Pros and Cons of Glass Garage Doors
May 24, 2019
Glass garage doors have emerged on the market as a modern take on a classic feature for homes. Some only associate them in businesses, having seen commercial glass garage doors used as space separators in trendy restaurants or at mechanics shops. This design trend, however, is moving into homes as a way to update the look of a residence and improve curb appeal. Like any major change to your home’s appearance, you must put careful consideration into both the advantages and the disadvantages of glass garage doors before making the choice that’s best for your residence.
If you live in the Houston area, your concerns will include questions that those in other parts of the country don’t need to worry about, such as strength in hurricanes and insulation against sweltering summers. We’ve brought together the most popular questions we’ve received about glass doors so that you can find the answers you need quickly.
Table of Contents:
Common Questions on the Benefits of Modern Glass Garage Doors
- Do Glass Garage Doors Add Curb Appeal?
- Can Glass Garage Doors Maximize Living Space With Natural Light?
- Are Glass Garage Doors Strong Against the Elements?
- Are Low-Maintenance Glass Garage Doors Available?
- Can I Choose Different Colors?
- Do Glass Garage Doors Have Lasting Investment Value?
Concerns About Glass Garage Doors
- Will Glass Garage Doors Reduce My Home’s Privacy?
- How Well-Insulated Are Glass Garage Doors?
- Are Glass Garage Doors Expensive?
Common Questions on the Benefits of Modern Glass Garage Doors
Garage doors have come a long way from the simple wooden structures of the last century. Today’s glass doors can add a modern aesthetic to your home. Whether you’ve seen these types of garage doors on houses or home improvement shows, you likely have many questions about them. It’s one thing to see an interesting design element on a home and a whole other thing to invest in it yourself.
Many people wonder about how practical glass is as a garage door material, especially when they’re making a long-term investment in their homes by buying a new door. For the Houston area, residents wonder about weather resistance and local appeal. For new constructions and existing homes, the choice of garage door matters more than you think. Now is the time to get the answers to your concerns about the many benefits of glass garage doors.
1. Do Glass Garage Doors Add Curb Appeal?
Depending on the size of your home and the orientation of the garage, your garage door could account for 30% or more of the curbside view of your home. Because the overhead door accounts for such a large percentage of your home’s facade, changing it can have a dramatic effect on how your home looks.
Depending on your home’s current design, contemporary garage doors can mirror the modern look of it or add contrast. If your home has numerous windows to admit light, integrating a glass overhead door will provide balance and add to the trend you’ve already started. You can even select colors for the frame of a glass door to complement the existing colors on your home.
The reason you want increased curb appeal may extend beyond having a great-looking home. At night, few things can brighten your home’s appearance and make it more inviting than lit windows. The light coming through glass garage doors will give your home a warm glow after dark, making it look better at all hours of the day.
2. Can Glass Garage Doors Maximize Living Space With Natural Light?
Garages are increasingly becoming secondary living spaces. Whether you want to convert your garage into a game room or home office, increasing the amount of natural light in the area will reduce the electricity needed to illuminate the area.
You can even customize the amount of sunlight your overhead door allows into the room. Full-view glass garage doors admit the greatest amount of light. If you want to increase privacy, opt for frosted or mirrored glass. You can choose from multiple glass options that allow varying amounts of natural light into your garage while helping you customize your level of privacy.
3. Are Glass Garage Doors Strong Against the Elements?
Living in Houston, it’s not a matter of if you experience a storm, but when. Everything from spring tornadoes to summer thunderstorms to fall hurricanes can strike, lashing wind and debris against your home. Many people feel concern about the strength of glass doors in the face of windstorms in southeast Texas.
The AVANTE® collection from Clopay is a series of glass garage doors that allows for customization. For windstorm protection, you can opt for extra strength built into the door based on where you live. Because Harris County is so large, your home may require doors to stand up against wind speeds between 115 and 150 miles per hour.
The closer you live to the coast, the higher the wind speeds your garage door must withstand. Your location plays a vital role in the wind code rating you need for your garage doors. The surrounding area will also help you choose the score for your garage door. If you need help with this calculation, feel free to ask us here at Halo Overhead Doors.
4. Are Low-Maintenance Glass Garage Doors Available?
Maintenance should factor into any fixture you have installed on your home. For garage doors, you have several options, some of which require more care than others. If you fail to properly care for wooden doors, their paint may fade, and the wood may splinter. Ill-cared-for metal doors may rust when exposed to the elements. Glass offers the benefit of requiring little maintenance, especially compared to other overhead door materials. To clean the glass doors, use a soft cloth.
Don’t worry about the frame surrounding the glass either. We offer commercial-grade aluminum framing. The frame resists rust and can come in numerous colors. You won’t need to fret about splinters, rusting or wearing coloring if you choose glass doors for your garage.
When it comes to changing your home’s appearance, you don’t need to repaint or engage in any other heavy-effort task. A new door covering your garage will transform your home’s appearance and require less upkeep than a new paint job on your home’s trim, wooden garage doors or other renovation options. As a result, you’ll add value to your home without needing to commit to a renovation that will require extensive maintenance.
