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CHOOSING A DOOR

The garage door industry has made incredible strides in the past number of years, now offering the greatest variety of elegant doors than ever before with the opportunity for a homeowner to "personalize" his/her purchase. With such a vast market to choose from, it can sometimes become overwhelming to make a decision and be confident your choice will be one you will be happy with for many years to come. Here are some thoughts and recommendations we have put together from our years of experience dealing with homeowners, contractors and architects; their unique needs and applications. We hope this will be a helpful guide in making your selection to achieve your goals.

The most common garage doors are made from steel or wood. Other materials such as high quality composites, cellular vinyl, fiberglass, aluminum and combinations of these materials, has entered the market and given the consumer some great new options. Each of these materials has specific properties to be considered.

IN CHOOSING YOUR GARAGE DOOR, HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT ASK YOURSELF:

  • Which direction does my garage face and is it a prominent feature of my home?
  • How much maintenance am I willing to do?
  • Is there a room above my garage; will I need an insulated door?
  • What style will look best on my type of home?
  • Am I trying to match an existing door?
  • What is my garage door budget?
  • How fast do I need to have my door installed?
  • Do I want something totally unique; something that will make my house a showplace?
  • Will I be opening the door manually or will I have an electric opener installed?


 

MEASURING FOR YOUR DOOR

Every job we install is checked prior to any order being placed. There are several key measurements we look at to make sure you get the proper size door and track for your installation. (see measuring diagram- click below to enlarge)

WHAT YOU ARE GETTING:

All our doors and operators include:

 

  • Allstate Door Company Inc. and Manufacturer's Product Warranties
  • Professional Installation by Trained Technicians
  • Heavy Duty Hardware; Reinforced Track
  • Extension Springs with Safety Cables or Torsion Spring Counterbalance
  • Bottom Astragal and Vinyl Perimeter Jamb Seal
  • Inside Side Locks and Handles
  • Heavy Duty Angle Iron to Hang Doors and Electric Motors
  • All Garage Doors Openers have Photo Safety Eyes to Meet UL-325 Government Safety Standards
  • All Electric Openers have One Piece, Solid Rails and Operator Brackets
  • Minimum of ½ Horsepower Units; Chain or Belt Drive Units
  • Inside Wall Buttons, Secure Radio Controls
  • (Wireless Keypads & Mini Key Chain Controls Available)


 

ORDERING, SCHEDULING AND PREPARING FOR INSTALLATION:

ORDERING:

Once you have decided to go forward with your project and have contacted our office or accepted a sales representative's quote on the spot, your order will immediately be processed. All openings are pre-checked for size, headroom, and backroom. We receive weekly deliveries from our factory and can schedule most installations within a one to two week period, unless a door size, color or style is more uncommon. Our office or sales representative will advise you of "lead time".

SCHEDULING:

Once your door arrives at our warehouse, we will immediately contact you to schedule and confirm an installation day. Our most common installations which consist of two doors and two electric openers take approximately 4-6 hours to complete.

PREPARING:

Whether a newly constructed garage or replacing existing doors and/or openers, it is important the interior of the garage be free from vehicles, clutter, debris and any items of value. Installation work is done inside the garage; backroom and clearance on either side of the door opening is absolutely necessary for our technicians to have room to hardware the door sections and hang the door track properly. New Construction: We can install your door - even if the concrete floor has not been poured, even if the opening has not been trimmed out nor the garage sheet rocked. If it is important for you to have your doors installed prior to having this work completed, please be aware you may need an adjustment to your door or have your perimeter seal installed, at a later date*. (*Covered under the Allstate warranty). Electric openers are equipped with approximately a four foot cord to plug into your electrical outlet. When having your garage wired by an electrician, be sure to arrange for outlets to be placed on the ceiling, measuring back into the garage from the center of the door opening, the height of the door plus approximately 36". Inside wall buttons are typically installed on the wall by the access door to the house or another entry door into the garage. Low voltage wiring for wall buttons and photo safety eyes will be installed as neatly as possible but will be in view, if garage is sheet rocked prior to installation or where there is no finished wall. Wireless keypads are mounted on the outside jamb of the garage door and a single keypad can be programmed to operate all a homeowners doors. Please don't hesitate contacting our office, should you have any questions at all!

