Home Improvement Interior Remodel Garage

How Much Does Garage Door Replacement Cost?

Installation Tips, Types of Garage Doors, and Determining Price

Garage Door

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Picking out a new garage door is no small task, whether you're outfitting a new construction house or going for a garage door replacement. It's a task few homeowners have much experience with. Garage doors come in a wide range of prices, from a few hundred dollars for a basic model, uninstalled, to thousands of dollars for a top-of-the-line, professionally installed door.

It may be surprising to know that replacing the garage door may well prove to be a good investment. The return on investment in a garage door replacement is better than just about any other home improvement project on the list.

With that in mind, there are five important questions you need to answer to help get understand what your garage door costs might be.

Quick Tips for Garage Door Replacement

  • Simple maintenance or a new garage door opener may be the only things needed to save your garage door and save the headache and cost of a replacement.
  • Compare written estimates from independent contractors, garage door installation companies, and home improvement retailers.
  • The cost is typically based on the size, style, and material of your door. Compare brands, as well.
  • Steel is the most popular option for a garage door and wood composite is the most beautiful but high-priced choice.
  • Consider hiring an installation service for this extremely tricky project rather than attempting to handle it yourself.

Do You Need a New Garage Door?

Wood garage doors rot, metal garage doors get banged up, and track hardware falls apart. If that's the situation you face, there's probably not much choice in the matter.

But just because your garage door isn't functioning properly, it doesn't necessarily mean that it needs to be replaced. You can hold down your garage door costs by doing a little maintenance and repairing yourself. For example, if cold air whips around the edges of your garage door, you don't necessarily need to replace it because the door may just need some patching and weatherstripping.

Tip

Wood and metal garage doors can be transformed with a paint job, which is much less expensive than a replacement door.

What Determines the Cost of Your Garage Door?

Garage door costs are going to depend on quite a bit more than just the price of the door. Garage door replacements often also include new tracks (the metal parts in which the rollers move up and down). Find out if the cost you have been quoted includes new tracks.

As with most consumer products, it pays to shop around and compare garage door costs. Most cities have a large number of contractors who specialize in garage door installations and repairs. Give all of them a call and find two or three who will give you a written estimate. Also compare garage door costs offered by home improvement retailers, such as Home Depot and Lowe's. Both retailers usually carry garage doors, and Home Depot typically offers an installation service, as well. The most basic garage door costs (not including installation) at both stores range from about at least $300 (one-car garage) to $450 (two-car garage), and depending on where you live, those costs could be much higher. Double those figures of just the door and you should have a very rough idea of installed garage door costs.

In addition to your region, prices of garage doors vary based on the door's size, material, and brand. Your choice of style will have a big impact on your garage door costs.

The average cost to replace a simple one-car garage door is $1,191, with a typical range of between $750 and $1,639. These costs include a basic garage door unit plus installation. Note the breakout below from HomeAdvisor depends on the style of the door, and the price will also vary depending on where you live.

The average replacement cost for common types and sizes of garage doors
Type Average replacement cost
Roll-up $950
Tilt-up $850
Standard panel $550
French doors $3,750
Carriage-style $5,500

What Kind of Garage Door Should You Choose?

The material you choose is one of the biggest variables when it comes to the cost of your garage door. For some information on how garage door costs might be reflected in the material you choose, read about ​choosing the best material for your door. Here are the typical options:

  • Steel: Most popular and lightweight option at a reasonable cost, but consider panel thickness and lack of insulation
  • Aluminum: Less expensive than steel but dents easily
  • Wood: A traditional, low-cost option that requires heavy maintenance
  • Wood composite: Superior durability and aesthetics but pricey
  • Fiberglass: Resistant to salt-water corrosion in coastal areas but a poor insulator

When to Call a Professional

Home centers sell garage doors, and although an extremely advanced DIYer may be able to tackle installation, the project may be best left to a professional garage door installation company with the expertise to handle heavy doors with the right tools and equipment. Before deciding to reduce your garage door cost by installing it yourself, contact the manufacturer for installation instructions so you can decide if the project is manageable.

Warning

When servicing, removing, or replacing garage door springs, extreme caution must be used to prevent potentially serious personal injury. Only work with garage door springs of any type if you know what you're doing. If you have any doubts, call a garage door professional for assistance.

Replacing the Garage Door Opener

If your garage door opener is working fine with the current garage door, there's probably no reason to change it. The only exception to this would be if you buy a new garage door that is considerably heavier than the old one and your garage door opener is not strong enough to handle the extra load. Look for a lightweight garage door replacement, however, and you can avoid having to replace the garage door opener.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Key Trends in the 2022 Cost vs. Value Report. Remodeling Magazine.

  2. How Much Does Garage Door Replacement Cost? HomeAdvisor.