Free Estimate - (402-331-0526 - NE) or (712-256-6675 - IA)

Preparing Your Garage Door For Summer

/in /by

At the Overhead Door Company of Omaha, we want to make sure that you are prepared for every season. Summer is no different. Below, we’ve listed a few tips and products to keep your garage cooler and more hospitable for you, your family, and maybe even a few guests. Read on to find out more!

 

Colors Count

We’ve talked about how painting your garage door can draw the eye, but color can also serve a practical purpose. You’ve probably heard it before, but light colors reflect light and dark colors absorb it. Simple, right? Consider lightening your garage door a few shades with a fresh coat of paint or swap it out for something made of a lighter wood – like a door from our Carriage House Collection.

 

The Last Airbender

Like every other room in your home during the summer, your garage is bound to get hot and stuffy. Unlike every other room in your home, you don’t want to pay to pump in air conditioning. However, if you are not looking to be greeted by a wave of heat every time you head out to your vehicle, you should consider installing a fan.

A simple ceiling fan keeps the air from becoming hot and stagnant. Even better, consider a ventilation fan. These cost-effective units can suck the hot air right out of your garage door and send it back where it belongs – the outdoors.

To go along with that, think about partnering your new fan with a dehumidifier. Removing the moisture from the air means that the heat will no longer have something to cling to.

 

Turn It Into a Guest Room

Everyone is looking to pocket a little extra money, especially during the summer. One way to do this is to rent out a room in your home. By sprucing up your garage with the necessary trimmings, you can create an additional bedroom and a steady stream of supplemental income to go along with it. Just add a bed, nightstand, maybe a window (which will also help with the airflow), and a rug. Top it off with a Wind Load door to make your garage feel less like a place where you store your car and more like a cozy bed and breakfast. It won’t be the Four Seasons, but it will make your home into a solid, budget-friendly option for folks traveling without much coin.

 

Insulation Isn’t Just for the Winter

Insulation normally comes to mind when you’re thinking about the winter but it can be a godsend during the summer months as well. Not only is something like our Thermacore technology perfect for preventing your car from becoming an ice cube during the winter months, but a properly sealed garage door can also keep the sun’s heat from creeping inside and upping your cooling costs.

If you’re looking for more ways to prep your garage for summer, or if you want to upgrade to one of the garage doors mentioned above, call the Overhead Door Company of Omaha today!  

(402) 331-0526

 

The Simple Spring Garage Door To-Do List

/in /by

Springtime is the perfect opportunity to get out and get going on any home improvement projects you might have. It’s also the perfect time to make a few upgrades to your garage door. The Overhead Door Company of Omaha has put together a list of things you might want to consider adding, upgrading, or, at the very least, checking out on your garage door while the weather is perfect.

 

Weatherproof Now

Even though the mercury is rising and winter may be the furthest thing from your mind, it’s good to do a little bit of planning to prepare for when the cold returns. Consider adding a weather seal to the bottom of your garage door. This heavy-duty strip of rubber does just as good a job at keeping out the snow and cold in January as it does the showers in April.

If you’re looking to go bigger, it may be time to upgrade to a Thermacore® door from the Overhead Door Company. This series of doors features our sandwich construction of steel-polyurethane-steel as well as between-section seals with thermal breaks to reduce air infiltration. What that boils down to is that your home is protected from the elements every time you close your garage door.

 

Pay Attention to More Than Just the Door

Torsion springs, hinges, rollers, and tracks are vital to your garage door working properly, yet they rarely get the attention they deserve. We’ve talked about the importance of getting these elements checked in the past, but now that the weather is nice you really don’t have an excuse. Rust and wear can severely hinder your garage door’s ability to function properly and sometimes all these elements need is something as simple as a coat of WD-40. However, there are going to be instances where your setup needs a little more care than that. If something major looks off, like a crooked track or a kink in the chain, make sure you call a trained professional to fix it as doing it yourself could result in a major injury.

