Why Are the 5 Types of Garage Door Lifts Important to You?

Love to mix different prestigious textures and details like stone, wood, and window shutters and then add some curves to these square lines with arches over a bay window, entry doors, and the garage door? We do too! Love the timeless appeal of the traditional style? Let us introduce you to the Prestige XL Design garage door, here shown in single size, Chocolate Walnut color, with Pinhead windows.

If you’ve decided to build a garage onto your home, you’ll have a lot of new benefits that you didn’t have before. Regardless of whether you’re constructing an attached or detached garage, you can use the space for a lot of exciting new things.

If you own your own home, you should have a garage to maximize your space. This is especially true if you have a family and kids. There are lots of activities that garages can make possible. They also make a lot of memories.

Garages have taken on new meaning during the COVID age. They have almost turned into the equal of being a second house. The days of garages being storage areas for useless trash are gone. Now they are nicer, more efficient offices or escape rooms. People are converting them into gyms and bars. There’s no limit to how you can use this space.

Most people get the most excited about choosing a garage door. After all, this is the most visible area of the entire garage and front of your home. This is often the first thing people notice when they pull up to your home.

When You Want Windows Above Your Garage Door You Need High Lift Hardware

This elegant, contemporary house has 2 single, black Vog garage doors with windows right above them to harmoniously match its entry door’s design. This is often the case with the modern style. The more and bigger the windows are, the merrier!

When you have a high lift garage door, it makes your door’s tracks extend, so the door holds tight against the wall. This makes it go up higher before it curves. In the end, this gives you more use of the vertical space in the area and about 12” to 15” of additional overhead room. If you need more space above, you should move the garage door tracks closer to the ceiling.

Check out how this garage door high lift hardware seems to add its industrial touch to this design playing with different noble textures. Whether you’re using an outstanding California all-glass garage door in your hip cottage to open up the space between your home and your swimming pool, or when you have a mezzanine or high ceilings, high lift hardware is your go-to.

You Know You Need High Lift Hardware When:

• You incorporate the look of your garage door into the decorative theme of your home overall. Use the above picture as an example.
• When your garage layout includes having windows over the opening.
• If you want more storage space above your garage door. This allows you to keep as much off of the floor as you can. When you have larger amounts of wall space, you end up with more overhead space.
• If you want to put a lift in your garage to work on cars. This requires a huge amount of overhead clearance.
• If you have the vision of one day turning the garage into something special. Maybe it will be a gym or a man cave. Perhaps you’ll turn it into a business. Regardless of your idea, you don’t want the door directly over your head, so you can take advantage of more space.

In this technical drawing, you can see that part of your high lift garage door will be a straight track and part will be angled slightly away from the wall.

How Does High Lift Garage Door Hardware Look?

High lift garage doors completely shift the way the door moves along the tracks. When you give it some thought, the door moves up more than it does back. This changes the way the components handle weight and stress. This means some of the parts will be different, as well.

1. The Tracks of The Door:

   Every installation is going to be unique to each garage. If you have a 12-foot ceiling in the garage, you’re going to need a door that is 10 feet high. Basically, the tracks are going to need to be at least two feet longer than Standard Garage Door hardware.

2. The Torsion Spring of the Garage Door:

   Most of the time, people think the opener does all of the hard work regarding the garage door lifting and closing. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The torsion springs are what pack all of the punch. To do an efficient job, it has to be balanced properly so your garage door opens smoothly and, importantly, operates safely.

3. The Opener:

   

   You did all you could NOT to have your garage door tracks just above your head. You don’t want to ruin it all by having the traditional center garage door opener rail get in the way! Anyway, with a garage door design like the one in this picture, you couldn’t install the rail in the window above this modern, black double garage door (Flush Design).

You Found Out You Need a Wall Mounted Garage Door Opener

You should probably get a LiftMaster 8500W. This is a great choice for the following reasons:

• It is much quieter.
• There is an auto-lock feature that gives you more security.
• Extra horsepower for high-lift and vertical door installations.
• You can take advantage of the MyQ app. This means you can operate your garage door from anywhere in the world where you get phone service.

If you Have a Cathedral Ceiling, You Need Inclined Tracks

Have you ever looked at a picture of a house drawn by a younger child? Do you know what the roof looks like in these pictures? When the garage door ends up on the OTHER side of the roof of the garage, you need inclined garage door tracks specifically.

A picture is worth 1,000 words! When your garage door must follow the slope of the roof, it requires Inclined Tracks, like for this timeless beauty, also called the Eastman E-12 Design, here shown with Claystone color for the door and Ice White color real overlays.

What Separates Inclined Tracks and High Lift Hardware?

• Inclined tracks take the same model as your roof. This means they follow the same slant and keep the door flat against the ceiling. A High Lift brings the garage door all the way to the ceiling before the curve and still leaves a gap at the start of the slant.
• The torsion spring will need to be well-balanced and much stronger because the Hight Lift Garage Door puts a different amount of stress on all of the moving parts.
• When the garage has a steep roof, you probably need a wall-mounted LiftMaster 8500 garage door opener.

These charming yet elegant Carriage House single garage doors are from the Townships Collection, in the Eastman E-11 design, with Moka Brown colored doors, and Desert Sand colored overlays, with 4 vertical-lite Panoramic windows.

