2 expert tips for selecting the best garage door design for your home

Today's garage doors come in so many different and attractive designs that the biggest challenge for homeowners is to find the right door that looks best with their home's unique features. While it's great to have options, sometimes too many options can be overwhelming. And a garage door purchase is an important one.

In fact, an upscale garage door replacement ranked first out of 11 popular upscale projects in delivering the best value for the buck, according to the new 2016 Cost vs. Value Report ^[1].

One reason for a garage door's top value is its curb appeal. Since most garage doors face the front of the home, they have enormous impact on the home's exterior appeal and its perceived value. This greatly increases the importance of choosing the right garage door design for your home.

Here are a few tips from Kelly Roberson, a writer and project manager who has written about home design for a variety of publications including Better Homes and Gardens, Before & After, Kitchen Makeovers and many more.

"The key to finding the right door design is found on the façade of your home," she says. "Pick up on your home's design elements and use them in your garage doors to create a really impactful sense of design cohesiveness."

Color matching

Roberson recommends paying attention to two key design elements in your home's exterior: colors and shapes. Start with the colors of your home. Since garage doors are now available in hundreds of colors, you are likely to find a great door color that matches your home.

"Color can feel overwhelming, particularly when you think about making a good curb appeal impression," says Roberson. "An easy trick is to turn to the accent colors already on your home's façade. Pick one and use it in your garage doors for overall balance and beauty."

Your home's accent colors are often found on your shutters, your front door, or the trim on your home or window. If your home includes a multi-colored brick, look for a dominant or attractive color inside the brick.

The color of the roof can also be a strong design element for the front view of the home. It's often a neutral color that presents a good choice for classic garage door colors.

Note that you might be searching for two colors, not just one. Many new carriage house garage doors come in two tones that provide additional color-matching opportunities.

"Most homes use three colors — a dominant color and two sub-colors that are used to a lesser degree," says Roberson. "For your garage doors, try flopping that color scheme so that one of the sub-colors becomes the door's dominant hue."

Page 2 of 2 - Shape matching

After considering the right color, look at the shapes on your home, particularly those of your windows and the smaller windowpanes inside the windows. Garage doors typically contain two dominant shapes: one on the panels themselves and one in the windows. The challenge is to match the shapes on the home with the shapes on the door.

"In the same way that accent colors provide color guidance, accent shapes — small windows, peaks on roofs — can give you inspiration for shapes to repeat in your garage door," says Roberson.

Consider any arch shapes on your home, such as arched windows or arched entryways. Several garage door window designs include arched options that can closely match the arch shapes on your home.

Some home exteriors contain dominant angles such as 45-degree angles from dormers or rakes. Since many garage door designs now include crossbucks, you might find success with a garage door that features crossbucks at the same angle.

When browsing for door designs, try www.garagewownow.com ^[2]. It's a non-commercial site that contains photos of dozens of garage door designs from many manufacturers, along with a Dealer Locator to help you find a professional door dealer near you.

"The key to choosing beautiful garage doors is to let your home be your guide. Build on the features you love the best, and choose a new garage door that integrates seamlessly," says Roberson. "When you find the right match, you'll smile with satisfaction every time you come home."