4 Benefits of Having an Awning

Awnings are coverings that are installed over an outdoor space. Often used on patios or over a window, they help protect you from the elements and improve your outdoor areas. 

But they more than protect your space from rain. If you’re considering installing an awning, they might have more benefits than you previously thought. Here are 4 of the top benefits of having an awning.

Increase your outdoor space

One of the top reasons families choose to install awnings is to increase useable space in their homes. An awning can help provide shade in the warmer months and block out light rain on cloudy days. This way you can spend more time outside and enjoy time on your patio or in your yard.

A retractable awning can make your space more flexible by extending further or closer as necessary.

Make your home more energy efficient

Adding an awning to your residential property can help block direct sunlight in the summer months. By reducing sun rays, you can reduce the heat in your home – saving on air conditioning costs and reducing your carbon footprint.

Protect from UV rays

An awning that’s strategically placed over a window or doorway can reduce the amount of direct sunlight coming into your home. Not only are excessive UV rays harmful for you and your family, but they can also damage and discolor furniture and finishes over time. 

An awning can provide up to 80% SPF protection and increase the longevity of the interior of your home.

Improve privacy

If you have outdoor spaces that directly face neighbors, awnings can help block direct views into your home. While they don’t give complete privacy, like window coverings, awnings also don’t block out all the natural light. Giving you the best of both worlds.

Awnings can also improve the privacy of your outdoor spaces.

Get an awning for your home today

A professional can help evaluate your outdoor spaces and suggest an awning that will maximize the benefits for you and your home. From retractable to fixed awnings, Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. has a selection for everyone. Contact us today to explore our selection of awnings.

Benefits of a Three-Layer Insulated Door

Garage doors are often thought of as purely functional items, but they can be much more than that. In fact, your door can be an excellent way to improve the overall appeal of your home or commercial building’s exterior while also increasing safety and security.

A three-layer insulated sectional garage door perfectly plays the security role and more. Having the best three-layer insulated garage doors is essential, and a great investment for your home or business—here are five reasons why you should invest in one today!

Durability

With three layers of protection, your door will be better able to withstand the elements and day-to-day wear and tear, making it more durable.

Protection From the Elements

Whether it’s extreme heat or cold, your garage door will help keep your home at a comfortable temperature. This will help protect your car and other belongings from weather damage. 

Energy Efficiency

Traditional garage doors are only single-layer, meaning they don’t do much to keep heat in or out. But a three-layer door has two additional layers of insulation, making it much more effective at regulating temperature. This can help save you money on your energy bills, as well as make your home more comfortable year-round.

Soundproofing

If you live in an area with a lot of traffic or other external noise, a three-layer insulated garage door can be a great way to reduce the amount of noise that comes into your home. Additionally, if you have a home workshop or studio, the door’s soundproofing properties can be essential to avoid disturbing your neighbors. 

Less Maintenance

Since sectional three-layer garage doors are made with high-quality materials and can withstand extreme weather conditions and the wear and tear of daily use, they require less maintenance than other types of garage doors. This also means you won’t have to replace your door often, saving you money in the long run.

Get Your Three-Layer Insulated Door Today!

If you’re looking for a high-quality, durable garage door, a three-layer insulated door from Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc is just what you need. Contact us today for an installation.

Decorate Your Garage Doors This Summer

A garage door isn’t uncommon to have connected to a house. However, it can be a little outdated looking just being painted. What’s the best way to spruce up your garage door? How can you make it look amazing without overdoing it? We’ll go over some ideas to get you one step closer to having an eye-catching garage door area.

First Things First 

Renting- If you rent, you may need to get the owner’s permission and make sure they’re okay with you making the changes. They may have conditions to negotiate to ensure it’ll still look nice. They may only let you make changes to the surrounding grass, or say potted plants or decorations only.

Own- If you own your home, then this isn’t an issue to update your door. Now you just have to figure out if you want to plant flowers, pot plants, paint the garage door or change it completely. 

Plants and Flowers

Ivy- You can plant ivy to grow around your garage door. It looks beautiful and elegant as it drapes around it. However, you need to make sure the ivy you decide on can handle the amount of sun and shade the area gets. 

Potted trees- A small species of tree is always a wonderful look to arrange near your garage.

Hanging baskets- A beautiful way to delicately showcase your favorite flowers. Pair colors for a homier look, or choose bright, stand out colors.

