Owning a garage is indeed a joy, whether it’s the place to keep your car cozy and safe in the worst of winters, the man cave you love to retreat to, or your family’s ideal storeroom.
As per a study from the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity of Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies’ Remodeling Futures program, the investment in home renovations which has been strong will continue to be so till 2019’s first quarter. What’s more, garage doors are currently known to generate high investment returns. Putting two and two together, you might want to put some money into revamping your garage.
Below is a glimpse at the evolving and exciting future of garage doors and garage technology to give you some ideas.
1. A Garage Door that Speaks of Class, Attraction, Security, and Energy Efficiency
The garage door is one of the more profitable aspects of curb appeal with an amazing resale recoup of maximum 98 percent. What’s more, if the door is a front-facing type, how it appears is important in creating a valuable first impression to guests or prospective buyers. To make things short, it may be time to bid goodbye to that drab white color or faded forlorn door.
2. Wood or Steel? Or Will it be the Glass-Aluminum Combo?
If you currently own a sectional overhead kind of door composed of steel, fiberglass or composite, note that a changeover to bi-fold, sliding or swing-out doors built out of wood, is trending.
If wood is not on your budget, perhaps a finish that would pass of as good as or near to wood, what you would call ‘faux wood designing,’ is a good idea. For steel doors, a painted stain would provide the grain look. The wood finish can be created on fiberglass doors with molded deep grooves.
Garage doors made of glass are refreshing, eye-catching and brighten up the interiors. They’re already used at restaurants. Businesses and homeowners are increasingly warming up to them. The typical door of this category has glass panels encased by a visible aluminum frame.
Hidden aluminum frames are already on the market and could become a commonality before long. There’s also the option of encasing the glass panels in wooden frames. Whichever way the homeowner chooses to go, a sleek and futuristic look can be expected. What’s more, should your glass panel come loose, there’s always garage door service.
It should be noted however that before jumping onto the bandwagon of giving a modern look to your garage door, you must ensure that the style matches that of your house.
3. Color and Windows are In
More homeowners are opting for color that contributes positively to the design and attractiveness of the home. The color should stand out but also be in harmony with how the rest of your home looks.
As mentioned earlier, windows brighten the interiors and that’s because they draw in more light. Options include windows for the top and those that spread over the whole door area, top to bottom.
Worried about privacy? Go with frosted windows.
4. Insulation to do the Homeowner and the Environment a Favor
Eco-friendliness and energy efficiency are only growing in popularity. So, it’s not surprising that the trend is showing up in garage doors too. The degree of insulation is indicated by the R-value. The ideal value for you would depend on factors like where you live, whether your garage is detached or not, and whether or not there are rooms above.
5. From Doors to Door Openers – Smart Access, Automation, Monitoring and Security
Currently, opening systems for garage doors incorporate pressure sensitive features that cause the door to automatically open again should it hit against anything that comes in its path.
But here’s something even more exciting.
Smart garage technology enables garage door management from anywhere and that means anywhere as long as you have a smartphone. You just need to download an application. So, no need to carry a remote control around everywhere.
Though garage door openers with wireless technology are not a new phenomenon, added capabilities have made them truly ultramodern. If wi-fi is not your preference, you can opt for cellular or Bluetooth connectivity.
Here’s a look at some of the things you can achieve and may have only dreamed of to date, with smartphone integrated garage door technology:
- Real-time notifications about people using the door
- Reminders if you forgot to close the door
- Video stream-based garage monitoring
- Fixing rules for automated opening and closing
Imagine being able to enjoy a trip on the road while also tracking the babysitter, visitors, repair technicians and even members of your own family as they come to and leave your home.
Reliable battery backup means that even without power, the garage door opener will work and that includes the security features.
There’s more! In-built MyQ technology makes it possible to activate, communicate with and manage other devices in your home that have been MyQ enabled. So you could be looking at switching the lights in your home on or off, and handling temperature control units and security systems all from your smartphone.
If you have security concerns, lay them to rest. You can look for an internet gateway that utilizes a different code whenever the remote is used, thereby protecting against code theft. This is rolling code technology, and it is better to upgrade to it. This is because in 2015, Samy Kamkar, a security researcher found a way to catch the code of certain of the older openers and remotes.
6. Better Lighting
LED bulbs are a great option for quality lighting with lower electricity consumption. Want to create a party mood? Try out some wireless remote-controlled LED bulbs with a color-changing feature.
7. What about a Charging Station?
With electric vehicles increasingly becoming affordable, charging stations are a must-have for their owners. There are two kinds of home-charging stations:
- Level 1 varietal linked to a regular household outlet and suitable for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
- Level 2 chargers that are more powerful and intended for battery electric vehicles
In closing, always do your research and match it with your personal preferences to make your garage truly awesome and ‘smart’!
