A new garage door is the single largest exterior surface on most Richmond homes. It's also a decision homeowners make once every 18 to 25 years, which means they make it badly because nobody is good at decisions they make that rarely.

This post is the walk-through I do with customers in person, in the order I do it, before they sign anything.

Decision 1: Repair or replace?

Most "I need a new door" calls are actually "I need a $500 repair on the door I have."

Replace if: - Multiple panels are visibly damaged (impact, rust-through, delamination) - The door is more than 25 years old - Multiple major systems have failed (springs + cables + opener + tracks) - You want to insulate, add windows, change style, or change door size

Repair if: - A single component is broken (spring, cable, opener, photo eye, one panel) - The door is under 20 years old - Aesthetic is fine, function is the only problem

If you're not sure, get an honest assessment first. I'll do that assessment for the cost of a service call ($95–$165) and apply it to the repair if you proceed. Most legitimate shops do the same.

Decision 2: Style

Garage doors come in five rough style families:

1. Raised panel (traditional). The classic look. Rectangular pressed-steel panels with raised borders. Default for almost everything before 2010. Still the most common new install in Richmond suburban neighbourhoods (Saunders, Hamilton, Boyd Park).

2. Carriage house. Designed to look like the swinging-barn-style doors from before garages had motors. Often have decorative hardware (faux hinges, fake handles) and sometimes wood-look finishes. Common in Steveston (where it fits the historic fishing-village character) and in higher-end Terra Nova homes.

3. Flush panel (contemporary). Smooth, no raised panels. Sometimes with a single horizontal score line per section. Modern, minimal, increasingly popular in newer Richmond builds. Often paired with glass-and-aluminum modern aesthetic.

4. Full-view (glass and aluminum). Aluminum frame with glass panels in every section. Used to be exclusively commercial; now common on contemporary residential. Lets light in. Costs more. Insulation challenges.

5. Custom wood (or wood-look). Real wood, or steel-and-foam with a printed wood-grain finish. Real wood is high-maintenance in Richmond's wet climate. Wood-look composite is the better choice if you want the aesthetic without the upkeep.

My recommendation framework:

Decision 3: Material

Three real options:

Steel. 95% of residential doors. Strong, durable, paintable, takes powder-coat finishes. Comes in single-skin (uninsulated), foam-injected sandwich (R-12 to R-22), and premium thermal-break (R-18+). My default for most jobs. Lasts 18–28 years in Richmond.

Aluminum. Mostly used in full-view glass-and-aluminum doors. Doesn't rust (great for Steveston salt air). Lighter than steel. More expensive. Dents easier on impact. Lasts 20–30 years in Richmond.

Wood. Real wood. Beautiful. Heavy. Requires re-staining or repainting every 3–5 years in Richmond's wet climate. Cracks and warps if maintenance lapses. I install maybe 4–6 wood doors a year, almost all in high-end Terra Nova or Steveston heritage homes where the owner is committed to maintenance. Lasts 15–25 years with maintenance. 8–12 years without.

For most Richmond customers: steel. The exceptions explain themselves.

Decision 4: Insulation

Already covered this in post 8 — the short version:

Decision 5: Windows

Windows in garage doors are aesthetic. They don't help anything except daylight in the garage. They:

If you want windows: choose insulated double-pane inserts (add $385–$745 per window vs. single-pane). They reduce the R-value penalty and they're harder to break.

Position: most decorative window arrangements put the windows in the top section of the door. This keeps them above eye level (less burglar visibility into garage contents) and lets daylight in without creating a sightline from the street into the garage.

Decision 6: Lift type

How the door tracks lift the door from vertical to horizontal. Three options:

Standard lift. Door panels travel vertically until the top, then curve back horizontally under the ceiling. Most common. Needs about 35 cm of clearance above the door for the curve, plus the full door height back into the ceiling.

High lift. Door panels travel vertically further than standard lift before curving back. Useful in garages with high ceilings — keeps the door panels higher off your head when fully open. Costs more (longer tracks, longer cables, larger drums). Adds $385–$685 to install.

Vertical lift. Door panels travel vertically only — they never curve under the ceiling. Requires ceiling height equal to or greater than door height. Common in commercial. Rare in residential.

