Sectional Door Styles in Australia.
If you have decided that you want a sectional door for your garage then the next step is to decide on a style that will best suit the design of your home. There are quite a few styles to choose from so I have grouped the options to make it easier for you to navigate the choices. If you were looking for another type of door then start with the garage doors page and work from there.
The Standard range of Australian Sectional Doors come in 4 basic styles that are indicated by the embossments that are pressed into the face of the door.
Additional material combinations are also used to provide many designer options.
The vast majority of houses built in Australia have common design influences that match very well with the 4 basic styles available in the conventional range of sectional door styles. With that being the case, manufacturers have geared their construction processes to fit the demand for these common styles to provide good quality products and competitive pricing.
Going beyond the conventional range of sectional doors we come to the designer range. In this range of doors you can start to mix and match material options. This can be very helpful if you are looking for a door to suit a designer home that breaks from the traditional design cues. Naturally with the use of mixed materials, and with these doors being handmade, the extra cost is reflected in the price.
So let’s dive in and take a closer look at some style options for sectional doors.
The style options in the conventional range of garage doors will suit the overwhelming majority of homes.
There are 4 standard style options for sectional overhead garage doors being Cottage ( square), Southern (rectangle), Shiplap and Plain. All of these options are made by most sectional door manufacturers in Australia.
The vast majority of sectional doors are produced with a fine timber grain texture that is pressed into the metal sheet. You can also get your door made without this fine texture and just have it made from flat sheets without the grain. However, I would recommend the timber grain texture as it will hide minor distortions that come about from shaping the door in the manufacturing process.
A Simple guide to choosing between sectional door styles:
Although there are only 4 standard styles to choose from, it can still be a challenge to pick the one that will fit best with your house’s design theme. In my experience you will find clues in the facade of your house that can point you in the right direction.
•If the windows on your house have a series of smaller square frames dividing up the window then you would tend toward the garage door design with the square embossments.
•If you have plain window panes fitted to your home then you will find that the rectangle embossments will be a better match.
•Houses with weatherboard cladding match well with the door that has the horizontal lines of the shiplap. Although these houses also suit the square embossments in most cases because of the heritage or cottage theme of the weatherboard.
•Rendered homes are well suited to plain timber grain sectionals with no distinctive embossments.
All of these guidelines can be broken to suit your needs and ultimately the choice is yours. For example, a white shiplap door looks great with a rendered house located in a coastal area. Essentially it is in context for its location.
One of the ways to help choose the right garage door style for your home is to drive around your local area. Look for similar homes to yours and look at the door styles they have chosen. Think about what you either like or dislike about the door they have chosen and look at the details of the house that either match or don’t match.
One of the problems that I have come across with buyers is when they have been biased by a door that they have seen on a home that impressed them. I have often been told by a buyer that they love the look of the faux timber doors. And I totally understand why. They do look awesome on the right house. But I usually have to point out that the same door on their home would look terrible.
So the message here is that your door needs to match in with the style of your house. A properly matched door will look right on your home and you will be satisfied with the finished result.
Windows can enhance the design of your door.
Having windows fitted to your garage door can be a great idea. Most garages don’t have windows to let in natural light and the electric lights don’t do a great job in most garages.
The inclusion of windows across the top section of your garage door will allow the natural daylight into your garage.
There are several design options that are readily available from the manufacturer that you can include in your order. The 3 most ordered window styles are Sunrise, Provincial and Plain.
Windows are mostly fitted to doors with either the square of rectangle embossments but you can also have them fitted to doors with a flat look. Generally the shiplap doors can’t have windows because the horizontal impressions that are roll formed into the door prevent windows from being fitted.
The shapes that make up the style of the windows are simply plastic inserts that are held into place by edge framing that holds both the insert, in front, and the perspex window behind.
You do need to order your windows when you place your general order for the door as the cutouts for the windows are done at the factory during the manufacturing process.
Colours.
The thin metal skin that is your door comes pre coated with a colour finnish. In Australia this colour coating will usually be in one of the many colours available in the Colorbond range of colours from Bluescope Steel.
Roller Door Styles & Designs in Australia. What are your options?
If you are looking for a simple option for your garage then a roller door is a great choice. They are a compact and cost effective solution for your garage. I am often asked for my experienced advice as to what type of door is the best overall. My opinion is that if a particular style is not a priority then a roller door would be the choice I would go for on my own home.
The 2 Common Styles of Roller Doors are:
There are two common styles of roller door profile. Also known as the curtain profile.
•Convex roller door profile
•Square roller door profile
Roller doors are made using flat sheets of thin metal that are roll-formed to create the profile of the door. Even though roller door companies each have their own patented profile there are limits to how many profiles can be created.
(Pictures of the two common profiles)
The domestic roller door is essentially an Australian invention that was developed by the B&D company back in the 1950’s. During the early years it was seen as a strong competitor to the tilt door, commonly used in lock-up garages of the day. Roller doors quickly became the preferred option for new home builds in the following decades.
While newer door options became available the roller door is still a popular choice for many situations where buyers are looking for a simple solution. Roller doors are a simple option that are compact and reliable with fewer parts than sectional doors.
Colours.
Roller door colour can completely change the context of your doors design. In most cases people will go for traditional colours such as classic cream to suit the colour scheme of the house. But there are a wide range of colours to tie into a variety of design schemes for the home. As an example, Zincalume has the look of an industrial door that goes very well with some contemporary building designs.
So when thinking of designs and styles just remember to include colour in the mix of options.