Buying Guides
Repair or Replace? 7 Signs Your Garage Door Is Done
Garage door companies have an incentive to sell you a new door. We don't — repair is a much faster job. Here are the seven times we honestly tell customers to replace instead.
1. The door is older than 20 years
Florida code on wind-load and impact has tightened twice since 2004. A pre-2004 door is unlikely to meet current code, which matters for insurance discounts and resale.
2. The panels are dented and the model is discontinued
If you can't get a matching panel from Haas or CHI, you're either staring at a mismatched section forever or replacing the whole door. We always check availability before quoting.
3. Repair quote is more than 50% of replacement
Springs + cables + rollers + a panel adds up fast. Once the repair quote crosses about half the cost of a new code-compliant door, replacement is the math-correct answer.
4. Visible rust through the paint
Surface rust is cosmetic. Rust that's perforated the steel is structural — those panels can't be repaired and the rest of the door is on the same clock.
5. The door isn't insulated and you've converted the garage
If the garage is now a gym, workshop, or in-law suite, an R-12 or R-18 insulated door pays for itself in two summers of A/C savings.
6. You're selling within 12 months
A new garage door consistently returns 90%+ ROI on a Florida home sale per Remodeling Magazine's Cost vs. Value report. It's the single best curb-appeal dollar a seller can spend.
7. The door is uninsured against impact and you live in a windborne debris region
Most of Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties are designated windborne debris regions. An impact-rated door drops your wind-mitigation insurance premium meaningfully — your insurance agent can quote the exact discount.
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