For most Richmond residential: standard lift. High lift if you have unusual ceiling height and you want to optimize headroom.

Decision 7: Hardware grade

Door hardware (hinges, rollers, brackets, cables, springs) comes in grades. The original-equipment hardware on builder-grade doors is fine for normal residential use but wears faster.

Upgrade options:

I bundle the recommended upgrades into my standard quote for waterfront Richmond. For inland Richmond they're optional.

Decision 8: Opener pairing

Don't buy the opener separately. The right opener depends on the door:

Pair the opener to the door at the same time. Discount on the bundled install — most shops, mine included, give 5–15% off when you do them together.

Decision 9: Installation contractor

You've already made all the product decisions. Now pick who installs it.

I'm biased — I do this. But here's the framework regardless of which shop you pick:

  1. Get the quote in writing. Itemized: door price, hardware, opener, labour, taxes, disposal of old door. Total. Get it on company letterhead with a BC business number.
  2. Ask about warranties. Door panels typically 10-year manufacturer warranty (sometimes lifetime against rust-through). Springs 3–5 years. Opener motor 5–10 years (LiftMaster ranges by model). Labour warranty 1 year is standard.
  3. Ask about timeline. Most residential doors are special-order based on size and colour. Lead time is typically 2–5 weeks in 2026 (down from 8–14 weeks during 2021–2023 supply chain mess). Make sure the quote includes the timeline.
  4. Verify insurance. Certificate of insurance and WCB clearance available on request from any legitimate contractor.
  5. Read reviews carefully. Google, BBB, Reddit r/Richmond. Look for patterns, not isolated complaints.
  6. Get a second quote if anything feels off. Time spent verifying is cheaper than wrong-install regret.

Cost reality check (2026, Lower Mainland CAD) — new door installed - Single steel raised-panel, non-insulated: $1,650–$2,495 - Single steel raised-panel, R-12 insulated: $2,195–$2,985 - Single steel raised-panel, R-18 insulated, thermal break: $2,685–$3,685 - Single carriage-house style insulated: $2,985–$4,485 - Double steel raised-panel, R-12 insulated: $2,985–$4,185 - Double steel raised-panel, R-18 insulated, thermal break: $3,485–$5,685 - Double carriage-house style insulated: $4,485–$6,985 - Double flush-panel modern insulated: $3,985–$6,485 - Double full-view (glass and aluminum): $5,485–$9,485 - Custom wood single: $4,985–$8,985 - Custom wood double: $6,985–$13,985 - With opener bundled (most installs): typically 5–15% discount on the combined total - Old door removal and recycling: included with new install at any reputable shop

Decision 10: Don't buy in November

The cheapest months to buy a new door in Richmond are March, April, and May. Why:

The most expensive months: late November through January. Why:

If you can plan it, plan it for spring.

A Broadmoor story

A family on Francis Road in Broadmoor called me last March wanting a full new-door consultation. Their existing door was a 1998 builder-grade single-skin steel raised-panel. Functional but ugly. They were redoing the front of the house and wanted the garage to match.

Twenty minutes of looking at the house and the neighbourhood: - House style: 1990s suburban traditional, being updated with contemporary touches. - Garage placement: attached, two-car double, north-facing, bedroom above. - Climate exposure: inland Broadmoor, not waterfront, low corrosion risk.

I recommended: - Double steel door, R-18 insulated, thermal break frame (bedroom above means noise reduction matters) - Flush panel style (contemporary updates the house aesthetic) - No windows (they didn't want sightline into garage) - LiftMaster 8550W belt drive (quietest opener, bedroom-above factor again) - Nylon-bearing rollers, 25K-cycle springs (no IPPC-90 needed, inland location) - Charcoal-grey paint to match the planned new front door

Total quote: $4,485 for the door including hardware upgrades, plus $1,095 for the bundled opener install. $5,580 all-in. Lead time 19 days. They signed that afternoon.

Three years later it's still my reference install. They had me back to swap out their cracked weather stripping last spring ($245). No other problems. The door looks like it cost twice what it did.

That's what a properly-spec'd new door does.

That's the post.

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