An old garage door is usually worth repairing if the panels are solid, the door balances once the springs are right, and parts are still made. Replace it when the wood is rotting or sagging, the door is damaged beyond a panel repair, matching panels are gone, or repair bills keep adding up. In Vancouver, damp shaded lane garages and older single doors make rot the most common reason to replace.
The short version
Most old garage doors in Vancouver are worth a repair if the panels are solid, the door still balances once the springs are right, and parts are still made for it. Replace it when the wood is rotting, the door has been hit more than once, matching panels no longer exist, or the repair bills have started to stack up. The rest of this guide shows you how to tell which side of that line your door is on.
Why this question comes up so often in Vancouver
A lot of detached houses in Kitsilano, Dunbar, Riley Park and Hastings-Sunrise have a garage off the lane. Many of those garages are older single-car buildings, and plenty still have their original door or one that is very old. Mature street trees on the west side keep these garages shaded and damp, and most of the city's rain falls from October to April. Wood doors soak that up year after year.
The other side of the picture is laneway house construction. When an old garage comes down for a laneway home, the new one usually gets a modern door and opener. If your neighbours have done this, you may be wondering whether your own door is worth keeping.
Signs the door itself is still sound
Before deciding anything, look at the door with the garage light on and the door closed.
- Panels: press on each section. Firm wood or steel with surface wear is fine. Soft spots, crumbling edges or daylight through the panels are not.
- Bottom section: this is where rot starts, because it sits closest to the wet concrete. Check the lowest few inches from inside.
- Shape: stand back and look along the door. A slight bow can be adjusted. A door that sags in the middle or twists when it moves is tired.
- Frame and jambs: the wood around the opening carries the tracks. If it is soft, a new door will need a sound frame too.
The balance test
Pull the release cord on the opener, if there is one, and lift the door by hand to about waist height. A balanced door stays roughly where you leave it. If it drops hard or shoots up, the springs need attention. That is a repair, not a reason to replace on its own. If the door is very heavy, stop and leave it down, since a spring may be broken.
When a repair is the better buy
A repair usually makes sense when the problem is a part, not the door. Common examples on older Vancouver doors:
- a dragging or stuck single door that needs new rollers, a track adjustment or new hinges
- a broken spring on an older door that is otherwise solid
- a door knocked off track by a car, with the panels still straight
- a worn bottom seal letting water and leaves in
These are first-visit jobs in most cases. We check the whole door first and tell you plainly if a part repair will hold or if you would be spending money on a door near the end of its life.
When a new door makes more sense
Replacing is usually the right call when one or more of these is true:
- The wood is rotting, warped or sagging, especially along the bottom and the edges.
- The door is dented or cracked beyond what a single panel can fix.
- Matching panels for that model and colour are no longer made.
- You want the garage warmer or quieter, and the old door has no insulation.
- You have paid for several repairs in a short time and the next one is already showing.
Insulated or not
For a detached garage off the lane that holds bikes and storage, an uninsulated door is often enough. If you plan to use the garage as a workshop, a studio or a gym, or it sits close to a suite, an insulated door keeps it warmer and cuts noise.
What replacement involves on a lane garage
On most single and double doors the install is one visit of about half a day. The old door, springs and tracks come out and are taken away. The new door is hung, the springs are set so it balances, and the opener is reconnected or replaced so the two work together. If the existing opener is in good shape and suits the new door's weight, it can often stay.
Tight lane access is the main thing that changes the plan in Vancouver. Long door sections and the old door have to come in and out through the lane, so it helps to tell us about parked cars, fences, bins or overhanging trees when you book. We also check the opening size, since old garages are not always a standard width.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
- a photo of the door from outside and from inside with the door closed
- the rough width and height of the opening
- what the garage is used for now and what you want it used for
- the opener brand, if there is one
New door prices depend on the size, style, insulation, windows and hardware, and on whether the opener stays. We measure and give a quote on site before any work is booked, and if the honest answer is that a repair will do, we will say so.