Some people believe that an attached garage will add more value to a home in today’s housing market. Others say that a detached garage is more desirable. At the end of the day, homeowners who are planning on adding a garage to their property should decide between an attached or detached unit based on their own personal preference.
People who live further north generally see more value in an attached garage unit. The frigid winters make quick trips out to detached garages very uncomfortable. The need to put on a winter jacket for a quick walk outside in order to get something out of the car is certainly a burden that often results in a preference for an attached unit.
Another reason people value an attached garage over a detached garage is that attached units make the house appear larger – especially on structures that have the garage doors placed facing the rear. Viewers from the curb will only see the garage as part of the housing structure. Additionally, attached garage units almost always identically match the home’s exterior design as opposed to many detached units that were built years later with different materials.
Finally, an attached garage unit tends to offer much more convenience. This is especially true for homeowners who like keeping an extra freezer or refrigerator in their garage. It is much easier to open a door directly into the garage to grab a tub of ice cream as opposed to having to walk outside to retrieve a few scoops. In addition, unloading a packed car is much easier with an attached garage.
Despite the fact that attached garage units tend to provide more convenience, a shield from bitter weather and girth to home structures, many people still prefer detached garage units.
Lots of homeowners feel safer with a detached unit because they are further away from the gas emissions and other hazardous fumes that often inhabit garages. A running car in a garage can emit toxins like benzene that may drift into the home.
Other reasons to feel safer with a detached garage include limited entrances into the home. Although attached garage units can be built with safe and secure doors, it is always possible for a burglar to sneak in through a garage window. If the door from the garage to the house is unlocked, there is no stopping a home intruder. With a detached garage, the potential harm would only be done inside of the garage.
A final reason that detached garages are preferred by certain people is that they provide a different level of privacy compared to attached units. People who like to set up workbenches or build and paint things in their garage can do so with limited distractions in a detached unit. If the space is connected to the home, it can be difficult to have any privacy.
Everybody has different priorities. If privacy trumps convenience, then a detached garage is the way to go. If the idea of having to go outside for every trip to the garage seems bothersome, then an attached garage is the better option.
Either way, all garages must have safe and reliable garage doors in order for them to be effective. The professionals at Garage Door Repair LLC work day and night to ensure that homeowners have a trusted team available if any part of the garage door system breaks or wears out.
Homeowners with attached garages should especially have a team like Garage Door Repair LLC on-call. As noted previously, a broken garage door system makes homes more vulnerable to break-ins. Detached garage owners should also have Garage Door Repair on speed dial. Many detached units have a single entrance – the garage doors. If the garage door system is broken there would be no way to get in or out of the garage.
Garage Door Repair professionals have worked with both types of residential and commercial garage door systems for decades. Their experience, knowledge and reputation for great customer service make them the easy choice for garage door support.
Given the fact that fixing or replacing a broken garage door opener can be quite costly, a homeowner will want to assess a seemingly broken door opener properly before taking it to a repairman or throwing it out. Following are some steps that one can take to see if the door opener is malfunctioning or not.
Assess the Garage Door
Before assuming that the opener is not working properly, check the garage door itself. Look for signs that the door may be out of alignment and/or have a broken spring. If it is difficult or impossible to open the door manually, then the problem is with the door, not the opener.
Assess the Door Opener
If the garage door can be opened easily without the opener, then check the opener itself. If the wall control lights are off, then there is a tripped circuit breaker that needs to be reset.
If the lights are on, then unplug the unit, plug it back in and try again. Sometimes resetting a garage door opener in this way fixes the problems. However, if this is not the case, then the opener needs to be fixed or replaced.
What to do About a Broken Garage Door Opener
The two most common repair problems with garage door openers are logic board malfunctions and stripped nylon gears. Both of these problems are costly to fix and in most cases a person would be better off buying a new unit instead of attempting to repair the old one.
However, there are some cases when fixing an old unit can save a person a lot of time and money. To start with, a homeowner will want to check the warranty to see if parts and labor repair costs are covered by the warranty terms and conditions.
If the opener is not covered by warranty, then a person should call a local repair company to ask about the cost of fixing the old unit. Whenever possible, talk to the technician who will do the actual repair work, as this individual should be able to diagnose the likely cause of the problem over the phone and give a repair cost estimate.
In Summary
If the garage door opener seems to be broken, a homeowner should take the following steps:
– Check if the electricity is on
– See if the door can be opened manually
– Check the opener light
– Unplug the unit and try again
If these steps do not resolve the problem, then the garage door opener is most likely broken and homeowner will need to either repair the old unit or invest in a new one.
Nowadays, it is hard to shop for any product without having a variety of styles to choose from. Browsing a car dealership can overwhelm you with options like speed capability, 4-wheel drive, color, make, model, etc. Bath towel shopping has you pondering between cotton and linen. Even purchasing jeans can be a monotonous decision – do you want dark or light, bootleg or skinny?