 

Install a Keypad

Even if you already have an opener in every car – and one in the kitchen drawer for safety – a wireless keypad outside your home can still be a wise investment. Despite your best efforts, there will always be those times when one of your openers seems to magically disappear and in those instances, you don’t want to find yourself locked out.

It’s also a great addition if you have kids. Now you don’t have to worry about them forgetting the opener when they leave the house. They can simply punch in the code whenever they return.

 

Enough with the Noise

Picture this. You’ve settled down for a nice evening in bed. There’s a cup of tea by your side and you’re a few chapters into a great new book. After 30 minutes, your eyelids become heavy and you start to drift into a gentle sleep. All-of-the-sudden, you’re greeted by the metallic grind of your garage door rising. Evening ruined.

We want this to change. That’s why we offer a range of openers (the thing that actually pulls the garage door, not the remote we talked about above) – including the Legacy® 920 Belt Drive Garage Door Opener – that can open your garage almost silently. That means no more late-night wakeups listening to metal-on-metal grinding.

Looking for more ways to improve your garage door this spring? Call us today at the Overhead Door Company of Omaha for more ideas or to schedule your appointment!

(402) 331-0526

Curb Enthusiasm: Updating Your Garage Door to Up Its Value

/in /by

Curb Appeal. The technical definition is the attractiveness of a property for sale and its surroundings when viewed from the street. Translation? It’s when a house has some pop! The easiest way to add to the curb appeal of your home? Sprucing up your garage door! Think about it, it’s the largest, most visible thing on the front of your home and it’s usually the first thing people see when they drive by.

Adding visual intrigue to your garage door has its advantages too, especially when it comes time to sell. Below, the Overhead Door Company of Omaha has listed a few tips to bump up your home’s style to help you attract a few more eyes and dollars when you decide it’s time to move.

 

A Home Improvement Project That’s Actually Worth the Effort

According to Remodeling.net, adding a new garage door is the number one return on investment when compared to other home improvement projects. Adding windows, a new set of hinges, some interesting light fixtures, or a tasteful finish will instantly make your garage door look more distinguished.

And there’s no easier way to figure out which features you want than by using the DoorView® Garage Door Designer App. It’s simple, just upload a picture of the front of your home and start experimenting with our massive selection of garage door styles and features.

Add a Little Color

Slapping a fresh coat of paint, possibly even in a bold color like burnt orange or light blue, will instantly brighten your garage door and set it apart from every other beige or brown one on the block.

If you’re looking to get even more adventurous, you might even consider our Envy™ Model 956. These doors combine aluminum with glass paneling to instantly give your home the sleek, modern feel of that trendy restaurant you’ve been trying to get reservations at for weeks.

 

Before You Do Anything, Clean

We’re not just talking about taking a broom and sweeping away the cobwebs and dust around the edges of your garage door – we’re talking about giving it a true deep cleaning.

Consider renting a power washer. It’s amazing what a simple high-powered stream of water can do. When used correctly, it removes dirt and grime that can build up over the seasons leaving certain parts of your home (i.e. your garage door) looking dull. Blasting it with the power washer will not only leave it sparkling clean, but it also makes it easier to paint and upgrade.

If you’re looking for any additional tips on how to add curb appeal to your home, or if you’re looking to upgrade your garage door call the Overhead Door Company of Omaha today.

 

(402) 331-0526

Fight the Frost: Tricks to Keeping Your Garage Door from Freezing Shut

/in /by

It’s February folks, and you know what that means? Winter is still knocking at your (garage) door.

Last month, we here at the Overhead Door Company of Omaha went over some ways to help you maintain your garage door during the winter. However, for those especially frosty February days, it helps to know a few additional tricks to keep it from freezing shut.

 

Sometimes, You Just Gotta Shovel

Nobody likes to shovel. In fact, it’s been scientifically proven that it’s the worst outdoor chore of all time. That said, if you don’t want your garage door to freeze, you have to try your best to keep it clean. Brushing away excess ice and snow in between the times when you go out to shovel the full driveway is usually all it takes to prevent the build-up that causes garage doors to freeze shut.

