What should you look for when buying a garage door.? Will the advise here be impartial ?

"The advise I offer here is Impartial, because, if the customer thinks about these issues, before calling any garage door company out, everybody is far more informed and both parties have a better understanding and it necessarily follows that the whole experience of purchasing a garage door is more likely to for fill the needs of the customer, which at the end of the day, is what we have to do to and stay in business." - Eugene Perez, Managing Director Sussex Garage Doors Ltd

Firstly its extremely important to have a list of your requirements, think about what you are looking for in a garage door and in the company you choose to fit it. Look at your existing door and make a note of what you don't like and want to change.

Do you want more height, more width, more length in the garage. Make sure to make these points clear to the companies surveyor.
Ask for insurance details and waste carriers licence, are their staff trained, are they known to the manufacture for the right reasons. Phone and ask the manufacture.
Points to think about before you call a company out. What do you want ? Not, what do they want to sell you.

1. Low maintenance, i.e. no painting required -virtually maintenance free - with just washing the door down being all you want to do
   
2. Insulated or fully sealing to keep out the leaves and wind. Use the garage as an office or play room. Sectional and Roller doors are the better doors for sealing. remember the only doors available that are fully sealing and air tight are submarine doors. So be clear and realistic on what you want to achieve, by changing the door.
   
3. Space saving, this could be by reducing the track space into the garage i.e. roller doors, or changing to more space saving gear. Optimizer, maximizer, or canopy .
   
4. To increase the drive through width or height of the existing opening. Say fitting the door behind the brick piers. You loose some length in the garage but in most cases on a single size opening gaining 6" or so in extra width.
   
5. Or are you looking for the most economical way of replacing the garage door the most economical option, with little interest in design on the finish of the door. Basic doors can be fitted for a little as £275 inc vat - ask, as all garage door companies want to sell doors.
   
6. Design and material, have consideration for designs that appeals to you and the finish of the door, smooth, textured, bright high gloss or matt finishes. Consider, if a football will be kicked against the door, you'll want something strong and durable. Visiting the showrooms is an ideal way of viewing the doors , push them , prod, open and close them.
   
7. Is the frame and fascia going to be included in the works, will this match in with a new door. Always check to see if trimming and sealing from the frame to the brickwork is included within the price.

If you are able to give the company quoting as much information as you can to your requirements it is much more likely that the right product can be found to suit your needs and of course budget. Would you let a decorator,

choose the colour for your living room , don't leave a garage door company to choose your garage door . Secondly, go and see the real thing, the larger more established garage doors companies have showrooms where you can go and see full size working doors, demonstrating finishes, colors,

materials and operating systems. When spending any amount of money it is important to understand what product you are being quoted for. Garage Door Companies with showrooms are no more expensive than the one man bands on quality products .

Some garage door firms are tied into one manufacture and this doesn't always offer you the customer the best choice, choose an independent company who are able to offer a wide range of products from different manufactures.

When obtaining quotations for installations always ask for the specification in writing, handwritten or typed, be aware if the quotations doesn't specify the manufactures name, the door size and or a model name and the finish of the door. All the best companies are more than willing to detail a quotation out. Some will do it there and then others may prefer to send a typed one. Usually with a couple of days. When obtaining more than one quotation be sure to compare like for like products, there are hundreds of pounds of difference between the various product ranges. Make sure the quotations are carrying out the same amount of work, trim's, frames, making good. This can vary the price quite dramatically. If unsure always ask.

Not all garage doors are the same quality, a working life of a garage door can vary tremendously, depending upon how its fitted, so choosing a company with a proven track record is a good start.

Trading standards offer advise on who to choose, some companies use independent organizations like www.checkatrade.com where you can actually go online and see past customers comments.

I have two Quotations and one is higher than the other , although the products specified are the same, why ?

A major contributory to reputable garage door installation companies costs are not always appreciate by the consumer.

For example , installation staff take a Health & Safety test run by C.I.TB and all installation staff have a CSCS card and are industry accredit to NVQ level door service engineer. backed up by in house training.

Public and Employee liability insurance to 5 million, . First Aid kits, hard hats, gloves, steel toe boots, reflective jackets.

Environmental Health waste Carriers Licence. We dispose of rubbish correctly . We don't simply dump old doors, in country lanes ! and yes some companies do- You could be liable if they dump rubbish from your house ,without a waste carriers licence they can't go into the tip, so where do they dump rubbish?

We MOT TAX and insure our vans, have them regularly check for safety. they are designed to carry doors.

All our staff are employed and we pay National Insurance and Tax - we do not employ those on benefits and pay them cash. I would love to be able to do this as it would save a fortune, but I don't think the tax man would like it.

We are a member of Checkatrade and are willing to be checked and vetted. We have also undergone a rigorous inspection by Trading Standards to be registered in their "Buywithconfidence" scheme.

If you know which manufactures product you want, for peace of mind visit there web site and find out there recommended installer for your area. Manufactures such as Henderson , Garador & Cardale will happily advise you on competent installers in your area. The Association of Garage Door Specialists also holds a list of their members in your area.