Form Versus Function

As with there being different style of garage door, which we have already covered, there are other aesthetic choices that you need to make when replacing a broken garage door or installing a new one. And while you may have thought about your dream house and every inch of its exterior and interior when you were designing it, or you may have simply found your perfect home already on market, regardless the garage door and garage are not thought about explicitly in this process. It seems the garage is often implicitly designed to mirror the style of the house but at the same time not draw too much attention to itself. It is always thought that the real "hero" should be the house's architecture, location, etc. and the garage is secondary. While that may be the prevailing ideology when it comes to choosing and designing a new home for you or your family to live in for the future why not turn that idea on its head?

By that I mean, start with the garage. You may have loads of ideas for what your home will look like when you have got it turned into your "dream house" but often we have so many ideas as to what a dream house is that these ideas conflict. You may be trying to marry the ideas of a renovated loft, with a country home, and a modern villa. These obviously can't all work together so some sacrifices will have to be made eventually. Would you rather make these designs once, or twice? By asking that question I mean, get an idea of the functionality and options available to you when you are designing your garage before you go ahead and make any huge concessions on what style you are aiming for your house to achieve in the end. While your garage may seem like a relatively small portion of your home, your garage is a largely visible portion of your home in most cases and so may make all of these decisions easier. When you look at what sort of garage door installations are available to you, along with the specific functions you will need to be getting out of your garage door you might find that a certain aesthetic works better than any of the others when it comes to garages. If you are taking a function before form approach to your home, which I would say is almost always suggested, you will have some better direction as to which aesthetic you continue with. Regardless of whether you are buying a house or having it built especially for you there is no harm in sitting down with, or calling up, your garage door professional and hearing what they might have to say about your current plans. Whether it is too early, too late or just the right time in the design process you won't be regretting taking a few minutes out of your day to talk to them.

If you have got a bit more direction as to what you envision your garage space as you may want to even start with the garage and garage door questions from the start. There are many professions and hobbies that require a garage that is suited specifically for them or just a generally versatile garage. If you perhaps like to spend your time on the weekends brewing your own beer you will be looking for a garage door that won't disrupt this process but will still provide heat insulation and hopefully keep airflow to a minimum. If you are a carpenter you might want a door that shows off some of your work when shut and still ventilates the chemicals you use to finish your wood when closed. If you run your T-shirt printing business out of your garage you will want to make sure that storage of the garage door doesn't take up too much space but that the door will keep your products protected from any harsh elements that are outside. If your home is also where you work its design and functionality are all the more important, and your garage should be a part of that design. Talking to the person who will be handling your garage door installation about what you plan to be using the garage for will help them suggest styles and and add-ons that you may benefit from. Having particular needs for you life will also affect the aesthetics of your garage door and might just help you decide what type of house will go with that beautiful garage door you have picked out.

So while homes can vary in style and design, they are in many aspects essentially similar on the inside. The importance of the house is to give you a place to lay your head and call home. The outside of your home when it comes down to it is much less important than the inside where all the magic happens and the memories are made. Your garage's functions are reflected in its aesthetic design and so the two are linked much more closely in many cases than they might be in a house. In the end it really depends on how usable you would like your garage area to be as opposed to how much you would like it to reflect the design of your home. Both are very possible, as is achieving just one of those goals. If you feel that your run of the mill garage set up to house a car or two is suitable you may be fine with simply getting your garage door installed at the very end of the process. If not reach out to someone who installs garage doors as soon as you can to make sure that you can get what you want out of your garage with the style you are looking for still. I hope for all our sakes that it isn't too late for you to get all of the things you want from your garage, garage door and entire home and then some!