Your Hardware Should Consist of Inclined Tracks If:

• You have cathedral ceilings in your garage
• Your garage has high, vaulted ceilings
• If the garage door is on the same side as the slope of the roof

When Your Space Is Limited, You Need Front or Rear Low Headroom Hardware

You need garage door hardware that is considered Front and Rear Low Headroom When:

• The ceiling is a lot lower than normal.
• If you’re replacing the old swinging style garage doors that only need a couple of inches of clearance. Seriously, we’re talking 2 inches.
• If you are unfamiliar with Low Headroom Hardware and want to know more, read this FAQ.

The California full-view garage door of this she-shed had less than the 10 inches needed to install Standard Lift Hardware. As well, the homeowner wanted the garage tracks to be as invisible as possible since this was her retreat from it all and she wanted the space to be pretty, cozy, and elegant.

When Is It Mandatory That You Choose Front and Rear Low Headroom Garage Equipment?

• If the headroom above your garage door is AT LEAST between 7 and 10 inches, you’ll need this type of equipment.
• Also, if the amount of overhead space is between 5 and 7 inches, you’ll need this same type of equipment.
• What is the difference between Standard and Front and Rear Low Headroom Hardware? When your garage door has a lot lower amount of overhead space to shift from the vertical to the horizontal position, the tracks and rollers slide along the top portion of the door solely. This allows the opener to move the top portion far enough so the lower sections of the door will continue on the bottom track in a much smoother manner.
• Despite what most people believe, even if you don’t have a lot of overhead space above the door, you STILL NEED TO INSTALL CEILING MOUNTED OPENERS. Wall-mounted openers can’t open the door the entire way. If you still decide on this option anyway, keep in mind that about 8inches of your door will ALWAYS stay at the top of the opening gap. Our recommendation would be a LiftMaster 87504-267 door opener, the Next Gen of the well-known LiftMaster 8550.
• When this lift isn’t your first selection, but your only option when nothing else will accommodate the space you have available.

The Most Common Type of Lift is Standard Garage Door Hardware

This is an interesting case! The garage door on the left needs inclined tracks while the one on the right side will be fine with a Standard Garage Door Lift. By the way, did you know Architects and Designers are rediscovering garage doors with an arch? If you enjoy the long-lasting chicness of Traditional Style, these single garage doors in the Classic MIX Design will make your eyes smile.

When Should Standard Garage Door Lift Be Your Choice?

• If the space over your door is 10 inches or better
• You can choose extension springs, torsion springs, or two overhead tracks. Despite what you’ve heard, experts usually make one recommendation. Specialists recommend torsion springs.
• If you want an electric, ceiling-mounted opener, like the new LiftMaster 87504-267, the Next Gen of the well-known LiftMaster 8550.

Before You Start Building and Pull the Trigger on the Garage Door, Consider the Following Information

For a successful yesteryear swing door effect, the North Hatley SP garage door design is perfect! Here shown in Ice White to match the windows and entry door color, with Richmond Arch window Inserts and decorative hardware.

Should You Choose Insulated or Non-Insulated? This is Important

It’s not uncommon for people to cut corners when they’re completing a big DIY project. Insulation is one of the elements that people tend to skip to save money and time. However, you could end up paying for this in the end.

Consider These Elements:

According to House Beautiful, heating and cooling your house is the most important portion of your home’s energy consumption. The best thing you can do to make your house more “green” is to improve the insulation and any gaps you have around windows and doors.

If your garage isn’t heated, paying attention to the insulation could still help you save money. This will have a huge effect on portions of your home where you DO have heating units installed.

According to Green Builder Media, a spray foam, such as polyurethane, has the best R-value overall. There is a lot of insulating power available when you use this material in small spaces. You should also consider choosing a GARAGA Standard+. This ranks at an R-16 for the R-value, which is a smart decision that will have a significant impact on your energy bills and last for over 25-years.

Give Your Home Some Cosmetic Advantages

A quality garage door will normally last over a quarter-century. It will also have the best resale value out of any DIY project you can complete in your home. You should make sure your garage door has the following elements:

• Get a door that has windows. The light will help with energy and also give you a more positive ambiance.
• Don’t get a boring or white color. This won’t boost your home’s aesthetic value very much, and it will get very dirty.
• One double door costs the same as two single doors.

  Read more on this here. Always make sure you choose the door that looks best to you!

Don’t you love how the brick and the wood textures create something unique and chic? We almost forget it’s a detached garage! The Shaker-Flat XL garage door design, with Stockton window inserts. The rich Chocolate Walnut color adds a deep layer much needed to enhance all these light colors.

Regardless of the Project You’re Planning for Your Garage, You Need to Contact the Experts

If you’re transforming your carport into a garage, or building your detached garage or your attached garage, we at Doormasters, want to help make your dreams a reality. We have a ton of experience when it comes to garage doors and home improvement projects, and we can answer all the important questions you have. We can also provide all the materials, and even make the installations for you!

Give us a call at 403-347-8670.

Most home buyers are only going to buy ONE GARAGE DOOR throughout their entire lives. This makes it a very important purchase. Overhead doors and garage door openers are what we specialize in. We think this qualifies us to help you find the right door and components that fit your budget.

Do you already know which door you want? Okay, that’s awesome.

We can give you a free quote now.

Do you want a real glimpse at what the door will look like attached to your home?

It’s possible with our Design Centre. Think of this as a virtual construction project that incorporates your new door and a picture of your home.