Renovation guides

Replace a garage door: what a pro does and what you can do

Contractor-only. Your job is to measure, get comparable bids, and watch the safety test at hand-over.

Difficulty 5 of 5 · licensed pro

Photo of your room, the look you pick, then this guide with the materials counted for your room.

Step by step

1. Step 1 of 10

   Accept that this one is not yours to do

   

   Springs, cables, and the opener's safety settings are where garage doors hurt people. Your part is to measure, photograph, hire well, and check the result. Read the stop-gate and confirm you understand it.

   Before you go further

   • You will not loosen, adjust, or remove springs, cables, or bottom brackets
   • You understand this is licensed work and may need a permit
   • You have a place to keep bids, the permit, and the manuals together

2. Step 2 of 10

   Measure and photograph from the floor

   

   Measure the opening width and height, the headroom above the opening, and the side room on each side of it. Photograph the springs, the tracks, the opener and its label, and the bottom corners of the door from the floor — do not touch any of it. These photos make three bids comparable.

3. Step 3 of 10

   Keep the old door safe until the new one goes in

   

   If a spring is broken, a cable is loose, or the door hangs crooked, leave the door closed, unplug the opener, and keep people and cars clear of it. Do not pull the emergency release on a door with a broken spring. Tell the contractor what you saw when you call.

4. Step 4 of 10

   Decide what the new door has to be

   

   Choose the material and style, and whether you want windows. If the garage is heated or cooled, or there is a room above it, ask for an insulated door and compare R-values. Ask the building department whether your area needs a wind-load rated door.

5. Step 5 of 10

   Check the license, the insurance, and the record

   

   Look up each contractor's license with your state's contractor license board (CSLB in California) and confirm it is active and in the name of the business bidding the job. Ask for proof of liability and workers' compensation insurance. Get a written price before anyone starts work.

6. Step 6 of 10

   Get three bids that name every part

   

   Each bid should name the door and its model, springs sized to the new door's weight, new tracks, rollers, and cables, whether the opener is new or reused, haul-away of the old door, and who pulls the permit. Anything not written down is not included.

7. Step 7 of 10

   Sign a contract with a sane payment schedule

   

   The contract should carry the license number, the full scope, the dates, the total, and the payment schedule. Keep the down payment small and within your state's legal limit, if it has one. Hold the last payment until the door passes the safety test and any permit is signed off.

8. Step 8 of 10

   Clear the garage for install day

   

   Move cars, bikes, and anything stored within a few feet of the door and the tracks, and clear a path to the opener outlet. Photograph the driveway and the wall around the opening before the crew arrives. Keep kids and pets inside while they work.

9. Step 9 of 10

   Watch the safety-reverse test

   

   Before the crew leaves, ask them to show you the photo-eye test and the reversal test from the opener manual: the door must reverse when something blocks the photo eyes and when it touches an object on the floor. Ask them to show you the manual release and how the door balances.

10. