Garage Door Buying Guide: Automatic or Manual?

It’s a dilemma that many homeowners face: automatic or manual garage door? There are pros and cons to both, but before you make your decision and buy garage door, there are some things you should know.

Automatic garage doors are more convenient and less-stressful. You can program them to open at a specific time or when you pull into the driveway, so they’re always ready for you. The sensors in these kinds of doors will also close automatically if there’s an object obstructing their path – no need to worry about forgetting this step! But, with all these benefits, there are some drawbacks. The most common complaint is that they’re more expensive than manual doors and you can’t always get the type of door opener you want with an automatic garage.

Manual garage door pros include being able to choose your own color scheme (since all manual doors come with paintable surfaces), as well as customizing the hardware on the interior side. On the downside, though, it takes some skill just to get used to opening and closing one of these manually; before long, people start looking forward again towards automatic options. Also, they take a lot more effort to keep them in working order – you can’t just press a button and let it do all the work.

So, which is better? If money isn’t an issue or if garage door opener installation costs are low, then automatic doors will be your best bet. But for home owners on a budget who don’t mind putting some elbow grease into their efforts every now and again, manual ones offer something that’s hard to come by: customization.

In the end, what matters most is deciding between what kind of pros matter more to you as the homeowner; these factors should guide your decision towards one type over another.

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