That being said, homeowners should not be surprised that garage door shopping also requires an extensive decision-making process. (more…)
Have you ever had an issue with your garage door, whether it be at home or your place of business? Our team of garage door technicians have put together this informative graphic to help people easily identify the type of garage door problem they may be having…
How often do you normally clean your house? Is it once a week, every two weeks? Perhaps you have one day a month that you dedicate to a thorough home detail? Now let us ask you this, how often do you include the garage in your home cleaning routine?
Most people we ask tell us that they spend hardly anytime at all cleaning their garages. We hear lots of – too hot in there! and freezing in my garage, way too cold to clean!
Climate control in garages can be difficult so we completely understand that sometimes it is too hot or too cold to spend a long period of time cleaning in your garage.
The good news is, we have some tips that will allow you to give your garage a good cleaning despite its frigid or humid temperature.
Not to state the obvious here but opening the garage doors is the first step to take when cooling out your garage. If you prefer to keep it closed for privacy or weather reasons, there are other ways to keep the air circulation flowing so that you can clean without suffering in a stuffy, hot room.
A couple of electric fans would do the trick. So could a portable air conditioning unit. We do not recommend installing a full air conditioning system into your garage unless you have checked with your local building permit rules. Many local governments require a permit for converting a garage into an air-conditioned occupied space.
Our strongest recommendation to help you keep your sanity while scrubbing the floors in a hot, sweaty garage is to invest in a ventilation system. These systems work as mounted fans on the walls or ceiling of your garage and they constantly circulate fresh air.
A chilly garage can also add to garage cleaning procrastination. Even thoroughly insulated garages often become too cold for comfort. The best solution that we recommend for warming up the room is to purchase either an electric or propane heater.
We strongly recommend that you install a smoke detector in the garage before running the heater in there. In addition, it is always a good idea to check the garage for cracks to ensure that the warm air from the heater does not seep out. You do not want to pay the heating bill for the entire neighborhood.
If your garage is attached to your house and you are confident that no air is being released through cracks in your garage, you could also keep the door to your house open in order to let the warm air from inside release and warm up your garage.
If you prefer to save your money and decide not to purchase a heater, then do it the old fashion way and just bundle up. Throw on a pair of leg warmers and a nice warm, winter jacket and get to work. This is your house remember. Nobody needs to know that you dusted your garage while wearing a knit stocking cap and a scarf.
With cars, bikes, strollers and sports gear constantly coming in and out – garages get filthy. So do yourself a tremendous favor and add the garage to your normal house cleaning agenda. Regularly sweep the floors, organize the junk that continues to pile up and use a damp rag to wipe down all of the dust and dirt that collects on the shelves.
Garage cleaning should not be done simply for appearance sake. There are health reasons to keep the space clean as well. Grease builds up, gas leaks from both your car and lawn mower plus your car omits other unhealthy toxins, these are all substances that you want to keep out of your garage. The best way to do this is through regular cleaning.
While it is convenient to have a garage, many homeowners discover that it leaves the home vulnerable to break ins. Fortunately, when following these seven tips, one can protect their garage from mischievous people and criminals.
- Hide remote: Some drivers will leave their remote in their car even when parking on the street. At the least, one should hide the remote in the glove box or somewhere else in the car. Ideally, one should bring the item home and away from the eyes of potential thieves. Sadly, many people do not follow this advice. When doing this, a criminal will simply grab the remote from out of the car of an unsuspecting driver.
- Emergency release: Most garage doors have an emergency release. With this, one can easily pry open the door and gain access. Fortunately, one can use some zip ties to secure their door and prevent any future problems. Although this is a low tech solution, one must remember that it is an effective way for a resident to protect his or her valuables.
- Close the door: Some people, when going in and out of the garage, leave their door wide open. When this happens, a criminal can slip in and take a valuable item. Often, a smart thief will take something that will not be easily noticed. When doing this, one can sell the item on the Internet or through the newspaper without the property owner noticing. Remember, when away for more than a few minutes, one must close and lock their garage door. Unfortunately, plenty of criminals will stand by and wait for a homeowner to make this seemingly minor mistake.
- Cover windows: Some garage doors have windows. While this can be aesthetically pleasing, it showcases all the items to potential burglars. Ideally, the property owner should cover the window with a piece of newspaper or cardboard. Wen doing this, people will not have an opportunity to peep in the garage and make plans.
- Maintenance: Some homeowners neglect the maintenance of their garage. They do this since most people do not spend much time in there. Sadly, when foregoing routine and necessary repairs, one will leave their garage door vulnerable to break ins. To find the maintenance schedule, one should contact the person who installed the garage door. Without a doubt, with this step, one will protect their garage against opportunistic thieves who exploit damage and worn doors.
- Code: A lot of new garage doors have an outdoor key pad. With this, one can enter the area by using a code. Now, when choosing the password, one should think a little more deeply. Sadly, some people create a code of 0000 or their address. When doing this, smart criminals can gain access to the garage and house.
- Camera: With a video camera, one can scare off most mischievous individuals. In fact, when using this method, one can probably get away with a fake camera. Either way, when placing it directly above the garage door, one can warn most criminals to back away from the house.
When following these seven tips, one can protect their home and garage from thieves. Fortunately, none of these solutions requires a large cash investment. Not only that, to implement these tips, one will not need to spend much time.