Garage Doors and More! | Hanson Overhead Garage Door Service of Raleigh, NC

Aug 16 2013

Choosing the Right Garage Door for Your Raleigh Home: 10 Tips

Garage doors are expensive yet necessary investments for your home. Choosing the right one is important. Sometimes, it’s hard to make that decision. There are so many different doors out there. With the help of Hanson Overhead Garage Door Service, and the tips below, you’ll be able to choose the right garage door for your Raleigh home in no time at all!

Know the pros and cons of natural wood doors versus steel or aluminum doors before choosing a material for your garage door. The most popular garage door material in Raleigh is steel. Steel doors can be insulated to be more energy efficient than wood doors and they are lower maintenance and generally less expensive than wood doors. Aluminum doors are typically the least expensive type of garage door and the most lightweight (and thus easiest to lift manually) but also the most prone to dents. However, aluminum has the advantage of being resistant to rust and corrosion giving it an advantage in coastal regions. Natural wood doors need to be repainted or restained every few years and they can be quite costly compared to steel and aluminum doors. However, the warmth and beauty that wood garage doors can bring to a home is undeniable!
Consider the insulation value of the garage door. The higher the insulation value of the garage door, the greater the energy efficiency is. If you live in a temperate climate, this may not be an important issue for you. However, if you live in a harsh climate, have finished living space above your garage, or plan to heat or cool your garage because you are using it for purposes other than parking cars (for example, a workshop or laundry area), the garage door’s R-value is definitely something to consider. Several years ago, we put a master bedroom/bath addition above our garage and the space has always been much colder than the rest of the house in the winter – our new garage door has a much higher R-value than the old one and that has made a significant difference in the colder temperatures. The negative of getting a garage door with a high R-value is the cost – generally, the higher the R-value of the door, the higher the price. So your need for a well insulated garage door needs to be weighed against the extra cost.
Choose a garage door color that coordinates with the exterior colors of your home. Standard prefinished or custom doors with paint or stain are available. Most garage door manufacturers offer garage doors in several standard color options. If one of the standard colors matches well with the rest of your house, perfect! A prefinished door is the way to go if you can find a color that works for you because it’s virtually maintenance free. On the other hand, if none of the colors offered by the manufacturer work with the exterior colors of your home, consider painting it. Yes, painting can be a bit of a pain, but there are ways to make the paint job easier! Request to have the door delivered to your home prior to installation so that you can paint the sections and have it ready, before the door is installed. Do be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for how to prep your door before painting, though. The paint type used is important. There might even be color restrictions to follow.
Don’t misjudge the visual impact of adding windows to your garage door. Windows make an amazing difference in the aesthetics of a home. Though they cost a little more, don’t count them out. Visualize your home with and without them; then make the decision.

For more tips from Hanson Overhead on how to choose the best garage door for your home be sure to visit us again. Our next post will continue our discussion. In the meantime, if you’d like to visit our garage door style page, feel free. We are also available, via phone and email, to answer any questions you might have at any time!
If you’re having problems with your existing garage door and need a Raleigh garage door repair, we can come out and take a look. Our Durham garage door repair techs will have the problem fixed in no time at all! We hope to hear from you soon.

Aug 08 2013

Raleigh Garage Door Measurements

Most new construction homes have standard size door openings for one to two car garages. However, if you need a nonstandard or custom design, or are purchasing a Carriage House style wood garage door, your authorized Hanson Overhead Garage Door Service Company will need to know the exact measurements of your garage entryway, before ordering a Raleighgarage door for your home.
The information listed below is necessary to ensure a proper selection of a new, quality garage door. If you have any questions while trying to follow these steps, please be sure to contact Hanson Overhead Garage Door Service for our help. We will come out and walk you through the process of measuring for new garage doors.
Step 1: Measure the Door Opening Width
Step 2: Measure the Door Opening Height
Step 3: Measure the Headroom
Standard Lift doors require a minimum of 12″ of over door height. Not enough headroom? Don’t worry. Contact Hanson Overhead Garage Door Service for information on what we can offer for these types of situations. We will do what we can to accommodate your situation.
Step 4: Measure the Side Room
A minimum of 3″ side room is required with all models.
Step 5: Measure the Backroom
The minimum backroom requirements are as follows:

