Every year, there are thousands of homeowners who decide to replace their old garage doors and buy a new one for their houses. With just a huge number of choices available for customers today, it gets difficult for many people to choose which garage entry doors they would purchase.

Basically, there are three choices when it comes to garage doors. You can choose single panel doors, sectional doors, or roller doors. Since roller doors are usually used for commercial spaces, homeowners often select between sectional and single panel.

Here are some facts about the two options.

• Single Panel Garage Doors. Single panel garage doors have always been the go-to style for many years in the past. But today, the popularity of this type has been overtaken by the sectional garage doors. One advantage of single panel doors is the price. Most sectional doors are at least 15% more expensive than these types. However, single panel doors also have their disadvantages. Since the door would swing up as a single unit, there needs to be a space in front of the garage while the door is in motion. A damaged part of the door would also mean that the whole door will be replaced since it acts as a single unit.

• Sectional Garage Doors. More people are into sectional doors these days because they are more stable and reliable than the single panel type. Even if it is slightly more expensive, a sectional door can easily slide up and open even if your car is parked right next to the doorway opening. The number of sections in the door mechanism can vary between manufacturers. But in all cases, each section is directly connected to the tracks of the door which makes these types of exterior doors a lot more secure than single panel doors.

More houses all over the country now have garage door screens installed in their garages. These screens span the entire length and width of the garage opening and they are similar in size to the residential garage doors as well. When these screens are installed, they will not replace the function of the actual garage door. Instead, they will have other specific benefits that are advantageous to the households:

• Protection against insects. Garage door screens are most beneficial for families who love to use garages as a workspace or as a play area for the kids because they can help prevent insects, especially mosquitoes and bugs, from entering the home. You can keep your garage door open and just close the screen. This way, you can work freely without getting bites from the bugs.

• Additional outdoor space during the summer. When the temperature becomes hotter, it is always better to enjoy the outdoors. For some people, their idea of fun is experiencing the warm weather without going directly under the heat of the sun. If you are hosting parties, you can open your garage door but keep everyone inside the screen so that the temperature will still be warm without letting dried leaves or insects inside.

• Reflects harmful rays. There are numerous new models of garage door screens today that are equipped with anti-UVA and UVB technology that can reflect these harmful rays off the screen. If you have kids playing in the garage or you are working on something in this space, you don’t have to worry about harming your skin.

• Help in maintaining temperature. When the weather outside is very hot, you can always open some of your exterior doors in the house to let warm air escape and the cool breeze to enter. These screens would be perfect for those occasions.

Home decorators will always tell the homeowners that the entrance door is one of the most important parts of the house. This is because it is the focal point of the home’s exterior and it is also the place where you welcome guests.

Entrance doors today could not only be the typical front doors but also the residential garage doors. And since garage doors are large in scale, they will definitely be more noticeable even from a distance.

Here are some useful decorating tips that you can use for your entrance doors.

• Lighting. Even if you will not change the hardware of the home exterior especially the doors, you can easily increase the curb appeal of the house by simply adding a lighting fixture. At night, a light shining at the front door does not only make your house look better, it is also a good security measure to keep burglars away. When adding light fixtures, it is always better to mount it at a lower angle with the light pointing upward towards the middle of the entry doors. You can also use wall- mounted lights but you need to use symmetry on both sides and it must not exceed 72 inches from the ground to make it look good.

• Pop of Color. When you go around your neighborhood, you will notice that your house may look a lot like the rest of the houses in the area. To make your own residence stand out, try to paint the garage door and the front door with a statement color that is different from the other shades which you used in your home exterior.

• Glass Panels. Glass always looks good as long as it is properly installed. You can use glass panels to be installed on both sides of the door to add depth and dimension to the front.

One of the main areas of the house that people should pay attention to is the front of the home. The façade, the lawn and the front structures are what the neighbors will be looking at when they pass by your place.

A functional piece that is usually installed on the entry doors of old houses is the door knocker. For many years, door knockers have been used as notification devices to alert people that someone is waiting in the front door. When the electronic doorbells were introduced, the use of door knockers has deteriorated.

Today, door knockers are coming back and they are not only functional but they also add style to the façade of the house.

• If you have a large home and you do not think that a door knocker will be of any help to the household because you won’t be able to hear the knock on all areas of the house, you can definitely use the door knocker as a statement piece or a focal point on the residential exterior doors of your house. You can still have an electronic doorbell but you can also install a door knocker that will fit the style of your home.

• Door knockers come in different designs, styles, sizes, and shapes. There will always be a suitable design that will match your style and the look of your front door. If you want to have a rustic feel to the façade, there are different antique door knockers to choose from. There are also cast iron door pieces if you want to have that old looking style without paying the value of a traditional antique knocker.

• To add fun and variety to the front of your home, you can also replace the door knocker every time there is a holiday or a celebration. Switching from a Halloween theme door knocker to a Christmas theme knocker will be a delight to your kids.