Feel the Heat

Space heaters crop up in every other room in your house during the winter, why should your garage be any different? Keeping a pair of small, sturdy space heaters handy will not only make the morning trudge to your car a bit easier, they’ll also help to keep the weather seal (that’s the fancy name for that thin piece of rubber on the bottom of your garage door) from cracking and the battery in your opener from draining – just make sure to be mindful of the cords and unplug them when you’re not using them.

Look in the Pantry

Ice melt should be your go-to if you’re trying to eliminate that last layer of frost for your driveway. However, we’ll forgive you if you didn’t want to make a special trip to the hardware store to lug 50-pound bags of it around. In those instances when you need something to break down icy build-up, look no further than your pantry for assistance. Both table and Kosher salt are serviceable replacements for the heavy-duty stuff. Just sprinkle a little seasoning near the weather seal, let it marinate and watch as your garage door returns to its former glory.

Just Add Water

What’s the best way to unstick a garage door? If you said adding water, congratulations you’re right (also, thank you for reading this post a second time). Pouring a small amount of warm (not boiling!) water on the weather seal could be the answer to unsticking it and preventing you from having to take more drastic steps.

 

If you’d like any additional tips or think you might need to replace the weather seal on your garage door, call the trained professionals at the Overhead Door Company of Omaha today!

(402) 331-0526

Combat The Cold: 5 Tips to Help Your Garage Door Survive the Winter

/in /by

Winter is an especially taxing time on your home. With snow, sleet, wind, and rain bombarding your home for months on end, it’s always good to make sure everything is working properly. Your garage door should be no different. By putting in a little extra time during the winter, you’ll ensure that your garage door will be running beautifully, even when the weather outside is anything but.

Don’t Break the Seal

The rubber seal at the bottom of your garage door has a lot of responsibilities. Not only does it keep water from seeping into your garage, but it helps to regulate the temperature in your home as well. To avoid a hefty heating bill or an unwanted indoor pool, make sure to clear off any icy buildup to so that the strip will not stick or crack.

Accessories Matters

You know what’s just as bad as a broken garage door? A faulty opener. It’s easy to forget, but the cold can sap the batteries in your outdoor keypad or the opener you keep tucked away in your car. Replacing the batteries now will ensure that you go through the rest of winter without fear that either of those devices will fail you. At the very least, consider buying a few batteries and keeping them in some easily-accessible spots in your home.

Listen to the Music

It may seem strange, but one of the easiest ways to tell if your garage door is working properly? The sound. Give your opener a few clicks and listen as the door travels up and down. If you hear a crunch, grind, or any other terrifying mechanical sound, it might be time to call the professionals at Overhead Door Company of Omaha.

Devil is in the Details

Does your garage door have windows or a fancy handle? Though these items might not immediately come to mind when you think of garage door maintenance, that doesn’t mean they should receive any less consideration. Checking that those windows are properly sealed and that the handle is still turning properly – even when it’s covered in a bit of frost – will save you the headache of having to do it when it’s freezing out.

Check the Balance

This one is pretty simple. Open and close your garage door a few times and look for any imbalances. Is it pulling to one side? Is there a hitch? Does it fall down quickly and roll up slowly? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, it might be time to take a closer look. Make sure everything is properly lubricated, remove any buildup from the rollers, and check to see if anything is out of alignment. Sometimes, all your setup needs is a little TLC. Other times, that imbalance can be indicative of a bigger issue that should be looked at by a professional. Remember, tinkering with the torsion springs, rollers, or cables yourself can lead to serious injury if you’re not a trained professional.

 

To set up an appointment, schedule a repair, or just get a little more advice about maintaining your garage door, call Overhead Door Company of Omaha at the number below.

 

(402) 331-0526

Signs it’s Time to Replace the Old Door

/in , , /by

 

The first question you may ask yourself is, “why should I replace my garage door?” The average homeowner uses their garage door multiple times a day. If your garage is making strange noises or is acting differently, there may be an issue on the horizon- if not already. If your door is over ten years old, makes loud noises, and keeps failing to work properly, you should consider replacing your garage door. Read more →