COMPLETION OF INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE:

COMPLETED INSTALLATION:

When possible, upon completion of your installation, our technician will review operation and assist you in familiarizing yourself with your new products. Check to see that the door is free from dents or scratches and operates smoothly. Remote transmitters and operator manuals are supplied with electric openers. (If a homeowner is not on site at completion, remote controls and manuals will be left in either plastic bag and hung from emergency disconnect cord on opener or inside opener light cover on motor.) If a wireless keypad has been installed, please be sure to change your "code" (pin number) for security purposes. It is important to understand how the safety and security features affect the operation of your electric door opener. (for example - accidentally brushing up against photo eyes and pushing them out of alignment will cause the safety feature to kick in and the electric opener will not work). Accessories, such as a mini-key chain remote transmitter, are available and can be purchased by contacting our office.

MAINTENANCE:

Maintaining your garage door is relatively easy and much like maintaining your car will keep running smoothly and reliably for years by just doing these simple things: Lubricate your hardware, rollers on a regular basis. Check to see that all hardware is secure and tight. Because these doors are in motion, vibration can loosen screws, bolts, etc... Visually check springs and cables for wear. Weather conditions may very often affect door operation in some minor way, requiring adjustment from time to time. Your electric opener remotes are equipped with lithium batteries that last approximately five years. In situations of power failure, pulling down on the emergency disconnect cord will allow you to operate the door manually. Please note, the electric operator is a separate entity from the garage door; it merely takes the place of "you" physically lifting the door. If the door itself does not operate properly - if a spring or cable is broken, if the door is binding, the electric opener will not correct this problem and will cause more damage to the door, damage to the operator and a dangerous situation. Again, please don't hesitate contacting our office, should you have any questions at all! We thank you for the opportunity of serving you!

THE TRUE VALUE OF AN ALLSTATE DOOR

Comparison shopping always makes sense. Here are some points you should consider to help you weigh the true value of your purchase.

APPLES FOR APPLES

If you're thinking of purchasing your door and/or operator from a local home discount store or another door dealer, know what your price includes. There's nothing worse then preparing to do your own installation or having it professionally installed and discover you are missing some crucial element needed to hang your product - or finding out something you thought was included is an "extra". Allstate Door Company Inc. will always be happy to provide you with a written quote stating exactly what you are getting.

ASK ABOUT YOUR WARRANTIES

Lower-cost doors are often cheaply made and therefore may have shorter life spans. Many of Allstate's manufacturers offer "lifetime warranties" on both doors and operator motors. Ask questions: Are replacement parts readily available and at reasonable cost if an accident should occur? Closeout or discontinued products often seem like a great buy at the time - until something happens - and something almost always happens! Allstate Door has longtime relationships with their manufacturers. Our product line has developed over years of evaluating all of the major manufacturers. We offer the products that will endure over time and give the greatest value for the cost. What you buy today will still be available tomorrow! If you're having your door professionally installed, make sure you know the level of service you will receive. Many individuals represent themselves as a "door company" and sell or install doors as a sideline business. Often, they are unresponsive for follow-up service, maintenance or technical support, lack proper training and are very often unavailable after the installation. (these are the individuals recruited for installations by your home discount stores) Allstate Door has been operating since 1992 out of our Carver, MA headquarters. We have a trained crew, fleet of vehicles and follow strict guidelines on how we do business. We warranty all our installations for a one year period. Our office/showroom/warehouse is opened Monday through Friday 8-4 and Saturdays by appointment only. We are here to respond to your garage door needs.

KNOW THE COMPANY YOU'RE DOING BUSINESS WITH

Make sure that the company you contract with has current and valid workman's compensation and liability insurance. Allstate Door will be happy to provide a certificate of insurance directly from our insurance agent, upon request. We will be happy to provide references from our many satisfied customers. Our company goal is to always do better and our employees work together as a team to provide quick response to questions you may have and attentive service. Check us out at www.allstatedoor.com.