My Journey to an Automatic Garage Door

I recently made the decision to upgrade the old, manual garage door that came with my house in Midlothian. After over 15 years of use, the door was showing its age with dents, rust, and a few sticking spots that made it difficult to open by hand. It was time for a replacement, but I also saw this as an opportunity to automate the door for added convenience. In this post, I’ll share my experience replacing the garage door and installing an automatic opener.

Choosing a New Garage Door

The first step was deciding on a new door style and material. I knew I wanted a solid steel door for strength and durability in our area’s climate. Some of the vinyl and composite options certainly looked nicer, but the steel just seems to hold up better long-term. After browsing options online and talking to some neighbors, I settled on a Wayne Dalton torsion steel door. It had good reviews for quality and came with a lifetime warranty on the door sections.

Next was choosing the door size, which was simple since I was replacing an existing opening. I did upgrade to an insulated door for improved temperature control in the garage. With the style and size chosen, I started getting quotes from local garage door companies.

After calling around to a few in the area, I decided to go with Garage Door Replacement in Midlothian based on their reputation and a competitive quote. They came out to measure and provide a final estimate, which was very helpful before moving forward with the purchase and installation. The whole ordering and delivery process went smoothly.

Removing the Old Door

On installation day, the techs from the garage door company arrived early to get started. The first step was removing the old door, which surprisingly came down quite easily since it was in poor condition. Within an hour, all of the sections, tracks, springs, and hardware were cleared out, leaving an empty garage door opening.

It was amazing to see how quickly they were able to dismantle the old door. It really showed the experience of a professional installation crew versus doing it myself as a DIY project. Having the old components cleared out also made installing the new door much simpler.

Installing the New Door

With the space prepped and cleared, installing the new door went very smoothly. The crew first assembled all of the track and spring components above the opening. They then started handing up the preassembled door sections one by one to connect everything together.

At this point, I was amazed by how much heavier duty and robust the new tracks and springs were compared to the old system. It was clear these components were built to last without issues like the previous door. Within a couple hours, the new door was fully installed and tested to make sure everything operated smoothly.

Choosing and Installing an Automatic Opener

Now that the door replacement was complete, it was time to tackle the automatic opener portion of the project. There are several top brands for garage door openers like Chamberlain, Liftmaster, and Ryobi that would have all worked well. After some research, I went with a Liftmaster 8500W smart opener that had great online reviews.

Installation of the opener went very smoothly. The techs first mounted the rail and bracket system above the door. They then connected the operatorarm and safety sensors before wiring it all back to the opener unit mounted on the garage wall. The whole process took only a couple hours and they programmed the remote controls before leaving.

One cool feature of this opener is Bluetooth connectivity, which allows me to control it with my phone. I can open and close the door remotely or set schedules for it to run on certain days. It also has safety sensors that automatically reverse the door if anything passes through the opening during operation. Overall I’m very happy with how simple it was for the pros to get everything installed and set up.

Loving the Automatic Functionality

Now that it’s all done, I have to say how great it is to have an automatic garage door. No more manual lifting, especially when hands are full of groceries or equipment. The remote controls make it effortless to open from the driveway. The automatic setting is also nice for those times when I forget and leave in a rush. I’m not worried about leaving the door open since it shuts on a schedule.

Overall, replacing my old door and adding an automatic opener was absolutely worth the investment. The new door looks great and will serve me for many years to come. The functionality, security, and convenience of having it open at the push of a button has been wonderful. If you’re considering updating your garage, I highly recommend tackling both the door and automatic opener at the same time. It makes for a completely hands-free garage experience that anyone would appreciate.