Author Topic: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?  (Read 5603 times)

aceyou

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Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« on: April 09, 2016, 08:20:58 AM »
My Garage Door has broke due to DW running a car into it a couple years ago:)  It has finally giving out and the panel kinda snapped...it was a fun sight actually!

So....if I were to buy this door:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_420680-56870-123533_1z11pnn__?productId=3817409&pl=1

a) Is anyone educated enough on garage doors to say whether or not this is a quality door? 

b) Is anyone educated enough on installation to advise me whether it's worth learning to do it myself, or to pay the $450 for installation that Lowes will charge.  Basically, what's the time commitment and degree of difficulty for a slightly below average do-it-yourselfer, and how badly can I f$%# the job up if I don't do it perfectly? 

c)  Is there a better option that I'm missing out on...basically I'm open to a different door.

aceyou

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2016, 08:31:41 AM »
Hmm, I'm watching a youtube video on it right now.  It looks like the type of job I'd want to do with someone who's done this before. 

Tjat

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2016, 08:36:17 AM »
Yeah, I'd probably hire this out too (and I'm fairly DIY with renovation projects). The risk is the springs. If you know what you're doing, you should be fine. If you mess up (which in my experience, is likely the first time around), I've heard it can be dangerous.

Family Handyman has a step by step how to, and estimates you can save "several hundred dollars" for 8-12 hours of work. I can't imagine it would take that long, but if so, the savings don't seem worth it...

http://www.familyhandyman.com/doors/garage-door-repair/how-to-install-a-garage-door/view-all

Samsam

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2016, 08:46:49 AM »
Be VERY CAREFUL.  My cousin detached his bicep trying to catch the garage door as it was coming down, it's very heavy.  Needs a lot of mechanical advantage to actually move a garage door.

Spork

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2016, 09:02:34 AM »
I've never installed one from scratch, but I have taken a very old, very heavy wooden door apart and re-worked hinges and repaired bits and pieces.  I did it in several sessions, meaning I wound/unwound the spring 2-3 times.

Folks will tell you never to do this.  You're going to die.  Never touch a garage door spring.  My opinion is: a little bit of thought and a little bit of care and it's just not that big a deal.  Have a plan.  Have some strong, appropriately sized bars to wind/unwind.  Have an escape plan.  Try to stand where you're not directly in the line of fire if the shit hits the fan.  When you're done, you'll think it wasn't that big a deal.

tobitonic

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2016, 09:14:36 AM »


I once disconnected some of the lower panels of a door to get my car out so I could sell it. Needless to say, I couldn't reconnect the panels, and I'm probably very lucky I didn't get hurt.

Uturn

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2016, 09:39:40 AM »
I would not DIY a garage door without someone there who has done it before.  Definitely not a one man job.

aceyou

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2016, 01:02:40 PM »
Ok, after watching a youtube video and thinking "wow, that looks hard", and seeing all the comments below, I have ordered the job done.  It will be $1300 out the door.  This included the door, all the hardware required, installation, plus removal of the old door. 

If interested, here's a link to the door we are getting, it's the one that's on the yellow house in the picture:

https://www.google.com/search?q=amarr+oak+summit&rlz=1C5MACD_enUS526US526&espv=2&biw=870&bih=673&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiw_pT2noLMAhXEVyYKHTK1BjMQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=-zBWOkJTmqd0_M%3A

daizy744

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #8 on: April 09, 2016, 04:54:55 PM »
A former co-worker's husband severed a finger while trying to install/repair a garage door. Something with the spring/cable that let go and his hand was in the way. This is one area that I will hire an expert to install. I too need to replace a couple panels because someone (ahem... me) backed into the door.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2016, 10:16:57 PM »
Wow, I'm surprised at the unanimity against DIYing the job.  I've done the job myself, actually, and it's really not a huge deal.  While it's possible to do alone, having a helper will make it go 4x as fast to install.  It's a couple-hour job if you've never done it before.  It'll probably take the guys from Lowe's about 30 minutes tops to install it.

You didn't mention whether the new door is of a similar weight to the old one.  Will it be an all-new installation, with a new door and tracks and springs and torsion bar?  If the new door is significantly heavier than the old, you'll probably want to replace the springs at the same time.

Spork

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #10 on: April 10, 2016, 07:19:01 AM »
Wow, I'm surprised at the unanimity against DIYing the job.  I've done the job myself, actually, and it's really not a huge deal.  While it's possible to do alone, having a helper will make it go 4x as fast to install.  It's a couple-hour job if you've never done it before.  It'll probably take the guys from Lowe's about 30 minutes tops to install it.

