Both Home Depot and Lowes have entered the garage door business and have implemented furnish
and install programs through their millwork departments.  They have partnered with a few of the
major manufacturers and have taken their product lines and have established private labels for
their business.  The garage doors are sold by unknowledgeable millwork staff that are responsible
for more than a dozen separate and distinct product lines.  The installation work is contracted
directly through regular garage door dealers like ourselves and the installation and service
process is managed by call centers often located in offshore countries.  When service is needed
on an installed door, it often takes four or five days for the communication to reach the service
technician.  From a cost perspective, garage doors purchased through major retailers are
significantly higher than the cost to purchase the same product from a door dealer.  Every
garage door dealer in the industry regardless of size has a pricing structure that is lower than
the big box retailer.

The garage door industry is easy to get in and is permeated with installers who work out of their
pickup truck or the mini-van they use to carry their family around with.  Most of these contractors
are unlicensed and under insured.  First, make sure that your contractor has a basic contractor’s
license.  The contractor’s license does not necessarily ensure the installer is properly trained,
however, it does provide you with access to remedies in the event you have a problem.  Ask
your installer for a copy of their contractor’s license before you make a purchase.

Insurance is one of the most expensive costs to a garage door company and is the area were
you as a homeowner or businessman have a high degree of exposure.  Make sure that your
contractor has general liability coverage, workers compensation and commercial automobile
coverage.  Ask your contractor for a copy of their insurance certificate before you make a purchase.

In the event your contractor is not properly insured and they get hurt on your job, potentially
you can be held responsible for their medical costs.

Again, make sure your contractor is licensed, has general liability, workers compensation and
commercial automobile coverage

I hope you have found this report informative and that it helps you make the best decision
when it comes to purchasing your new garage door and selecting the contractor to perform
the installation.

The use of sub contractors in the garage door industry is prevalent.  Sub contractors are paid a piece
rate to install and service garage doors.  Although typically efficient, they often take short cuts in the
installation process and have no incentive to service a door once the installation is complete and they
have been paid.  Avoid using companies that employ sub contractors.  You will get a much better
installation from installers who are full time employees of the contractor.

Make sure that your contractor supports a drug free workplace and does background checks on all
of its employees.  I also recommend that you ask the name of the installer assigned to your job, their
years of experience and how long they have been employed with your contractor.

At the Garage Door Group, we use exclusively hourly paid installers all of which have passed an
extensive background check and support a drug free workplace.

The R values on garage door are a measure of the doors insulating properties.  The higher the R  Value the
greater the insulation value of the door.  There are two types of insulation used in the garage door industry:
1) polyurethane and; 2) polystyrene.  Polyurethane is a foamed in place type of insulation that has a higher
initial r-value than polystyrene.  The R-value of polystyrene, however, degrades over time.  When
polyurethane is exposed to water which often happens with garage doors, the degradation process
accelerates to where the insulation properties of polystyrene are less than half their original r-value.
Moreover, I have seen numerous situations where polyurethane garage door sections have delaminated
due to exposure to water and heat requiring the homeowner to replace the door. Finally, due to the
foamed in place manufacturing process, polyurethane insulated doors can have internal voids in the
insulation where there is essentially no insulation in the core of the door. Several door manufactures
use this type of insulation to include Wayne Dalton, The Overhead Door Corporation and Haas.

Polystyrene garage doors are insulated with a continuous sheet of compressed insulation.
Polystyrene never loses its r-value, does not delaminate when exposed to water and has no
internal voids in the insulation.  Polystyrene is also considered a green building product.
The Amarr and Clopay garage door brands use this type of insulation in their doors.

The bottom line for consumers is that polyurethane insulated doors should be avoided –
hey don’t hold their r-values, their sections are susceptible to water damage and there are
internal insulation voids in the core of the door.

Ninety percent of all new garage doors installed today are made of steel.  These doors can be grouped
into three general categories that garage door manufactures have established:  1) Good 2) Better and
3) Best. These categories follow the degree of insulation the door has and the gauge of steel on the
exterior skin. Basic garage doors in the good category are un-insulated with steel skins that range
from 24 to 26 gauge. Remember, the lower the gauge of steel the thicker the skin.   Better doors are
typically partially insulated that have similar gauge skins to the basic grade coupled with an insulated
backing that is normally covered with vinyl.   The best doors have three layers  – an exterior steel
skin ranging from 24 to 27 gauge, an insulated core and a flush steel backing on the inside.

The problem with the basic and better grade doors is that they are highly susceptible to denting
and are not very durable.  The thinner gauge doors can be punctured with a light duty pen knife.
The stiles that hold the sections together often lose their rivets and separate from the door.  The
partially insulated doors in the better category typically have a light vinyl backing which means
the insulation is exposed and is easily punctured.  If you have a tight budget for your garage door
project and are forced to select an un-insulated door insist on a 24 gauge steel skin.  These doors
are much more durable than the lighter 25 and 26 gauge varieties and typically have lifetime
warranties on the backed on enamel finish.  If you want a partially insulated door, select one
that has a 1@3/4 inch polystyrene backing.  Avoid those doors that have thinly insulated sections
and light exterior skins.   Doors to avoid in this category include the Wayne Dalton Foam Core
models and the Clopay 1000 series.

The cost to upgrade from the basic to the best grade doors is typically not more than a couple of
hundred dollars.   This differential holds true even in the wider models.  The triple layer doors are
the best choice for homeowners and businesses.  Even in the lighter gauge models, they have an
unsurpassed level of durability and will often last a lifetime.  When laid flat on the ground you can
even stand on the sections without denting them.  My best advice for those interested in replacing
their door, is to purchase a triple layer door even if it means postponing the purchase until you can
afford to purchase a door in this category.