The Facade
Think about it: all of your house can be seen from the street: the landscaping, entry, roof, doors, windows, siding, and other features like porches, railings, and shutters. It also includes the garage and the door on that garage. The space inside a garage that houses and protects your vehicles is called a bay and most contemporary homes have two or three. If your garage door is due for a remodel or upgrade, there are several ways to improve its appearance: replacing the door, painting it, or completely remodeling the garage itself. Tips and suggestions to remember when choosing a garage door:
Pay attention to hardware: Some automatic doors don’t have any and opt for a clean, sleek look, while others repeat metals and styles in the hardware used on doors, windows, lighting, and other fixtures. Style: Drive through a neighborhood and notice all the white garage doors with half-circle windows. These seem to be the standard. If this is the best door for your budget, consider painting it the same color as your home’s exterior. Or look for alternatives, like wood, corrugated metal, etc. Accessibility: Is it easy to reach the garage from the street, your driveway, your front yard, and your home? Color: Match the color with the exterior of the house for a consistent look. Of course, wood and even some kinds of metals can be painted. There’s no rule that you have to leave it white even if it came that way. Research colors that complement one another. Scale: The garage should not overwhelm or upstage the house, either in size or architectural features. As Kate Wagner of McMansion Hell points out, you don’t want a garage with a house attached. Materials: A brick house with an all-wood garage painted blue? Think again. Familiarize yourself with your home’s architectural style and materials. Or seek advice from a professional. Indecisive? Upload a photo of your home’s front exterior to one of many websites that sell garage doors and experiment. If you have absolutely no design sense, ask for assistance from a friend who does.
While a well-designed space inside that accommodates vehicles and storage is a goal, how you arrange what’s behind those doors is your business. Keep the doors closed and make sure they add curb appeal.
Detached: These originated as carriage barns or houses, for horse-drawn carriages in the early 1900s. Carriage houses were separate from the main house because they were usually added on and there was plenty of room on the property to accommodate another structure. Up until the 1950s, most garages were built for one car. By the 1960s, as families grew and women worked and became more independent, the need for larger garages necessitated two- and even three-car garages. Attached: Connected or structurally part of the main house. An attached garage can be accessed via the inside of your house or through the garage doors. Some people–especially those who have homes without basements–don’t have room in their garages for cars and use them for storage. During the homebuilding boom In the post-World War II years, garages became more integral in the design of a home and were often designed to be prominent–in view. Consumers were buying new cars and wanted their neighbors to see that Chevrolet or Buick when they pulled in and out of the driveway.
And for inspiration, enjoy 19 very different examples of garage doors.
Historic District Guidelines and City Codes
Older homes in designated historic districts or homes that are part of neighborhood or homeowners associations are often restricted from adding multi-car attached garages. Why? If the house is historic or a specific architectural style, like Victorian or Craftsman, a large connected garage will look awkward and may not be allowed or approved because of city, county, state, or federal preservation restrictions. In its Neighborhood Design Guidelines, the Cow Hollow district of San Francisco recommends: “Garage doors are the auto entry to the building—the doors, their architectural frame, and the driveway. This element occupies a major portion of the ground floor of a building on the typical narrow lot and therefore has a major impact on the pedestrian perception of the building. Does the proposed garage door fit in with the rest of the project? Is the scale of the garage door compatible with its adjacent garage doors? Can the visual dominance of the door be reduced? Can its visual appearance be improved?” While planning a garage door remodel, think about all of the architectural elements of your house and whether the garage and its door will complement it or compete.
Read more about our Diversity and Inclusion Pledge to make The Spruce a site where all feel welcome. Since 2016, Berkeley native and resident Ian Wood has been documenting the varied and often colorful garage doors of his hometown, which he shares on his website, Berkeley Garages, and Instagram account. This Vine Street garage shows how plants—colorful bougainvillea—soften the look of a home and garage and evoke the essence of older, Spanish-style California design. And why it will never go out of style. Other cities have quirky and creative residents and garage doors, including San Francisco (it’s California, after all), and older cities in the Eastern United States with less-strict codes.
