# Garage Door Replacement?



## Tenacious Sloth (20 Nov 2020)

One of the cables has snapped on our single width, up-and-over garage door.

Repairing this myself isn’t something I’m prepared to consider, so I’m considering two options:

1. Get someone in to repair the door mechanism.

2. Replace the door with a roller type door.

I’ve been thinking about option 2 for a while as it would allow us to park much closer to the door and still be able to open it. Also, I spend a fair bit of time in the garage fettling bikes and the up-and-over door always strikes me as a bit dodgy when it’s open during a strong wind. I assume all roller type doors are electric? We do have power to the garage.

I also wouldn’t mind some additional security as the single lock on the current door doesn’t fill me with confidence.

Fortunately, the door is currently closed and locked so it isn’t an emergency as I have another door into the garage from the back garden.

Is anyone able to give me a rough idea of expected costs of Option 1 vs Option 2 before I get someone round, as I have no idea and don’t want to have my kecks pulled down. 

I’m in the Peterborough/Huntingdon area if anyone is able to recommend a local company.

Thanks in advance.

Graham


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## midlife (20 Nov 2020)

Cost of new garage doors was stupidly expensive the last time my up-and-over door fell off one side a few years ago,

Got a garage repair man who looked at it, ordered the bits and did it for about 75 quid all in.....


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## Milkfloat (20 Nov 2020)

It cost me £2.5K for a double roller door fully fitted from SWS Seceuroglide - this is an insurance rated door and it has been excellent. A few months ago I added a smart module for it so I can control it via my phone/Alexa. One of the benefits of the roller door is that I can hang far more bikes in the garage as the door does not come up and bash into them.


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## Drago (20 Nov 2020)

Glad youre being sensible and not doing it yourself. A tried to repair a friends garage door - he bought the kit and i offered to fit it. Unfortunately, I lost my grip at a critical moment and the tension bar violently unloaded and I ended up witn a concussion.


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## fossyant (20 Nov 2020)

The cables are easy to do. I popped into B&Q, bought a length of cable, and some small cable clamps (all in the hardware section) and it's worked a treat. You'll have to adjust the length at first to match the other side, and it will take a few goes (watch for the door falling off if not careful).


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## figbat (20 Nov 2020)

I've had up-and-over (which failed like yours), double barn doors and now a remote-controlled roller door. I'd have the roller again in a flash. Yes, costly but the various space-saving and practical benefits offset this for me. The only thing that I still get frustrated about after 7 years with it is that it is relatively slow to open enough to get through it. But that's it - the benefits include:

- minimal space intrusion to the ceiling and none to internal walls
- no outswing - can park right outside it AND put stuff right up against it internally
- includes a deadlock and alarm
- can be operated on approach, so it's open ready to ride in (bicycle and motorbike)
- easy to crack open a bit for ventilation without showing off to passers-by what you have in there
- looks neat, with no external handles or fixtures.


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## fossyant (20 Nov 2020)

Drago said:


> Glad youre being sensible and not doing it yourself. A tried to repair a friends garage door - he bought the kit and i offered to fit it. Unfortunately, I lost my grip at a critical moment and the tension bar violently unloaded and I ended up witn a concussion.



I would say if one side is OK, then you are fine. If both 'iffy, leave it be...get an expert.


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## fossyant (20 Nov 2020)

Milkfloat said:


> It cost me £2.5K for a double roller door fully fitted from SWS Seceuroglide - this is an insurance rated door and it has been excellent. A few months ago I added a smart module for it so I can control it via my phone/Alexa. One of the benefits of the roller door is that I can hang far more bikes in the garage as the door does not come up and bash into them.



Ah yes, hanging bikes - I lose 2m of wall both sides for the up and over.


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## oldworld (20 Nov 2020)

Drago said:


> Glad youre being sensible and not doing it yourself. A tried to repair a friends garage door - he bought the kit and i offered to fit it. Unfortunately, I lost my grip at a critical moment and the tension bar violently unloaded and I ended up witn a concussion.


That explains a lot.


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## bikingdad90 (20 Nov 2020)

I had a cable snap on me and it was a right pig to get into the roller in the corner to be able to get the cable over and down, afterwards as the cable had snapped the tension went so it needed tightening up again. Turning the spring scared the life out of me so I got a garage expert in to do it for me! Cost about £80 all in but been hunky dory since. I did have to use a lot of brute force to get the door back in the guides so I could close it to be able to do the work, it required some timber to prop the door open.


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## Tenacious Sloth (20 Nov 2020)

Drago said:


> Glad youre being sensible and not doing it yourself. A tried to repair a friends garage door - he bought the kit and i offered to fit it. Unfortunately, I lost my grip at a critical moment and the tension bar violently unloaded and I ended up witn a concussion.



The whiplash sound made by the spring coming out of the top housing when the cable let go was enough to instantly convince me to leave it well alone!


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## annedonnelly (20 Nov 2020)

My neighbours have had a new door fitted this week - Goralla. I was around when they got the quote of about £1k I think. Including electrics & stuff.


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## DaveReading (20 Nov 2020)

Now that Tommy is joining "Homes Under the Hammer", everyone's house refurbishment is going to include an electric roller garage door.


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## irw (23 Nov 2020)

Tenacious Sloth said:


> One of the cables has snapped on our single width, up-and-over garage door.
> 
> Repairing this myself isn’t something I’m prepared to consider, so I’m considering two options:
> 
> ...



When we bought our house about 4/5 years ago, it needed new everything, including the garage door, that I realised when we got the keys wasn't actually locking! (There was also an internal door into the rest of the house!)

As the garage has a lovely high pitched roof, with no 'horizontal' beams, I wanted to be able to use that for hanging bikes and such like in, so an up-and-over door was out. We ended up going for a motorized roller shutter (Somfy) from a local-ish company in a rosewood colour to match the new windows and doors. I want to say it was about £1.3K fully fitted, which sounds expensive, but I remember thinking at the time it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

At the time I was still using the motorbike a lot for commuting, so having a remote fob to open and close was a nice bonus.


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## JhnBssll (28 Nov 2020)

I replaced my up-and-over with an electric roller door about three years ago. I did the work myself, cost in the region of £450 if I remember correctly inlcuding some uPVC strips to cover the damaged brickwork where the old door frame had been. The door was from a fairly local company called Rollerdor - I'd buy from them again and was able to save on delivery fees as it (just!) fit in the back of my car  I installed it on my own but if I were doing it again I would definitely get some help as more than two hands would have been useful on a number of occasions


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## cougie uk (28 Nov 2020)

Milkfloat said:


> It cost me £2.5K for a double roller door fully fitted from SWS Seceuroglide - this is an insurance rated door and it has been excellent. A few months ago I added a smart module for it so I can control it via my phone/Alexa. One of the benefits of the roller door is that I can hang far more bikes in the garage as the door does not come up and bash into them.


I'd not hook it up to Alexa. She might mishear you and open the garage door. Ours does weird stuff sometimes with seemingly little instruction.


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## Milkfloat (29 Nov 2020)

cougie uk said:


> I'd not hook it up to Alexa. She might mishear you and open the garage door. Ours does weird stuff sometimes with seemingly little instruction.


I have to tell her a passcode for the unlock function, to lock I don’t need it, but it is great to ask her if the door is closed when it is late at night. I did use the unlock function once when my wife locked me out, I shouted through the cat flap with the code and got into the garage to get my spare key.


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