Bushes- Rose bushes are a popular choice to dress up a yard. Especially a focal point like your garage door. 

Design

You don’t have to settle on just changing the color of your garage door. You can also consider changing it all together, especially if you’ve gotten some dings in it throughout the years. There are all kinds of designs with or without windows with different styles to choose from. Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc will make the changes for you if you decide to switch your door out. 

Color

There’s no limit to this unless your landlord gave you a specific color only. Matching a nice paint with the outside of your home can be tricky though.

With many ways to decorate around your garage doors, or designs you can decide on. There’s no reason to keep hating your current doors. Let’s get your garage door needs taken care of and your home looking even better.  

Understanding R-Value and Why It Is Important

You’re ready to shop for a new garage door and want to make sure you make the best selection. One term that you need to be familiar with is the door’s R-value.

Here’s what you need to know about R-value and how it relates to your garage door.

The Basics of the R-Value

A garage door’s R-value refers to how much insulation the door has. A higher R-value means that the garage door is created from materials that don’t conduct heat well, allowing it to provide high levels of insulation. An R-40 value is considered a high R-value by the US Department of Energy.

Lower R-values mean that the garage door is manufactured from materials that conduct heat well. This means that it does a poor job of providing insulation for your garage.

Why Insulation Matters

Your garage door encloses a space that would otherwise be a large hole in the side of your home.

A garage door with poor insulation qualities will allow the air temperature inside the garage to quickly change temperature, creating a space that’s uncomfortable and expensive to heat and cool.

Selecting a garage door with insulating qualities helps you keep the space at a comfortable temperature and use less energy to do so.

Is a Higher R-Value Always Better?

With R-values, you need to consider the price of the garage door and how much more efficient a high R-value is at insulating your garage.

Insulation R-values adhere to the law of diminishing returns. This means that as you increase the R-value, the amount of additional insulation gradually gets smaller and smaller.

For example, an R-16 garage door isn’t twice as effective at offering insulation as an R-8 garage door.

Instead, an R-16 door provides a 5 percent improvement in energy efficiency. An R-32 garage door is 7 percent more energy efficient than an R-8 product.

For garages that are heated or cooled, look for an R-9 to R-13 garage door. If a garage functions as a living space, an R-13 garage door is ideal.

Purchase Your New Garage Door

Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. offers a wide selection of commercial and residential garage doors, as well as installation and maintenance services. Contact us at 724-443-1437 or visit us online to get started!

5 Things to Know When Buying a Garage Door

A good garage door is an important long-term investment in your property. The right choice of garage doors enhances the appearance of your home, adds security and protection to your property, and improves energy efficiency.

In this article, we’ll discuss the top five things you need to know before buying a garage door. Let’s get started!

In-Person Quote Works the Best

Although we live in an era dominated by online purchases, don’t be tempted to order your garage door online. Remember, each garage is different, so the best way to handle this is to get a knowledgeable salesperson to check the details of your garage and advise on the best design decision. An in-person quote may be the best director for this.

Know Which Material Best Suits Your Needs

Garage doors are made of different materials, and you have the privilege of choosing one that perfectly suits your needs and complements your property.

• Aluminum doors work well for humid areas because of their rust and corrosion resistance.
• Wood is a popular option that looks fantastic in most homes but requires regular maintenance to keep it looking its best for years.
• Steel doors are another popular option and come in various colors, designs, and price ranges.
• Composite wood doors provide the attractiveness of real wood but with enhanced insulation and moisture resistance.

Garage Door Installation Isn’t a DIY Project

Regardless of how handy you are around your home, don’t be tempted to install your garage door on your own. Although handling the installation as a DIY project can help you save a few hundred dollars, it’s best if you let professionals handle it.

Professional installers are trained on the right installation procedure and have years of experience in the field, making them perfect for this job.

Garage Door Warranties

Some garage doors come with warranties so that if any repairs or replacements are needed, you won’t struggle with financing. Most warranties have limitations, so it’s important to know what the warranty covers before getting your garage door.

Garage Door Insulation

You should also know about garage door insulation and its benefits. Insulated garage doors are slightly more expensive than hollow doors but are worth the extra bucks.

Insulated garage doors improve energy efficiency, increase the value of your home, are durable, regulate temperatures in the garage, and act as a noise barrier.

