Question:
My garage doors got 2 panels knocked out over the holidays by a [indigent]
family member, and I need to know if it is likely that the whole door will
have to replaced... rather than repaired.
It was installed 20 yrs. ago, and has 3 windows in it, above the panels
which were damaged. It's never been worked on, and previously just made a
lot of noise in the summertime, because the female owner of the house [moi],
never oiled it. Sorry I don't know the manufacturer.
So my question, is it likely those panels can be replaced, or that I have to
spring for the whole door? And if I have to buy a new door, what type is
the most reasonable in the Southeast? What's the choice or price range now,
if I still want a door with the windows?
Answer:
I live in western New York, and I have two garage doors made of wood
and similar material. No windows, but each has four rows of panels,
and the bottom row of each is basically rotten. I know I need to
replace them, so I called in two good companies locally.
I learned that I would pay about $200 per row of panels, and if I
included the electric openers, which I don't have right now, I'd be
looking at about $650 for those two. All of this work (totaling
around $1,100) would "enable" these folks to clean up and fix my two
garage doors so they work well. Right now, it's hard to latch them
because they're out of alignment, etc.
Call two or three companies that service garage doors in your area,
including that Overhead door company you mention. You can get this
fixed without a lot of expense, I think: pay for the row of panels (I
do hope the two panels knocked out were in the same row) and then some
extra for cleaning and realigment of your door.
I was thinking a new door may be the best option in the end, but I haven't
seen any yet, that I like as much as the one I have now. So I'll see what
is most practical, because other problems could develop later with repairs.
