A garage can constitute a significant proportion of the front of a property, making a garage door one of the most important exterior aspects. PHPD spoke to Neil Discombe, Managing Director of Garador to find out how to make the most of its design and visual appearance.
The importance of the exterior appeal of a new house is well-known, with facades, brick colours, mortar, render and roofing options all selected with great care. The front door and windows are equally important, as should be the garage door. A garage can take up to a third of the front of a property, making its design and visual appearance one of the most prominent exterior aspects.
Choosing a modern and attractive garage door is key in helping to create a great first impression, and to maximize the value of a property. Therefore it is important to match the style of a garage door to the overall design of the property, while ensuring it is ‘on trend’.
Choosing a modern and attractive garage door is key in helping to create a great first impression, and to maximize the value of a property.
Neil Discombe, Managing Director of Garador explained: “The wide profile Up & Over garage doors, such as our Ascot and Windsor, have grown in popularity over the last 12 months. They offer excellent value for money and are available in a huge range of colours and finishes, so are an easy first choice for many builders and house owners.” The doors are available in a wide choice of colours – which includes Anthracite Grey – have a contemporary appearance and feature modern engineering.
Neil Discombe continued: “Automated Up & Over doors also continue to be popular, giving homeowners a more convenient way of opening and closing their garage door. Garador’s Sectional and also our GaraRoll roller doors are also popular, with GaraRoll offering additional driveway space alongside full garage roof access too.”
However, despite the vast selection of finishes and colour choices, including natural wood and wood style finishes, white is still the most popular colour overall.
Design advice
To assist customers in choosing the right door for their property or development, the company recently introduced a new web-based application called Visualise Your Door. It enables anyone with a camera and internet connection to visualise exactly what a new Garador garage door will look like on a property.
Simply take a picture of the house, and slot in the garage door of your choice to see what the door would look like on a property. The tool has been designed to work with both PCs and tablets, so users can use a device of their choice.
Security first
Security is a major issue for all home owners and preventing unwanted access to a garage is vital. Garador has developed a Secured by Design accredited range of Up & Over garage doors, called Guardian, with additional features to enhance security. Secured by Design (SBD) is a security standard set by the UK Police Flagship initiative and is only given to designs that pass strict criteria to ensure they can withstand a break-in.
Neil Discombe explained: “Guardian Range doors feature eight full door braces on the rear of the door to help increase the structural rigidity of the door panel. One of the weakest points on a garage door is the locking system. Lock snapping, involving breaking the cylinder to manipulate the lock open, is a common method of entry used by burglars. Garador has specifically addressed this in their Guardian Range by introducing special reinforced steel plates for lock body protection. On top of that, the cylinder features an anti-snap, anti-drill design plus a sacrificial front. This will prevent entry through the lock.”
Under control
When access is required many homeowners want more than the traditional manual opening option, although these continue to be heavily specified. Neil Discombe noted: “Manual opening of our Up & Over canopy garage doors, when the door swings quickly and easily back into the roof space, is still a very popular option. However, with Garador’s new generation of electrically operated garage door systems, automated opening also a top choice.”
The company’s GaraMatic range of operators enable homeowners to open and close their garage door remotely from longer distances. The status of the garage door can also be checked remotely; so there is no more going indoors and then wondering, ‘Did I close the garage door?’ With a GaraMatic 10 operator and hand transmitter users can also check the position of the door.
As with any electronically operated device today, security is vital. One of the most important features in the company’s transmitters are the heavily encrypted radio signals, designed to prevent thieves from being able to copy the signal. Neil Discombe explained, “The security is based around 868 MHz high frequency signalling system plus bi-directional FM radio signalling – this is exactly the same 128 bit encryption that is used by many banks today for their online banking security. Rolling code technology is also utilised in GaraMatic operators and hand transmitters, meaning the signal used is slightly different each time the door is operated using the hand transmitter.”
Installation options
To help housebuilders install its garage doors the company has a nationwide network of stockists and installers throughout the UK. There is service to locate stockists and installers on its website – www.garador.co.uk/stockists.
Neil Discombe noted: “Quick and easy installation is an important consideration for housebuilders and installers, which is why Garador’s range of doors from Up & Over garage doors to GaraRoll roller doors have been engineered to ensure that they can be fitted on-site quickly and precisely, without any hassle.”
