Autumn has officially begun! The leaves are changing, the temperature is cooling down, and our weekends may be filled with football. While fall is a fun and exciting time of the year it won’t be long before it is over. That’s right, the winter season is right around the corner. If you live in the Midwest, you know that winters can be unpredictable. Without warning, a random foot of snow can easily ruin your plans by making you stay inside due to the tundra-like conditions.

As winter creeps closer, homeowners will begin preparing their home to withstand the cold, snow, and wind that accompanies the lengthy season. While homeowners spend all this time and money getting their homes ready for the upcoming cold, they often forget to get their garages ready, too.

Winter Preparation For Garages

Yes, you read that right. Maybe you have never heard of getting your garage ready for winter, but the truth is, this space needs as much care as the rest of your home and property. While most homeowners don’t spend their spare time in their garage, especially in the winter, there are several things you can do to make your garage a more comfortable space and ensure that it is in great condition when Spring arrives.Check out a few tips for getting your garage ready for winter.

Garage Door Maintenance

Most people aren’t concerned with their garage door openers until it stops working. And, the last thing you want is for your opener to stop working in the middle of a snowstorm, leaving you stranded in the cold. Before it gets too cold, perform a quick inspection of your garage door opener. Check to ensure the following:

• The track is clean and lubricated properly
• The springs show no signs of wear, rust or damage
• The automatic reversal system works efficiently

Unless you really know what you’re doing, you should only perform a visual evaluation of your garage door and opener. The adjustment of springs, repair, and the replacement of a garage should be left to a professional garage door service.

Keep the cold out

Keeping outside air out of your garage is important, especially during the winter. If you have an older garage, there is a good chance there is nothing stopping the cold air from getting in. And, if you have an attached garage, the cold air could be constantly altering the temperature of your home, causing energy bills to skyrocket. Before the cold arrives, be sure to check your garage door’s seals to ensure there are no tears or other signs of damage. If they aren’t already, consider weather-stripping and caulking the windows and entry doors within your garage.

You can also replace your old garage door with a new, insulated one. An insulated garage door will help create a more comfortable and energy efficient garage. Insulation will keep the warm air from escaping, and the cool air from entering. These doors also offer quieter operation as well as increased durability.

Waterproof Flooring

As we mentioned, winters are unpredictable and can bring unplanned accidents. A harsh winter can cause snow and ice to build up outside of your garage, and when the snow or ice melts, the water could end up entering your garage causing a flood. To be safe, you can waterproof the floor of your garage. While waterproofing won’t stop floods from happening, it will help mitigate some of the damages caused. Plus, when the snow and ice on your car melts in the garage, you can rest assured knowing it won’t cause any damages.

Heat things up

While an insulated door will help keep the heat in and the cold air out, if you really want to keep warm from the frosty Midwest winter, you may want to consider adding a heater to your garage. If you solely use your garage for vehicle and clutter storage, then heating might not be a worthwhile investment. However, if you use your garage as a family space, workout room, or man cave a heater might be a nice addition as it will maintain a comfortable and stable temperature.

Professional Garage Service Indianapolis

If you live in Indianapolis or the surrounding areas, you know that our winters are not very pleasant. Be sure you start getting your home and garage ready for the cold. If you want to schedule garage door maintenance, contact the professionals at Garage Door Doctor. Our team specializes in the repair, installation, and maintenance of residential and commercial garage doors. We also carry and install reliable, insulated garage doors that will help keep your garage warm this winter season. For more information, or to receive a free consultation, contact Garage Door Doctor today!

If you’re remodeling your current house, building a new house, or planning a move and shopping the housing market,  there is a good chance you will experience (or already are experiencing) an overwhelming amount of decisions.

With all the decisions that come with our homes, it can often be easy to overlook ones that are more important than most people realize, like the decisions that come with garages. Today, garages have become pretty standard with most houses as they bring many benefits, including the protection of your vehicles. If homeowners don’t have a garage, they may still be debating whether to add one to their current home or start shopping for a new home that has one. However, when it comes to garages, most people do not think about whether or not they prefer an attached or detached garage.

Both detached and attached garages come with an extensive list of advantages and disadvantages, and ultimately neither is worse than the other, it is solely based on personal preference and what priorities are most important to you.

