Combining Security and Beauty When Choosing a Garage Door

It’s no secret that the garage door is one of the most important components of your home’s curb appeal. Unfortunately, this means that potential homebuyers are often going to judge your home based on just one aspect of your property. Adding upgrades to your garage door may make it look nice and pretty. However, it can cause your home security to suffer greatly. So, is it even possible to have a nice-looking garage door and a secure property? Read on to learn why both goals are possible and why you won’t have to sacrifice a thing to achieve that goal.

Garage Door Beautification That Hurts Home Security

One of the most common misconceptions about beautifying a garage door is that you have to sacrifice home security to accomplish the end result. Unfortunately, because a lot of homeowners accept this thinking, home security does take a hit. Below are some of the most common areas that are beautified but that are only accomplished by sacrificing home security.

Garage Door Windows

There’s no doubt about it: Garage doors with windows installed onto them are a highly requested feature by homeowners. This is because not only does it provide natural light, but it also makes the property look that much better. But unfortunately, installing windows leaves room for potential thieves to see into your garage. In fact, this is often the feature that most thieves will look for in a home. It just makes their job that much easier.

How to Install Windows & Protect Your Home

Just because windows are a security risk does not mean you can’t have your cake and eat it too. You can absolutely install windows without sacrificing your home’s security. Accomplish this by installing glazed-out windows. There are two reasons why you may want to install this type. The first one includes its durability. Made out of hard plastic or double-pane glass, these windows are extremely difficult to break. This reduces the need for constant garage door repairs. The second is because now that the windows are glazed, thieves can no longer take a clear look inside your garage.

Opening Design of Your Garage

Another feature that homeowners love to see on their doors is the traditional carriage opening design. This often involves two large opening handles in the middle with some very nice-looking hinges on the side. Although the end result will help to make your doors look amazing, the level of security is greatly reduced. Suddenly, would-be thieves can easily open doors that are just being held up by some hinges and a lock. A better way to go about this is to give your door the appearance that it is a carriage door rather than actually going through the entire change. Plenty of home improvement stores offer a wide variety of decorative carriage hinges that you may choose from. Going this route is often the best option for homeowners who may not want to sacrifice such a large chunk of their home security.

Removing Garage Door Openers

When it comes to the appearance of a garage door, the last thing homeowners want is to have electronics sticking out of it. Unfortunately, some will go as far as removing their garage door opener device from the outside to get a clean look. This is not only very inconvenient, but it can also potentially be a risk to your security. For example, if you are arriving home very late, being able to drive into your garage without having to get out of your vehicle is a great way to keep yourself and your family safe.

Decorative Lighting

Homeowners want their garages to look as good during the nighttime as it does during the day. This leads many to begin installing decorative lighting. This may look great but does little to shed light on the surrounding area. One of the most common of those includes the lantern. These lanterns are often placed on the sides of the garage door, which, as stated above, do nothing but make the garage building look pretty. Those who wish to burglarize your home will love these dark corners because neighbors won’t be able to spot them. A great way to have both decorative lanterns and enough light is to choose lanterns that come with LEDs within them. LEDs are not only long-lasting, but they can also shed a lot of light.

You Can Have a Beautiful and Secure Garage

As you can see from the information above, there are plenty of areas of a garage that can easily harm your home security if too much beautification is done on it. That is why homeowners should use the alternatives listed above to achieve both a beautiful garage and a secure home.