embossed with a natural wood-grain texture, a single-car door with windows costs about $650.
“Homebuyers have always paid attention to the appearance of windows and entry doors. Now they are looking at garage doors in the same way to help transform the look of their home,” said Pat Lohse, director of residential marketing for Clopay.
If you prefer a rustic look, the Reserve Collection offers wood garage doors in multiple design combinations that feature rich tones, a selection of window styles and optional hardware, such as wrought-iron door studs, hinges, handles and pulls with a fleur de lis motif and lion's head door knockers.
And don't forget the accessories that can help complete the look, such as decorative lighting and planters. Wall-mounted lanterns in the appropriate style will provide just the right amount of light. A couple of well-placed urns containing topiaries or overflowing with foliage will add even more color and texture to the scene.
Since the garage door is such a prominent part of your home's look, it's important to choose the right one. Wayne-Dalton, another Ohio-based maker of high-quality garage doors, offers a “Door Selection Center” online at its Web site, www.waynedalton.com.
Select from seven home styles (Arts and Crafts, Cape Cod, Contemporary, Country, European, Georgian and Traditional), choose either wood or steel doors, decide on panel styles, and windows shapes and the amount of panes, then select from the the factory colors or the hundreds of hues offered by Valspar's American Tradition paint colors to create the perfect combination.
With so many styles it's never been easier to highlight your home's personality and give it a finished look.
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