Since you most likely have never really thought about which type of garage you prefer, we are going to help you by highlighting the unique features that each option offers, starting with attached garages.

Attached Garages: An Overview

Attached garages didn’t become a popular trend until the 1950s. Most houses that were built before then do not have an attached garage unless there was one added during a home remodel. Nonetheless, there are many benefits to garages that are attached to homes, which has been proven true from how popular they have become over the past half-century. The size of attached garages can vary, but the average size can have enough space for one to two vehicles. Whether or not an attached garage is right for you can depend greatly on your personal needs as well as the area and the neighborhood you live in. Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of attached garages:

Advantages of Attached Garages

• Easier to build. If you’re adding an attached garage to your home and are starting from scratch, they are much simpler and cost-effective project. Think about it: you already have one, if not two walls that will make up half of the garages framework. Compared to a detached garage, an attached garage will most likely take less time and cost a bit less.

• Easy access. This may be a given, but attached garages are much more simple to access than a detached garage. It’s more convenient and time-efficient, as you can easily go back and forth between the garage and the house. Easy access becomes an important factor, especially if you choose to keep an extra fridge in the garage or use it as an extra workspace. Having this type of accessibility can be extremely convenient for homeowners.

• No more walking through weather. An attached garage can be a real luxury, especially during the harsh Midwest winters. Whether it is snowing, raining, or there are high winds, there’s nothing more beneficial than being able to access your garage without having to go outside. During these terrible weather conditions, attached garages give you the advantage of being able to park your car safely and access your home without being exposed to the conditions outside.

• Allows more yard space. Unlike detached garages, attached garages do not take up as much open yard space. If you have children or pets, this can be a huge advantage as it allows for more space to play. Also, the yard space that is saved from having an attached garage can be used for a garden, swimming pool, fire-pit, trampoline — there are plenty of options!

• Visually large appearance. In a previous blog, we covered how garages can increase your home’s curb appeal, but attached garages can also make your home appear larger. If you’re someone who has a small home and are interested in making it appear larger than it actually is, an attached garage can do just that. Sometimes, depending on the size of your home and garage, an attached garage can appear to double the size of a house.

• Cheaper utilities. Since you have utilities already set up in your home, it will be much simpler and cheaper to extend them into your garage if it is attached. The same goes for electricity, too.

Disadvantages of Attached Garages

• Higher security risk. Although this is often overlooked, attached garages bring slightly less protection and security than a detached garage does. This is simply because if a trespasser can access the garage, it is much easier to gain access into the house it is connected to, which is not possible with detached garages. However, there are plenty of ways to help prevent and protect your garage from theft.

• Difficult to build in certain neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods feature houses that are built closer together, usually offering a more narrow backyard space. If you live in these types of neighborhoods or live on a small lot, there may not be enough space to add a garage to your home. Many smaller lots with long and narrow houses are better off building a detached garage instead.

• Less privacy. This is more based on personal preference, in addition to what you use your garage for. Some homeowners utilize garage space based on personal lifestyle, needs, and preference. If you solely use your garage for car storage and parking, then this really isn’t something that you should worry about. However, if you use your garage space for an office, gym, or getaway from the main house, it is easier for family members to pop-in and causes distractions.

• May look odd on older houses. As we mentioned earlier, attached garages didn’t take off until the 1950s. Since older homes weren’t designed or built to have a garage, it can often be difficult to add one. If you do add a garage to an older home, it may look odd and visually unappealing.

As you can see, there are plenty of pros and cons to attached garages. Keep an eye out for our next blog, as we will cover the advantages and disadvantages of detached garages to help you decide which is best for your home. Whether you choose an attached garage or not, you’re going to need a high-quality garage door as well as a professional garage door installation company to complete your garage. If you live in Indianapolis, or in the surrounding areas, you can count on Garage Door Doctor for all your garage door repair and installation needs! Garage Door Doctor offers 24/7 emergency service, so they’re always ready to help their customers. For more information or receive a free estimate, contact the team at Garage Door Doctor!

There are many different reasons to get a new garage door, however, if yours is exhibiting any of the signs we’re going to talk about today on the Garage Door Doctor blog, it’s likely that getting a new garage door for your Indianapolis home is going to be essential.The good new is, we don’t only offer our services in Indianapolis, so if you’re in Bargersville, Camby, Geist, and Mooresville, we can help you with all of your garage door needs. Keep reading to learn the signs you should be paying attention to that can alert you that it’s time for a new garage door.