Get Your Garage Door Today

For quality and affordable garage doors, contact Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. and start exploring the many designs available!

Benefits of Routine Maintenance for Businesses

Business owners have a lot of tasks on their to-do lists, but one item that’s essential to add to your schedule is preventative maintenance for your facilities.

Preventative maintenance will keep your doors, shutters, security grilles, and garage doors functioning correctly so that they don’t interfere with your operations or pose a safety hazard to your employees and customers. Here are a few benefits associated with routine maintenance for your business.

Minimizes Downtime Related to Unexpected Repairs

By scheduling preventative maintenance, you can schedule downtime when it’s ideal for your business. While some downtime is necessary to keep your business functioning properly, emergency repairs nearly always have more downtime than scheduled maintenance.

You won’t have to worry about losing hours of productivity because your security grille breaks or your garage doors won’t open when you have shipments to get out or inventory to process.

Instead, you can schedule garage door maintenance and other tasks when it’s convenient for you.

Regular Maintenance Keeps Your Employees Safe

Heavy doors, gates, and security shutters that don’t work properly are a safety risk for your employees.

An employee who’s depending on your security grille or door to remain open can suffer severe injuries if the door shuts on them.

Or, if you neglect to call a garage door company and a garage door malfunctions, this can potentially cause an accident that hurts your employees and damages your vehicles and equipment.

You Can Lower Your Overall Expenses

By budgeting for regular maintenance, you can reduce your need for costly emergency service calls. This helps you keep your expenses associated with maintaining your facilities at a reasonable level.

Regular maintenance also prolongs the lifespan of your doors, security grilles, and shutters, ensuring that they achieve their maximum lifespans and that you don’t have to prematurely pay for their replacements.

Get Started on Your Maintenance-Related Tasks

Want to make sure that all of your business’s maintenance is up-to-date? Contact Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. today at 727-443-1437 to schedule your service call.

How to Choose a Security Grille for Your Business

You’ve invested a lot of time, money, and resources into your business; you don’t want your company to suffer because thieves decide to target your facilities.

A security grille is an excellent addition for protecting your business’s inventory, supplies, and equipment, as well as keeping your employees safe. Follow these tips when choosing a security grille or gate.

Decide How You Want to Open and Close Your Security Grille

One detail to consider is how you prefer to operate your security grille.

Rolling grilles open and close vertically; you often see this type of security grille at stores in your local mall. It’s available as a manual grille and as a motorized grille.

A manual grille requires someone to open and close it, while a motorized grille will open with the push of a button. Rolling grilles are ideal for securing a business with a conventional shape.

Sliding grilles have a side-folding design that only permits manual operation. The design of sliding grilles is customizable, making them ideal for complex spaces that don’t have a conventional design (like a store with a semi-circle-shaped store entrance).

A sliding grille or gate is affordable and capable of accommodating wide spaces and curves.

Select the Appropriate Material and Design for Your Security Grille

Multiple materials and designs are available for your security grille.

A tempered glass security grille makes the interior of your business completely inaccessible while still allowing people to see inside of your business. If you want a security grille that won’t distract from your company’s aesthetics, a tempered glass alternative is a terrific option.

Open-style security grilles have space between the grille’s bars that allows air to enter your business’s space. It also allows people to see inside your facilities.

Security grills are also available in a solid design that uses aluminum. This design secures your space and prevents anyone from seeing inside of your business.

How to Add a Security Grille to Your Business

Ready to select your business’s new security grille? Contact Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. online or call 724-443-1437. 

Reasons to Upgrade Your Garage Door Opener This Summer

You’re arriving home after a long day and there’s a chilly torrential downpour. You use your electric garage door opener to attempt to park your vehicle and escape from the elements, but you quickly discover that it doesn’t work.

Until it stops working, most individuals give their garage door openers little thought. However, it’s more convenient to upgrade your garage door opener before it starts giving you significant trouble.

Here are a few reasons to upgrade your garage door opener this summer.

Your Current Garage Door Opener is Noisy

When you’re leaving for your early morning shift or arriving home after a late-night, you want to minimize any disturbance to your household or neighbors.

However, old electric garage door openers are prone to making a lot of noise; some even make a particularly annoying screeching sound.

Replacing your garage door opener with a more modern option will minimize any noise associated with opening and closing your garage door.