Standard Lift—door height + 26″
Low Headroom Front Mount Springs—door height + 20″
Low Headroom Rear Mount Springs—door height + 29″

Be sure to write down the minimum backroom measurements, as they are very important when considering getting a new garage door.
Step 6: Look for Obstructions
Is there anything in the way of your garage door entry? Obstructions are defined as entry doors or other objects that will interfere with the garage door track or the operation of a garage door. The nearest obstruction may be something such as pipes, support beams, heating ducts, lighting, etc. Obstructions must be taken into consideration in the headroom, side room, and backroom measurements.
When deciding to get new Raleigh garage doors for your existing garage space, it’s a good idea to have Hanson Overhead take measurements, as well, before the new garage doors are purchased and installed. For more information, feel free to contact us!

Aug 04 2013

Hanson Overhead Raleigh Garage Door Components

What is a Raleigh Garage Door made out of?

Hanson Overhead Raleigh Garage Door Service offers only the best of the best when it comes to garage doors. We also strive to give our customers the knowledge needed to understand our products. Below are the simple, yet uncommonly talked about, residential garage door components. Oftentimes, when you purchase a new garage door for your home, you don’t exactly know what you’re purchasing.
Springs: Hanson Raleigh garage doors are balanced by torsion or extension springs. Extension springs are mounted just above the horizontal track, perpendicular to the closed garage door. Torsion springs are mounted above the closed door, parallel and horizontal to the top section of the door as shown here. Torsion springs wind and unwind to provide lifting power, where extension springs get their lifting power by stretching.
Door Sections: Sections are the primary visual part of your door. Hanson offers a variety of exterior door designs. To take a look at all the designs and materials available, visit our inventory page, here.
Custom-Fit Track: Heavy gauge steel is used to ensure stability and long life. All doors offered by Hanson Overhead have a track that is made specifically for every door ordered. The track can be adjusted for a precise fit.
Strong Hinges: Hinges are made of high-quality steel and bear the weight of the door in the upright (closed) position. Our premium-level garage door hinges are coated for maximum protection against moisture and rust and other elements that weather can bring.
Quiet Rollers: Garage doors from Hanson Overhead use steel wheel ball-bearing rollers for smoother, quieter operation. Premium-level garage doors offer nylon rollers with steel ball bearings for superior noise reduction-a plus when living space is used above or in close proximity to the garage.
Weather seal- To help keep out wind and rain, our garage doors feature a vinyl bottom weather seal attached to a sturdy aluminum retainer.
Photoelectric Eye: These sensors are mounted five to six inches off the floor on either side of the door. Working in conjunction with the garage door opener, photo eyes send an invisible beam across the door opening. If the beam is broken while the door is operating, the door will reverse direction and return to the open position.
If you have any questions about the garage door components listed above, feel free to contact us at Hanson Overhead Garage Door Service, anytime. If your current garage door is acting strangely and you think there might be something wrong with one of the Raleigh garage door components after reading our post, don’t hesitate to contact us! We offer 24/7 repair service because we know you can’t predict what might happen to your garage door.

