How to Decide: Carriage House Style or Standard Garage Door

A garage door is integral to a home's curb appeal and can also affect your home's overall energy efficiency. It's a large expanse of wall so it should complement both the architectural style of your home, as well as the home's surroundings. If you are in the market for a new garage doors, you may be deciding between two of the most popular garage door designs: carriage house or standard garage doors.

Carriage House or Standard Garage Doors: Which Style is Right For Your Home?

Before we continue, lets review garage door style basics.

Carriage Style Garage Doors. These garage doors are very traditional - even historic - in their appearance. Before the advent of the car, households that could afford a carriage typically had a carriage house - often as part of the barn. These doors had to be wide enough to accommodate both carriage and horses, so they were substantial in size. Their exterior facade was designed in accordance with architectural styles of the time, often including beautiful woodwork using recessed or raised-panel designs. Originally constructed using solid wood, modern, carriage house garage doors are now available in aluminum, steel, fiberglass and wood options.

Standard Garage Doors. Once cars outnumbered carriages, carriage house door manufacturers quickly began designing a different kind of exterior door, one that could accommodate automobiles. Since the era of "every household has a car" didn't commence until later in the 20th century, wood garage doors became a high-end option within a few decades, replaced by more affordable and longer-lasting standard garage door options, like aluminum, fiberglass and steel. They are typically made to replicate wood doors - using raised-panel or stamped designs as well.

So, which one is right for your home? In order to answer that, we have a few more questions for you:

1. What's your architectural and neighborhood style? If you live in a historic neighborhood or a high-end neighborhood with a fair amount of traditional design elements, a carriage house style garage door might be for you. They work best with traditional and transitional exterior facades. If you home is modern, you will probably want to stick with a standard garage door style, or a flat panel, solid wood carriage house option that will blend better with the streamlined exterior of your home.

2. What's your personal preference? Do you like the idea of a classic garage door that replicates a carriage house door? There are so many styles to choose from that you are bound to find one that will work with your architecture. Your garage door sales team will work with you to find the door that looks best.

3. Do you prefer a rolling steel door? Rolling steel doors may not be as aesthetically pleasing as their carriage door or raised-panel standard counterparts, but they are the toughest and lowest-maintenance doors on the market. If you like the idea of a rolling steel door, odds are you'll steer away from carriage house door options.

4. What is your budget? The good news is that about 88% of the cost of a new garage door can be recouped when you sell your home. Typically, carriage house garage doors are more expensive than standard garage door options. The average cost for a 16-foot by 7-foot double garage door ranges anywhere from $750 to $3000+ dollars, so the spread is pretty big. Standard doors are on the lower end of the spectrum while a solid wood carriage house door will be on the higher end. Your garage door vendor will be happy to price multiple options so you can choose the one that best fits your budget.