Signs It’s Time To Replace Your Garage Door

Frequent Breakdowns And Constant Noise

If you’re finding that your garage door is breaking down on a regular basis or it’s not opening or closing the way it was intended to, it may be time for a replacement. In addition to frequent breakdowns, loud noises are not only annoying to listen to, but they can also indicate that your door is no longer functioning correctly, and it may even be a sign of a safety hazard. If the problem goes beyond a simple repair by a professional, it may be time to opt for a new door instead of multiple service calls.

Out-Of-Date Design

In the same way that a new garage door can enhance the look of your property, an outdated door can drastically decrease the curb appeal of your home. Whether the design of your current door is simply old-fashioned or you have a door that has paint chipping or the wood is splitting, this is a sign that you need an updated garage door. You can find all of the new, modern designs for garage doors when you shop with us. Whether you’re looking for a door that has raised panels, recessed panels, a carriage house overlay, or even accent planks, we have many of the most popular designs available for you to purchase for your home.

Lacks Efficiency And Safety Features

Along with updated designs, newer garage doors have safety and efficiency features that older doors don’t have. Newer doors will provide you with standard features such as insulation, weather strips, bottom seals, and more. Newer doors also commonly have safety features, such as sensors, that reduce the likelihood of the door closing on someone or something that’s stuck under the door.

Instead of simply tolerating your old garage door, maybe it’s time to think about upgrading to take advantage of all of the benefits that come with getting a new door. Garage doors are a heavy piece of machinery, and keeping an old, unsafe door can not only make using your current door frustrating, but it may increase the risk that something will go wrong with the door, which could potentially be harmful to a loved one.

Don’t continue to put off getting a new garage door for your Indianapolis home. Call Garage Door Doctor today to learn more about upgrading your door. We look forward to hearing from you!

Your garage door serves as more than a tool to keep the components of your garage protected from the elements. Your garage door is often a focal point of the front of your house, and it can either add to or detract from your home’s curb appeal. If you’ve been thinking about having a new garage door installed, call Garage Door Doctor. We can install a beautiful, residential garage door that will dramatically improve the look of your Indianapolis home. If you’d like to completely revamp the curb appeal of your home, we have a few more tips for you on how you can boost the exterior look and feel of your home.

Top Tips For Adding Curb Appeal To Your Home

Make Your Front Door Pop

Aside from your garage door, your front door is probably the most noticeable feature of your home—or at least it could be! Getting a front door with a unique design or painting your front door a fun color is a great way to draw attention to your home’s entrance. Even if you’re not up for replacing or painting your front door, you can add decals to the door that say things such as, “welcome,” or “hello.” You can also add decorative wreaths that you update throughout the year based on the season. The possibilities to make your front door pop really are endless.

Update Your Mailbox

If you have a mailbox in front of your home, there’s no need to keep the standard, metal mailbox that has been outside your home for the last 15 years. A mailbox is an easy item to replace and you can find one that suits your own style and even shows off a bit of your personality. You can even add a flower box around your mailbox to make it more of a focal point.

Add Window Boxes

Speaking of flowers, adding window boxes to the windows in the front of your home adds more of a three dimensional look to the exterior, and it also adds to the color of your home. Make sure that you pick flowers and plants that will complement your home’s color scheme.

Build An Arbor Or A Picket Fence

Adding an arbor to the ground where the walkway to your front door meets the sidewalk in front of your home will act as a beautiful entryway to your property. If you’d like to add a little more definition and security to the yard in front of your home, a white picket fence is the epitome of curb appeal.

Add Art

Outdoor art can consist of birdbaths, sculptures, metal cutouts, wind chimes, and fountains. Find pieces that fit your personal style and preferences, while also keeping with the theme and colors of your home.

If you’re ready to boost the curb appeal of your home, call Garage Door Doctor to have a new, residential garage door installed, and try some of our other tips listed above. We offer our garage door services in Indianapolis and the surrounding areas.