Aug 01 2013

The Superior Wayne Dalton Garage Door Series Offered by Hanson Overhead

The Modern Raleigh Garage Door: Using the Wayne Dalton Series

Hanson Overhead Garage Door Service of Raleigh NC is proud to offer the best garage doors available. Not only are they beautifully crafted to fit the needs of your home’s style, the Wayne Dalton series of doors are high quality, durable, and made to last.
Wayne Dalton’s exceptional wooden garage doors offer the convenience of modern sectional doors with the classic look of swing-open carriage-house style wooden doors. Each door is custom made and work with the exact specifications of your existing garage. The garage doors come in a variety of options:

Stain-grade woods
Paint-grade woods
Optional window variations
Decorative hardware
Hardboard interior and exterior
Optional upgrade to plywood for the exterior

The 7000 series wood garage doors are undeniably stylish. They also have a simple trim package on door surfaces for a sleek finish. All varieties of Wayne Dalton garage doors feature two-sided smooth door sections on a sturdy hemlock frame. All doors also come with an insulated core. The wooden doors come finished with a smooth plywood interior and 5/8″ T1-11 grooved plywood exterior.
In addition to style, Wayne Dalton doors offer you various styles and options to fit any budget. You can customize your very own garage door that will coordinate with the character of your home, withstand the climate, and enhance your curb appeal, all while sticking to the budget you need.
Wayne Dalton doors are built to last. Though many styles are offered, the quality of the door is the same, throughout. Below is a list of all the styles offered in garage doors by Wayne Dalton:

Carriage House Steel
Designer Fiberglass
Contemporary Aluminum
Wood
Classic Steel
Specialty Vinyl

You can see each of these doors on our website. Feel free to go online and take a look! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call! We will do our best to help you make the right decision when picking out a new garage door for your home.
Don’t forget! If you’re looking for quality garage doors to enhance your home’s look, be sure to contact Hanson Overhead Garage Door Service. We will come out, discuss all door options with you, and help you choose the right door for your garage. You can also visit our products page, www.hansonraleigh.com/Raleigh_garage_door_doors.html to see each garage door offered. For a free consultation, contact us at (919) 829-0940. Hanson Overhead also offers 24/7 garage door repair services for existing garage door issues. We hope to hear from you soon!

Jul 28 2013

How Long Should a Raleigh Garage Door Opener Last?

Raleigh Garage Door Opener: How long do they last?

How long should a typical Raleigh garage door opener last? You may be asking yourself this question because your garage door operator started “acting up” or parts on the operator started failing. According to a survey done by the National Association of Home Builders, based on responses from manufacturers, trade associations, and product researchers the average life expectancy of a garage door operator is 10 years.

You might be thinking ten years isn’t a very long time. In fact, you’re right. Do keep in mind though, this is an average. There are a lot of factors that lead to the quality life of a garage door opener. The most important factor though in determining how long an opener might last is how well the garage door works.

A poorly maintained garage door is going to shorten the life of the garage door opener faster than anything else. The springs on the garage door are engineered to do most of the lifting of the door not the operator. The garage door opener is used to put the door in motion. If the springs aren’t doing their job, the operator will work harder than it was designed to do. A poorly balanced door causes the garage door opener to wear out much faster. The parts will need replacing much sooner.

Here are two tips to help you keep your Raleigh garage door in shape. These tips will also help extend the life of your garage opener. A reminder: if you are not comfortable or unable to do adjustments to your garage door please call your favorite garage door specialists. We will provide maintenance work for you.

Check The Door’s Balance: A door that is balanced properly will reduce the bulk of the strain on the garage door opener. A garage door specialist states, “You’ll need to pull the red disconnect cord on the trolley (do this while the door is in the closed position). This will release the trolley so the door can be opened and closed manually. You should be able to lift the door half way and it will stay there. If the door slams back to the floor then spring tension needs to be added and if the door flies open then the spring tension needs to be reduced.’ The springs can be very dangerous and cause injury. It’s a best to let Hanson Overhead of Raleigh do the balancing and adjusting, as needed.
Grease The Door: lubrication of the moving parts on the door will make the door work smoother. Grease the hinges, rollers, springs and pulleys to ensure that they can move easily. A silicone based lubricant will work best. Anything else will get sticky and attract dirt.

Annual maintenance should be done to extend the life of your Raleigh garage door and its opener. By showing a little attention to the door and opener you’ll get a few more years out of them. You’ll also have peace of mind, knowing that they are working properly and safely.