Choosing the Right Garage Door for Your Older Home

If you're like most homeowners, when you purchase a home you spend the first few years getting the interior just the way you like it. Once you are satisfied with the inside, it's not uncommon to shift your attention to the exterior. Creating curb appeal may require more than a coat of paint and landscaping, however.

Whether your garage is attached or detached, this structure usually comprises a substantial part of your home's overall footprint, which makes it visually important. Here are three popular home styles and the garage door styles that will work best to enhance their architectural beauty.

Craftsman homes are all about horizontal lines, front and side porches, a low-pitch roof, and showcasing the simple beauty and skill of the American craftsman. This architectural style uses an abundance of stained wood rather than paint on the exterior as well as lots of additional natural materials, such as stone and brick.

A carriage house garage door with a wood finish is an excellent option for a Craftsman bungalow home. A forerunner of the garage, carriage houses were used to store horse-drawn carriages, required tack, and sometimes even stable the horses as well as their caretaker. While these were typically detached garages, it was common to have additional living space above, hence the term carriage house.

Traditionally, carriage doors opened outwards. The modern rendition creates a carriage door that operates like any other overhead garage door but retains all the character and charm of the original. They are available in both painted steel as well as steel with wood accents, with an assortment of colors and finishes to choose from.

The iconic farmhouse was often constructed in the classic American Foursquare architectural style. With a wide, expansive front porch and simple, boxy floor plan, this home is both traditional and rustic. The garage door should share these same elements, so a traditional raised panel garage door is a great option for an American Foursquare farmhouse.

Another option is a garage door with barndoor-style panels and three-over-three window panes with mullions. Decorative hardware can also enhance the rustic look and make your new garage door look as though it has always been there. For example, black wrought iron lift handles and hinges on the garage door will tie the garage and home together architecturally.

With its clean and simple lines, the mid-century modern home is typically sleek and streamlined in comparison to previous popular architectural styles. They are often expansive, with just a single story and an attached garage for convenience and efficiency.

The open floor plans is more conducive to entertaining as the home is no longer a collection of closedoff, boxy rooms like other, older architectural styles. The roof line is frequently flat, angular, or asymmetrical, making a bold statement and providing architectural interest without being too obtrusive. This often creates an interior with high ceilings and exposed rafters.

Garage doors on a mid-century modern house should seamlessly blend in with the rest of the home. Horizontal rows of panes of colored or frosted glass echo the clean lines prominent in this architectural style and are right at home with typical mid-century modern design aesthetics. Tinted mosaic windows are another excellent garage door option for this style and will boost your curb appeal considerably.

The garage door style you choose can make or break your home's curb appeal and the wrong choice can look out of place. Are you curious what style garage door would look best on your old house? Contact Zumwalt Corporation for personalized help today. We are happy to help you enhance the curb appeal of your home.