Side Sliding Doors and Garage Door Repair in Mission Viejo
Side sliding doors, also known as slide to the side garage doors, are becoming more common as they have a unique aesthetic and can save a lot of space. Just like any other garage door, there are pros and cons that you should be aware of. This will cover the major advantages and disadvantages while also letting you know if garage door repair in Mission Viejo is needed more often for these precision doors.
Pro: More Space Along Top of the Garage
The vast majority of garage doors open vertically and go upward. It doesn’t matter if you have an automatic garage door opener, a manual garage door or one that rolls up, all of these require space along the top of the garage. It’s not just the door. There are also tracks that must be installed that take up space.
If your garage has adequate vertical space and you don’t plan on storing anything above the door, then this should be fine. It can be a problem though if your garage is on the shorter side or if you want to store items above the garage door.
These doors go to the side rather than upwards. This gives you more vertical room while still giving your garage the protection it needs.
Cons: Costly Garage Door Repair in Mission Viejo
This isn’t to say that garage door repair in Mission Viejo or anywhere else are needed more often, but many people find that the repairs are more costly. This isn’t to say that repairs are harder or even needed more often. This will be covered in the next section as it’s a benefit of this door.
The problem is that these garage doors are less common than standard garage doors. While a good repair company will have all the parts and experience needed to fix these doors, you might find that the parts are more expensive and that the repairs cost extra when compared to similar repairs for a standard garage door.
This is becoming less of a disadvantage though as these doors become more common. Technicians are gaining more experience with these doors and readily stocking the materials needed to fix them, so the premium price is rapidly decreasing.
Pro: Easier Repairs
If you read the previous section about more costly repairs, then you might think that repairing a slide to the side garage door is harder than fixing a standard garage door. That’s not true. In fact, garage door repair in Mission Viejo or anywhere else tends to be easier than other garage door types.
Much like other roll-up garage doors or sectional doors, a side sliding garage door must be made of different panels. These panels allow the door to slide to the side and fit into the tracks along the side of your garage. If the door was one single unit, then everything would need to be replaced whenever there is a dent, scratch or other problem.
Since these doors are sectional, you rarely need to have the entire door completely removed. Professionals can instead just remove the damaged section and replace it. This costs much less than repairing the entire door, and it also leads to easier and faster repairs.
As long as just one or two panels are damaged, you can expect the repairs to be done very quickly. Getting the parts might take longer since these doors are less common, but the repair itself tends to be quick and seamless.
Con: Doors are More Expensive
Much like with the section on how repairs might be more expensive, another potential disadvantage of these doors is that they tend to be more expensive. It’s not because they are harder to install. It’s also not because the metal or other materials are any different than those used with other similar garage doors.
Instead of installing the tracks along the top of the garage, the tracks are installed along the side. The material is also the same as with standard garage doors. The major difference once again is that these doors are less common. It’s simple economics. Products with less supply and demand tend to cost more since they aren’t as readily available.
The good news though is that these doors are becoming more mainstream, which has been driving down prices. You can often get these for nearly the same price as a regular garage door. Just keep in mind that you’ll spend a bit more, but probably not significantly more.
Pro: Less Disturbance Above the Garage
Some houses have rooms directly above the garage. If you’ve ever been in these rooms while the garage is opening, then you understand just how loud and disturbing it can be. Whether it’s an automatic or manual door, you can feel the floor vibrate as the door is rolled up along the tracks. You can also feel the motor pulling the tension springs with automatic garage doors.
It’s not just vibrations though. This tends to be quite loud in these rooms when the garage is opening. The sound seems to travel upwards and you can hear the door as it moves up and down. This can be pretty bad during the day, but it’s even worse if you’re trying to sleep and someone moves the garage door.
A slide to the side door isn’t nearly as bad. While those living above the garage might hear and feel it moving, the effect is great diminished. It’ll go from a terrible disturbance to a slight murmur.
Con: Winter Issues
There can be some issues during the winter with these garage doors. They’re able to insulate your garage, so you shouldn’t worry about cold air getting in and freezing the garage itself. The problem is that the tracks are more prone to freezing. Not only that, but snow is more likely to get caught in the tracks and cause problems opening and closing the door.
You might want to consider getting a heated cable if the winters near you are bad. This tends to only be a problem for those who suffer from bad snowstorms. If the winters around you are mild or snow is fairly rare, then this probably won’t be an issue.
