It has been said that good fences make good neighbours, but a fence can’t hide the negative effects of your neighbour’s ugly garage door. The fact of the matter is that garage doors take up a lot of visual real estate, so if the installation is rundown and unattractive, it takes away from the overall look of the neighbourhood regardless of if the rest of the home is well-maintained.
Good communication also makes for good neighbours, so if you have a problem with their horrible garage door, approach the situation in a positive manner and offer your neighbour the following expertise to help improve the look of their property.
The effects of a run-down garage door
Homeowners seeking to quickly improve the curb appeal of their property should consider the advice provided by Remodeling Magazine,, which outlines the fact that external replacement projects increase the value of the home without a large investment of funds. In fact, the average return on investment for garage doors is nearly 72%. Simply improving the exterior look of the door increases the value of both your home and your neighbour’s home.
The biggest problem with an unattractive exterior is the fact that real estate agents and buyers will create assumptions based on the look of other houses in the neighbourhood, even if the families living within are terrific folk. Home purchasers offer less money and even reject fantastic properties that are close to unattractive homes, especially if they plan on moving into the home they just bought.
Talking about solutions
Rather than get on your neighbour’s case and complain about their garage door, focus on informing your neighbour about the many options they have to increase the value of their home by installing a beautiful, brand new door.
The costs of a brand new door range greatly according to the quality and type of installation. A new garage door may be as little as a few hundred dollars, ranging up to about $10,000 for the most high-end options.
Garage door materials provide your neighbour with a variety of options that best match the needs of their home lifestyle. Steel doors provide an inexpensive, yet sturdy solution that may be customized to match a variety of different looks and physical requirements. A cheaper metallic option is aluminum, which is more prone to dents and damage, but may also be finished in such a way to provide the home with a good looking entrance.
PVC/fiberglass/vinyl doors are a newer addition to the list of garage door materials, offering a versatile, inexpensive way to refresh the look of any garage. It should be noted that this material isn’t as sturdy as steel or wood doors, and should be avoided in cold climates, as fiberglass is more prone to crack in the absence of heat.
The most expensive and beautiful option tend to be wooden doors. These natural materials create an appearance that may be customized to provide a modern or classic style of garage. The least costly wood options are plywood, which may be finished to appear like more expensive wood options like mahogany. Cedar, douglas-fir and redwood are other examples of attractive wood materials for garage doors. In particular, mahogany and redwood are prized for their beauty, strength and versatility of finish.
Take care of the little details
Once you’ve informed your neighbour about the basics of garage door installations – including the benefit to both of your property values – take a little extra time to let them know about details that will make it easier for them to initiate the change.
Depending on whether your neighbour orders a custom door or a door that matches a standard size, the parts may take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of months to be ready. However, once available, the majority of garage doors may be installed in a day.
Let your neighbour know that the installation of a quality door will last a long time, making them feel better about their investment. Typically, most new doors will last at least 15 years, while the best-quality doors, when taken care of well, may last up to forty years.
It can be frustrating to deal with a neighbour who allows their property to erode into disarray, but that doesn’t mean that you need to do something drastic, like pack up and move. Take charge and initiate an open and honest dialog about their garage door, providing your neighbour with information that helps them improve the look of their home, by extension increasing the curb appeal of your own property.
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