Inspiration vs reality: Garage doors

Choosing garage doors actually were not as easy as I originally figured. We were keen for wood, but our builder warned that they would warp (and warp badly). We were excited about staining them dark, and he warned us about how often they would would fade. And boy, did I ever underestimate what the cost of a wood garage door would be.

At the end of the day, we went with an hybrid option through IDC Doors in Minneapolis that are actually an aluminum frame with a wood overlay. They are also hurricane rated, which sort of helps out in this area of the world. The hybrid should allow for reliability and looks. Here was the inspiration image:


We skipped on the grommets and windows to save $$. And here's the finished/installed product:


We're really happy with them. I won't scare you with the plethora of building materials that are behind them (it's a rather frightening sight). It will certainly be a happy day when these babies open to great our cars home...