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Local businesses o er home improvement tips
COMPILED BY EDMOND ORTIZ & TRICIA SCHWENNESEN HOME IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Worth the money According to the 35th annual Cost vs. Value Report by Zonda conducted for Remodeling Magazine replacing the garage door is No. 1 home improvement project a homeowner should undertake because of the 93.3% return on investment.
Randy Oliver is president of Hollywood Crawford Garage Doors & Openers, a north San Antonio company specializing in residential and commercial garage doors and openers. ASK AN EXPERT
KEY STATS FOR Garage doors The cost versus value for the nine regions of the U.S. surveyed was 91% or higher. In 96 of 150 metro markets, a new garage door ranked No. 1 for overall return on investment. For comparison, a minor kitchen remodel in the mid-range had a ROI of 71.2%.
The garage door replacement was the least expensive project of the 22 examined. Even though the cost of building materials increased signi cantly in 2021, the decline in overall ROI for 2022 projects was 1.2%. For garage doors it was less at 0.03% with an increased project cost of $134.
ARE THERE ANY THINGS TO AVOID WHEN BUYING A NEW GARAGE DOOR? Well, one thing I wouldn’t buy in this climate is a noninsulated garage door. A lot of people think, well, it’s not cold down here. But it is hot, so especially if your garage gets any kind of sun during the day, that sun will just bake on a noninsulated garage door and radiate into the garage and make it really hot. The other thing to watch out for or just to be aware of is, if you do like the look of real wood or if you go with the real wood door, then there is maintenance [for] maintaining the nish on that door to keep it looking good. It looks really good when you install it originally, and it looks great for the rst year or two, but in the South Texas sun if you don’t keep putting a clear coat nish on that wood door that eventually starts to fade and can cause problems. So that’s something that some people love the look of wood but don’t always love the maintenance part that goes with it. DO YOU ALSO WORK WITH CUSTOMERS ON MAKING AN IMPROVEMENT TO THEIR CURRENT GARAGE DOOR? There [are] a few things you can do, I mean, as far as the aesthetics. You could put a fresh coat of paint on it, which we won’t do, but you could get somebody to paint the door to make it look better. The other thing we could do is install decorative hardware hinges and handles, and they don’t always go with every style of garage door, but certain styles of garage doors lend [themselves] to have decorative hardware to make the garage doors look like an old carriage house or the kind of swinging doors. Some people like it like that, where they just kind of dress up the door; some people call it door jewelry.
WHY DO YOU THINK GARAGE DOORS HAVE SUCH AN IMPACT ON THE VALUE OF A HOUSE? A recent report [from Remodeling Magazine] showed a new garage door is a great investment for a relatively little cost to add value to your home. Front- load garages, where the garage faces the street, taking up 30%-50% of the front elevation of the home—what do you see when you drive up? It’s what you see; it’s curb appeal. A new garage door adds value to your home and can have a dramatic e ect. I once had a client tell me, “You turned my home into a castle.” There’s very few things you can do that, dramatically change the look of the front of your home other than changing the garage door. WHAT ARE SOME CHARACTERISTICS HOMEOWNERS ARE LOOKING FOR IN A GARAGE DOOR TO HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT ON THEIR HOME? They’re looking a lot of times for doors with windows, because a lot of times maybe the builder put in a standard garage door without any windows; a lot of times they’re looking for updating the design. A lot of the popular designs nowadays are more of the contemporary designs with some windows, so sometimes we do these—what they call full-view doors—that are basically all windows, garage door windows in every section in every panel with aluminum frames, and can be obscured glass or frosted glass or even clear though; not too many people order clear glass. The other thing that people do, they have garage doors that look like wood, so sometimes they’ll go with that. It’s a painted nish but looks like a stained wood nish. So, those are probably the two most popular styles that will dramatically impact the look of your home.
Cost VS. Value Study
MANUFACTURED STONE VENEER
GARAGE DOOR
$4,041 93.3% replacement cost return on investment
$11,066 91.4%
replacement cost
recouped cost
$28,279 71.2% MINOR KITCHEN REMODEL MID RANGE
$22,093 68.3% SIDING REPLACEMENT FIBER CEMENT
replacement cost
recouped cost
replacement cost
recouped cost
$20,482 67.5% WINDOW REPLACEMENT VINYL
replacement cost
recouped cost
SOURCE: WWW.COSTVSVALUE.COM COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Randy Oliver President Hollywood Crawford Garage Doors & Openers 11234 Gordon Road, San Antonio 210-940-1414 www.hollywoodcrawford.com
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EMPHASIZING ENERGY EFFICIENCY
While the U.S. Department of Energy recommends a professional assessment of a home’s energy e ciency, it is also possible for homeowners to perform one on their own. Here is a list of areas to check when assessing a home’s energy usage.
AIR LEAKS Air leaks can save up to 20% on energy per year, if addressed. In
INSULATION Depending on building ages, insulation may not be up to standard. Checking attics, walls near outlets and basements can ensure heat losses are kept to a minimum. Wall insulation may require a thermographic evaluation. APPLIANCES Energy use for appliances can be estimated using the energy guide label on the appliance itself or by using an electricity usage monitor. Unplugging appliances in between uses can keep them from drawing unused electricity.
LIGHTING When replacing bulbs, residents can consider LEDs as well as energy-saving incandescent bulbs. Electric utilities may o er rebates for purchasing energy-e cient lamps. HEATING AND COOLING The U.S. Department of Energy recommends upgrading systems older than 15 years. Checking ductwork for dirt streaks can reveal air leaks, which can be sealed.
addition to leaking windows and doors, check for leaks on baseboards or where di erent building materials meet. Leaks can be sealed or plugged with caulk or weather stripping.
SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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