You’ll Have Better Control Over Your Garage Door

Updated garage door openers have innovative technology that makes it as easy as possible to open your garage door. New garage door openers have a better range and additional features that are a smart addition to your home.

Over time, garage door openers experience wear and tear. This makes them more likely to catch and refuse to open, causing you to have to manually open and close your garage door.

Or, the garage door may jam entirely and require an inconvenient emergency repair.

Newer Garage Door Accessories are More Efficient

New garage door openers use less energy than older models. Upgrading it helps you make your home more energy-efficient so that you can lower your utility bills and reduce your home’s environmental impact.

How to Upgrade Your Garage Door Accessories

Ready to learn more about garage door accessories that can enhance the functionality of your garage door? Contact Thomas V Giel. Garage Doors, Inc. at 724-443-1437 or contact us online.  

5 Reasons Your Garage Door Won’t Close

You leave your home and use your remote to close your garage door, only to see that your garage door refuses to close. While it’s frustrating when a broken garage door doesn’t work correctly, there are a few things that can impact its functionality. When you’re dealing with a major issue, it’s important to hire a garage door professional to fix the problem so that your garage door doesn’t incur additional damage.

Check out these five common reasons that your garage door won’t close:

1. You Have an Issue with Your Garage Door’s Sensors

Your garage door’s sensors prevent your door from closing on a vehicle or other obstruction. If your garage door refuses to close all the way, you might have an issue with the sensors.

Try wiping the sensors with a soft cloth to remove dirt and dust that can keep them from functioning correctly. If you observe that a sensor is blinking, it might need to be realigned. This is done by loosening the sensor and adjusting it until the light no longer blinks.

2. Your Tracks or Rollers Are Damaged

Damaged tracks and rollers are another frequent reason that a garage door won’t go past a certain point. If you spot components that are bent, a garage door repair professional can bend them back into place or replace them.

3. Your Trolley Isn’t Activating

The component that attaches from your garage door to the opening mechanism is the trolley. If your garage door isn’t moving at all when you try to close it, the trolley may need to be reactivated.

4. Your Door’s Limit Screw Needs To Be Adjusted

Your garage door’s limit screws are located on your garage door opener and tell it how far to open or close. If they’re too high up, adjust them downward with a screwdriver so that your garage door can fully close.

5. Your Garage Door Remote Has a Problem

Sometimes, the issue is with your garage door remote, not your garage door. Replace the batteries in your remote and confirm that it’s connected to your garage door. If it still isn’t opening, you may need to call a local garage door company for repairs.

Request a Service Call for Your Garage Door

Contact Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. online or by calling 724-443-1437 to schedule a service call for your garage door

How To Choose the Right Garage Door for Your Home

A garage door is an important functional item for your home’s exterior, providing you access to your garage while significantly impacting your home’s overall appearance. Here are a few things that will help you choose the right garage door.

The Material of the New Garage Door

The material for your new garage door affects its appearance, functionality, and durability. Some materials also require more upkeep to keep them looking their best.

A natural wood garage door is lovely, but it needs frequent refinishing. Composite is a more durable alternative that combines the appearance of wood with durability and longevity. Steel is a popular garage door material for many homeowners, thanks to its sleek look, multiple design options, and strong durability. Know that if you live on the coast, you’ll have to regularly wax your steel garage door to keep it from rusting.

The Garage Door’s Design and Style

Your garage’s door design and style should complement the architectural style and exterior details of your home.

For example, if your home has modern or Spanish-style architecture, a garage door with a barn door design will look out of place. However, if your home has a farmhouse or traditional architecture, a barn door-style garage door will complement its exterior appearance. Not sure which garage door will suit your home? Try out this tool to design and build your garage door.

The Specifications for Your Garage Door

You’ll want a garage door with specifications that can withstand your climate and weather conditions. If high winds are a frequent concern, you’ll need a garage door with a minimum level of wind resistance. Want to keep your garage at a more comfortable temperature and make your entire home more energy efficient? An insulated garage door will assist you with these goals.

Your Budget for Your New Garage Door

A gorgeous garage door with all the bells and whistles is of little use if it’s too expensive for your budget. Before you start shopping with a garage door company, decide how much you are wanting to spend and what features are most important to you.

Buy Your New Garage Door

Ready to explore potential garage door designs? Visit the Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. website to get started!