What we see in Terra Nova

Terra Nova is one of Richmond's most consistent suburban neighbourhoods in terms of housing era. Most of it was built between 1989 and 2005 as the area's farmland was rezoned and developed. That gives us a relatively predictable inventory of garage doors:

Two-car attached garages, builder-grade single-skin steel raised-panel doors, 1990s–early 2000s vintage. This describes maybe 65% of Terra Nova residential. Most of these doors are now reaching end-of-life on their original components — springs are at 25+ years (often replaced once already), opener motors are 15–25 years old, cables are usually original.

Single-car garages on the smaller older lots. A few pre-1989 homes survive on the eastern edges. Original doors mostly already replaced.

Townhouse complexes with parkade entrances. Several strata buildings near Westminster Highway and on the south end have shared parkade doors. Commercial-grade, typically.

Newer infill builds (2010+). Replacement homes on subdivided lots, often with R-18 insulated contemporary doors.

Terra Nova backs onto the West Dyke. The wind off Sturgeon Bank carries salt aerosol inland, though less aggressively than Steveston or Burkeville. Corrosion is real but less brutal.

What fails first in Terra Nova

Original 1990s springs. Doors built in 1992–1998 are now hitting 25+ years on original springs (if not replaced once already). These are the springs I'm replacing constantly in Terra Nova.

Original openers. The 1995–2005 LiftMaster screw-drive and chain-drive openers that came with most Terra Nova homes are at end-of-life. Many are still working but with worn gears, dim LEDs, and outdated security codes that make replacement remotes hard to source.

Photo eyes. UL 325 required photo eyes from 1993. Most Terra Nova original openers have them, but the photo-eye electronics from that era are less robust than current units. Many need replacement.

Bottom seals and side weather stripping. 25 years of Richmond winters have done their work.

Cable fraying. Original 1990s cables that have never been replaced are visibly fraying in many doors I inspect.

What we recommend in Terra Nova

What we install in Terra Nova

Standard residential lineup, with most Terra Nova jobs being "modernization" — replacing aging 1990s/early-2000s components with current generation parts:

Response time from the shop

From Moncton Street to Terra Nova, response time is 18–25 minutes for scheduled visits. Same-day emergency usually 30–60 minutes depending on traffic on Steveston Highway and No. 1 Road.

A specific Terra Nova call

A nurse on Fentiman Place. November 2024. Her 1996 LiftMaster Estate Series had been making a ticking sound for three months. Her husband said it was probably fine. November 4, 6:40 a.m., she's leaving for an early shift at Richmond Hospital. The spring lets go. Bang loud enough that her neighbour calls.

I get there at 7:30. Replace the spring pair with IPPC-90 25K-cycle upgrade (the property is two blocks off the dyke). Replace the cable pair (28 years old, visibly fraying). Realign the photo eyes which had been knocked out by the door's last cycle. Total: $725.

She made the back half of her shift. The door's been quiet ever since.

The cost of the planned maintenance she could have scheduled in August when the ticking started: $485 for the spring pair, scheduled, at her convenience. The cost of the November emergency: $725 plus the missed half-shift.

The Terra Nova pattern, in miniature.

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