5. Can I Choose Different Colors?
Color is essential in choosing garage doors to complement the appearance of your home. We offer standard colors for the aluminum framing and matching handle. Options include:
- Bronze
- Brown
- White
- Clear anodized, or protective coating
- Bronze anodized
- Black anodized
In addition to these standard colors, you can also choose ColorBlast customized colors. You are the artist of your home’s appearance, and customizing your garage door is a small but crucial part of creating your masterpiece.
Along with selecting the right colors for your home, you’ll also have control over the appearance of the glass. You can choose clear glass, mirrored, frosted or other types to better balance the look of your home with your garage door.
6. Do Glass Garage Doors Have Lasting Investment Value?
In 2018, upscale garage door replacements, such as glass models, rose to the top of the list of home renovations and their value. Depending on the market, upscale garage doors added more than their purchase price to the value of the home, averaging 98.3% across the country in return on investment. This value was an increase from 2017 of 85%.
Compared to other exterior renovations, high-end garage doors costed less and had a more significant impact on the home’s value. Exterior projects helped raise curb appeal, which explained why most exterior projects ranked higher than the interior ones. Among projects ranking in the top 13, 10 were exterior renovations, with a new garage door at the top of the list. Yes, new garage doors show an increase in the return on investment you’ll experience, and if history shows correctly, that ROI will continue to rise over the years.
Concerns About Glass Garage Doors
While glass garage doors have multiple benefits, they also have some perceived drawbacks. Some of these concerns, however, are based on myths or notions about older, less efficient garage door models. You can mitigate some problems through the choices you make before having the doors installed. How much these minor factors affect your choice comes down to whether the drawbacks outweigh the advantages of installing glass doors. Only you can answer that question for your home.
1. Will Glass Garage Doors Reduce My Home’s Privacy?
If you want to use your garage as a living space, privacy will become a factor in choosing the right door. However, with glass doors, you do not have to choose full-view clear glass. You have several options for glass types and opacity selection. If you still want the look of glass without allowing the neighborhood to see inside your garage, consider choosing a more private option like frosted, mirrored or tinted glass.
Along with privacy, the security of glass doors often comes up. Luckily, you can choose tempered glass, which increases the strength of the material, decreasing the chances of it breaking. The extra strength of the tempered glass will also help to protect your home in a windstorm.
Privacy is critical, especially if you live in a neighborhood with homes close together. However, safety is just as important. Let us help you, here in Houston, find the right balance between these factors for your home’s garage doors, whether you choose glass or another material.
2. How Well-Insulated Are Glass Garage Doors?
If you’ve been in Houston for any length of time, you know two things about the weather — winters are mild, and summers are unbearable. While other parts of the country require means of keeping their homes tightly closed to protect against freezing temperatures in winter, in Houston, homeowners don’t have that problem. However, residents know that summer heat can sap energy and raise electric bills.
Rarely does a summer go by in this region without at least one day where the thermometer reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically, the days show temperatures in the 90s with high humidity. The last thing you want is to raise the cost of cooling your home by allowing heat inside.
Because glass allows the sun’s light and heat inside, you may feel like you’re turning your garage into a greenhouse. Fortunately, this scenario does not need to be the case if you choose insulated garage doors. Yes, even glass doors can have insulation incorporated into them to protect your home from extreme temperatures.
To get the most from your insulated door, also add insulation to the walls and ceiling of the garage. If you have an attached garage, insulating it will prevent the heat or cold that collects in the space from affecting the temperature inside your home. Adding insulation also makes it easier to convert the garage into a living area, whether you want to use it seasonally or all year long.
3. Are Glass Garage Doors Expensive?
When you’re comparing prices, you should also consider how the new garage door will affect your home’s value. Anything that increases your home’s worth can raise the amount you’ll sell the house for in the future. Your home is an investment that should grow over the years, but renovations can increase that growth even more. They’re also great ways to boost your home’s resell value in the months before putting it on the market.
If you plan on selling your home in the future, certain upgrades that enhance curb appeal will also give you a return on your investment. A new overhead door could net you up to an 85% or more return on your investment, especially if you choose a secure, sturdy door. Selecting a strong glass garage door will add security in addition to improving your home’s appearance. With the small investment in a new garage door, you can maximize the amount you can sell your home for.
In the 2018 study of cost versus value, only upscale garage doors made the list, but this choice ranked at the top for the highest return on investment. In 2017, mid-range garage doors recouped 76.9% of the value, while upscale doors returned 85% of the investment. In both years, higher quality doors gave better returns on the investment, almost entirely returning the payment price in 2018, with an average recouping of 98.3%.
Learn More About Glass and Other Houston Garage Doors
You may already be thinking about replacing your garage door. At Halo Overhead Doors, we sell glass garage doors in Houston, TX. Our professionals can get you the doors you want to create a modern, upgraded look. If you’re still not sure whether glass doors are for you, see our other offerings. Browse through all our residential garage doors or commercial overhead doors.
Whether or not you want glass, we can help you get the perfect garage doors for your home. We’re the only Master Clopay Dealer in the Houston area. Through us, you can have a glass door from the coveted AVANTE® collection installed on your garage, giving you access to numerous customizable features.
Give us a call at (713) 224-3667 or use our contact page when you’re ready to get started on changing the look of your home or business with new garage doors. Our experts can help you customize your door for the look and attributes you need. We’ve been offering “tough doors, loyal service” to all our customers since 1991. Make us your choice for long-lasting, beautiful Houston glass garage doors, and we’ll do the same for you.