Manual garage door vs electric garage door; pros and cons

We live in a world full of options. Would you like fries with your burger? How many bedrooms do you want in your new house? Do you eat meat or are you a vegan? The sky is the limit when it comes to choices and this goes for garage doors, too. We can install garage doors in just about any style, size or material imaginable. We also have choices when it comes to our garage door opener. Not only are there dozens of brands and opener models and styles, but we can even choose whether we want to use an electric, automatic opener or none at all! By none, we mean opening our garage door the old fashioned way; manually.

Once upon a time

Let’s take cost for starters. It’s obviously less expensive to not use an automatic garage door opener. Think of the money savings and all that extra exercise you get from actually getting out of your car to manually open or close the garage door. Wow; it almost sounds worth it and for some, it just may be! Not only are you saving money on not buying an automatic electric opener unit, but you also save on maintenance and upkeep costs. Then there’s the fact that there are no installation costs either. When having a new garage door installed, you simply attach it to your other components like pulleys, tracks, and cables and you simply forgo the added expense of adding an electric opener to do the opening and closing.

But why do most choose the electric openers?

In actuality, they are not choosing one over the other. Almost all home builders and contractors assume that folks want the automatic, electric ones. It’s never offered as an option or upgrade feature; it is assumed that new buyers want the convenience of having an electric opener unit. Later, when houses are rented or re-sold, they already have the opener units installed. In fact, many home buyers may not even be aware that they have a choice between the two as all they have known is the automatic opener variety.

Electric opener advantages

There are so many pros to the electric garage doors; where to begin? First and foremost is the convenience; you get to stay in your car or even inside your home and simply tap a button to open or close your garage door. No tedious getting out of the vehicle to physically lift and lower your several hundred pound door; just a simple tap on your remote and it’s done. Convenience is probably the most obvious benefit of having an electric garage door, but there’s another “pro” that is really important, too; safety!

Better security

It’s so nice to come home during a rain downpour and not have to get wet! You simply stay inside your dry car and push the opener remote and your garage door opens. Drive inside and tap the button again; the door closes and you remain dry. You might wonder what this has to do with safety but the act of staying inside your vehicle has a lot to do with it! Getting out of your still running car put both you and the vehicle in danger. You can be accosted, hurt or even kidnapped while you are preoccupied with opening your garage door by hand. Or, your car might be the target. Car theft is a tempting possibility and since your purse, wallet and keys are still inside along with your registration, address, insurance papers and house keys, it’s a dream come true for thieves! On a related note, the fact that you are outside the car and pre-occupied makes it easy for a crook to grab you, drag you inside the garage and close the door, leaving you and your house vulnerable to all sorts of bad things.

House value

Another little known factor to consider is that of your home’s value. Let’s say you want to sell or rent your property and of course, you want top dollar. You won’t get anywhere near that if your garage door is only manually operated. You may like this way of opening and closing your garage door but that doesn’t mean that others will. The natural response will be to “knock down” the price a bit and that’s not what you want. Face it; most owners or renters WILL want the automatic, electric garage doors so bear that in mind.

Upgrading to electric?

Many people upgrade from manual garage door operation to electric. You can do this in several ways. You can purchase an opener unit and install it yourself. You can also call a garage door opener shop have them do the installation for you. A big advantage of that is that you know the work will be done correctly and safely. A full service, professional garage door technician can actually save you money, time and hassle. He or she can assist you in selecting the perfect opener model for your particular needs. All electric opener models and units are not alike and depending on your garage door size and usage, it’s smart to choose one that is well suited to your garage door. Ultimately, it’s your garage door so choose the option that fits your needs best!