Published on 31 July 2020
Ali vs. Frazier. David vs. Goliath. Oasis vs. Blur. History is littered with heavyweight battles, but there’s one that gets forgotten. Roller Shutter Garage Doors vs. Up & Over Garage Doors! Which one will come out victorious in the battle for garage door dominance? Let’s take a look.
In the world of garage doors, most of us will stick with the one that’s on the house when we buy it. It’s not something that we give a great deal of time to thinking about, but that’s because a garage door’s importance is often underrated.
Garage doors generally fall into 2 main categories; roller shutter or the more traditional ‘up and over’. Both of them have some great benefits, so let’s take a look at both options to help you choose the best garage door for you and your home.
There are many factors that you need to consider when choosing your next garage door including the space you have available, how effective it will be in different weather conditions, and how easy the upgrade will be.
Up and over garage doors are often the go-to style in most houses. ‘Up and over’ is often used as a blanket term for two different types of garage door; the canopy and the retractable type. Both of them are opened by unlocking and lifting the door upwards. The door then moves up slightly before turning to be horizontal and going over the garage floor. If it’s a canopy, it will leave about a third of the door protruding from the outside. The rest of the door is ‘stored’ across the internal ceiling of the garage.
Retractable variants will push back fully into the garage. The width of your garage may dictate which ones suit you best. If your garage door is less than 8 feet wide, a canopy will be more suitable. These do make automation more difficult, however, and tend not to be insulated. This might be a problem if the garage is integral to the house itself.
Up and over doors are a very popular choice thanks to their effectiveness and simplicity. They’re also very secure. The cost can vary, so will suit any budget. This is because they can be manufactured using a wide range of materials including steel, timber and uPVC.
While up and over doors are made from one piece, roller shutter doors, on the other hand, are made up from small, individual horizontal slats (or shutters) that fit together to form a flexible door. As the door opens, the shutters wrap around each other to form a ‘roll’ above the space.
Roller shutter garage doors take up less space when opened than the up and over variant. They have become increasingly popular in recent years because of this. Its operating area is the smallest of any type of garage door. This is great if you’re wanting to add shelving inside your garage or want to hang anything from the ceiling, like bicycles, etc. The other great benefit is that it allows you to drive right up to the entrance, as the door doesn’t need any extra space for it to open. This is especially useful if you only have a short driveway where outside space is at a premium.
Both of these types of garage doors bring something different to your home. Only you will know the one that will best suit your own circumstances. It can often come down to how the door looks aesthetically and how it complements your home. Roller shutters look more modern, but up and over doors, because of their structural nature, can be more varied in terms of design.
Throughout history, those titanic matches can only have one winner and this is true in this battle, the good news is that the winner in this case, regardless of which type of door you choose, is you!
If you would like to find out more about how we can help you with your garage doors, please get in touch with our friendly team today on 01525 713600 or head over to our contact page for more information.
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