If you don’t use your garage for your car, you’re not alone. Most people use their garages for everything from storage to home gyms, workshops, and more. However, if you’re not currently using your garage for your car due to a problem with your garage door opener or a problem with your garage door track, don’t hesitate to call Garage Door Doctor to repair your garage door if you’re in the Indianapolis area. Once your garage door has been repaired, you’ll be ready to use your garage for your car once again! However, you’ll probably also need to organize your garage. Keep reading for some of our top organizational tips for your garage!

Top Tips For Organizing Your Garage

Clean Everything Out

The easiest way to organize things is to begin by going through everything, and throwing away the things that you don’t need or want. It can be easy to go through a box of your belongings and think that you will use something eventually or you may find a purpose for a certain item, so it’s best to keep it. However, we all know that the item will most likely continue sitting in your garage, waiting until the next time you decide to clean things out. If you haven’t used an item in your garage at least once in the last year, you should probably either donate it, sell it, or throw it away.

Find Another Place To Store Items

There are certain items that you shouldn’t be keeping in your garage to begin with. Paint, for example, can be ruined if subjected to extreme temperatures. Propane tanks are another item that you should not keep in your garage, as a spark from your car or a tool could ignite a fire. Cleaning out your garage is usually a good time to re-examine where you’re keeping certain items, and if the garage is really the best place for them. Now may be a good time to clean out your crawl-space and basement as well, so you can have more room inside your home to store things if needed. You may also want to consider getting a storage shed for your yard if one will fit.

Remove Clutter From The Ground

Items you choose to store in your garage should not be kept in boxes or tubs on the ground. To maximize the space in your garage for storage, you’ll want to install shelves and cabinets on the walls of your garage to store items. You will be able to better organize your items when they have a designated space, and it will make it feel like you have more room for storage in your garage. Keeping your items off of the ground in the garage will also protect your belongings in case of a flood. Clear, plastic storage containers are also ideal since for the garage as they are water-resistant and you can easily see what you have stored in them.

Organizing your garage will not only give you a little more peace of mind in knowing that you will be able to easily find items that you need, but you’ll also have space in your garage once again to park your car. If your garage door is in need of repairs or replacement so you can effectively use your garage again, call the professionals at Garage Door Doctor in Indianapolis.

If you’re not currently using your garage to store your car, you may be missing out on some of the great benefits that can only come from keeping your car in a garage versus keeping it in your driveway or out on the street. If you’re unable to use your garage to store your car thanks to a broken garage door or garage door opener, call the garage door experts in Indianapolis at Garage Door Doctor today. If you’re not sure if keeping your car in a garage is worth it, keep reading to find out why it might actually be beneficial for your car.

Three Ways Your Car Will Benefit From Being Kept In A Garage

#1.The exterior of your car will be better protected.

While it’s true that you car is meant to be driven, and you do have to take your car out into the real world most days, there are quite a few instances where you don’t have to drive your car at all. On the days you’re spending time at home, when you’re gone for a while on vacation, or when you’re in for the night, keeping your car in a garage will ensure that it’s protected from the elements such as sun exposure, wind, rain, and snow. Not to mention, you won’t have to worry about the potential of dings and scrapes from debris and passersby that are likely to come into contact with your car.

#2. Your car will face less of a risk for theft or vandalism.

If your car is left outside, especially over night, your car could be at more of a risk for theft or vandalism. It is not uncommon for cars to be broken into in the middle of the night, have eggs thrown at them, or even be keyed if people happen to be out looking for trouble. If you happen to forget to lock your car doors or leave your windows rolled down, people who are looking to steal things from cars often look for cars that are easy to get into.

#3. Your car’s engine will run better.

Keeping your care stored inside versus outside often aids in keeping your engine better lubricated. When a car is stored in a garage, it’s likely not going to get as cold, which will help to keep your car’s liquids at a more stable temperature. Your car’s coolant will also stay warmer so it’s easier to heat up or cool down your car with the heat or AC.

You may not have thought that not being able to use your garage to store your car was that big of a deal, but keeping your car in a garage really is better not only for your car, but also for you as the owner, especially since cars are often an expensive investment. If you need your garage door or garage door opener repaired or replaced in order to be able to use your garage again, call us here at Garage Door Doctor for the garage door services you need for your Indianapolis home.