You didn't mention whether the new door is of a similar weight to the old one.  Will it be an all-new installation, with a new door and tracks and springs and torsion bar?  If the new door is significantly heavier than the old, you'll probably want to replace the springs at the same time.

Yeah, I didn't think it was a big deal either.  Garage door companies really work to scare people.  And there are some scammy ones out there.  20/20 (or similar) did an expose on them once that happened to feature my home town.  Out of about 15 garage door companies in the phone book, about 10 of them were the same company with a different name.  Usually your car is stuck inside and you need it out to get to work.  They know this.  They'll really rack up the charges.  (There ARE good door companies, too.  But lots of scammy ones.)

The converse is true (and more likely).  If the new door is lighter than the old, you may want to scale back the springs.  (Sure, you can wind them less, but springs are made for a range of load.  A modern uninsulated aluminum door isn't even going to be close to weighing what an old massive wooden door weighs.)

aceyou

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #11 on: April 10, 2016, 07:00:04 PM »
Wow, I'm surprised at the unanimity against DIYing the job.  I've done the job myself, actually, and it's really not a huge deal.  While it's possible to do alone, having a helper will make it go 4x as fast to install.  It's a couple-hour job if you've never done it before.  It'll probably take the guys from Lowe's about 30 minutes tops to install it.

You didn't mention whether the new door is of a similar weight to the old one.  Will it be an all-new installation, with a new door and tracks and springs and torsion bar?  If the new door is significantly heavier than the old, you'll probably want to replace the springs at the same time.

They are replacing everything...tracks, springs, torsion bar, etc.  My old one didn't have windows, so my understanding is this one will be heavier as a result.  My old one also didn't have hardware/handles on the front, but this shouldn't add much to the weight I think. 

Honestly, I'm not terribly handy, so I'm not that sad to be hiring it out.  Probably a good thing. 

aceyou

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #12 on: April 10, 2016, 07:04:12 PM »
Wow, I'm surprised at the unanimity against DIYing the job.  I've done the job myself, actually, and it's really not a huge deal.  While it's possible to do alone, having a helper will make it go 4x as fast to install.  It's a couple-hour job if you've never done it before.  It'll probably take the guys from Lowe's about 30 minutes tops to install it.

You didn't mention whether the new door is of a similar weight to the old one.  Will it be an all-new installation, with a new door and tracks and springs and torsion bar?  If the new door is significantly heavier than the old, you'll probably want to replace the springs at the same time.

Yeah, I didn't think it was a big deal either.  Garage door companies really work to scare people.  And there are some scammy ones out there.  20/20 (or similar) did an expose on them once that happened to feature my home town.  Out of about 15 garage door companies in the phone book, about 10 of them were the same company with a different name.  Usually your car is stuck inside and you need it out to get to work.  They know this.  They'll really rack up the charges.  (There ARE good door companies, too.  But lots of scammy ones.)

The converse is true (and more likely).  If the new door is lighter than the old, you may want to scale back the springs.  (Sure, you can wind them less, but springs are made for a range of load.  A modern uninsulated aluminum door isn't even going to be close to weighing what an old massive wooden door weighs.)

Yeah, I can imagine lots of companies like this are pretty shady...I had that with a plumber over the summer (I kicked him right to the curb when I got his quote).  The local company I'm having do the job really impressed me over the phone.  The owner was actually more open to my installing it myself and buying at Lowes (their competitor) than the posters on this board.  He even game me some pointers if I did want to do it myself.  He is less expensive than the big box stores in my town, and he seems very sharp.  Looking forward to working with him. 

Noahjoe

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Re: Installing a Garage Door...any DIY experts out there?
« Reply #13 on: April 11, 2016, 12:31:42 PM »
Has this already been done? If not, it's not too late to stop it. Source: I've DIY installed a couple doors, I have fixed torsion springs that have snapped, and I used to sell garage doors for a living.

The door is nice. But it's also very expensive. You can get a similar door (steel both sides, insulated, windows) for probably at least 200 less elsewhere.

They're also super, duper easy to install. If you have Torsion springs and you're not an idiot, it's easier yet. If you can read, you've really got it licked.

You basically do 4 things:

1. Line up the door panels/bolt them together (make sure they're level w/shims and then bolt them where instructions say to do so. Easy).
2. Install the track/track hardware on the door.
3. Install the torsion bar/springs/etc.
4. Attach springs/cables to door/wind springs per instructions.
5. Watch your door go up and down.

Even if you've NEVER done it before, don't own a power drill, and aren't handy, you could probably do this with a friend to double check your work in 4 hours. Maybe 5 since it's a 16 footer. This is not a hard job.

This guy gives a great video on how to wind a torsion spring: http://ddmgaragedoors.com/diy-instructions/replace-garage-door-torsion-springs.php

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!