Your garage is one of the main entrance points into your home. If your garage is not secured adequately, you could be leaving the belongings in your garage and home vulnerable to theft. Properly securing your garage starts with having a good garage door installed. If your Indianapolis home is in need of a garage door, call the professionals here at Garage Door Doctor. We can help with repairs, maintenance, or garage door installations. If you’d like to ensure that your garage is properly protected against break-ins and theft, keep reading for the steps you should take.

Garage Door Security

Garage Door Openers

If your garage door opener is broken and you’ve been manually opening and closing your garage door, not only are you putting the belongings in your garage and home at risk for theft, but you are also putting yourself in harm’s way. Garage doors are heavy and should not be lifted on a regular basis. If your garage door opener is broken, it’s important to call a garage door expert to either repair or replace your garage door opener.

Garage Door Remotes

While garage door remotes are convenient, if they fall into the wrong hands, they are also potentially dangerous. Instead of using a remote that you clip to the sun visor in your car, consider getting a keychain remote to open and close your garage door, so there will be less of a chance that you will misplace your remote.

Garage Doors

This may seem obvious, but simply remembering to close your garage door will help a great deal in preventing theft. Even if it’s the middle of the day and you don’t see any harm in leaving your garage door open when you’re in your home, you never know who could be walking by and decide that they’d like to sneak in quickly to steal something.

Additional Garage Security

Lock Your Door

By this, we mean the door that may be going from your garage to your backyard or the door from your garage into your home. You may not think that someone would be willing to go through your backyard to get to the door that leads to your garage, but you could be wrong. And if someone does happen to get into your garage, that’s as far as you’d like them to go, we’re sure, so always lock the door from your garage into your home.

Cover Windows

If your garage has windows, don’t leave these windows uncovered. Invest in blinds for your garage windows in order to keep unwanted eyes from seeing the items you store in your garage. A thief might not think twice about breaking a window to get into a garage.

If your garage door or garage door opener is in need of repairs in order to ensure the security of your garage and your home, call the garage door experts here at Garage Door Doctor in Indianapolis. We’d be happy to help you with any of your garage door needs.

When you take the time to make sure that you are operating your garage door safely, you can prevent both injury to yourself or a family member and prevent damage to your garage door or personal items. In a previous Garage Door Doctor blog, our experts in garage doors in Indianapolis began a list of our top tips for garage door safety that we’d like all of our neighbors in Indianapolis to know. If you’d like to learn more about garage door safety, keep reading!

Everything You Need To Know About Garage Door Safety Continued

#5. Always watch your garage door close until it touches the ground.

You may be in a rush to leave in the morning or you may just want to get into your house at the end of the day, but watching to ensure that your garage door closes all the way is beneficial for a number of reasons.

1. You can guarantee that nothing will get in or get out of your garage as it closes—it would be awful to have the neighbor’s cat run into your garage as you’re leaving or for the wind to blow a possession of yours out of the garage and you not know about it until you went to look for that item.
2. If your garage door doesn’t close all the way and you leave without realizing it, your home could be in jeopardy of being broken into, especially if you don’t lock the door from your garage into your home.
3. If there is something in the way of your garage door closing, like a ball or a bicycle, you are likely to see the item so you can stop the garage door from potentially damaging your possession.

#6. Make sure you have the ability to pull the emergency release cord on your garage door opener.

If your garage door happens to break and it won’t open or close with the remote or wall switch, make sure that you can access the emergency release cord—if you can’t reach it, make sure you have a step-stool on-hand—so that you can manually open and close your garage door.

#7. If your garage door opener breaks, be sure to have it fixed in a timely manner.

While releasing the emergency cord on your garage door opener is a nice feature to be able to manually open and close your garage door in an emergency, garage doors are not meant to be manually opened and closed. Garage doors are heavy and lifting them often could result in injury.

#8. Have routine maintenance checks performed annually for your garage.

Having a professional inspect your garage door to ensure that everything is working properly is an important part of garage door maintenance. A trained garage door technician will be able to tell if your garage door is misaligned, if any cables are at risk for breaking, or if your springs need to be repaired.

Garage doors have the ability to damage property and cause injury if they are not properly used and cared for. When you need the help of experts in garage doors in Indianapolis, the professionals at Garage Door Doctor can help you. Our trained garage door technicians can assist you with any of your garage door repairs or services you may need. Call us today to schedule your appointment.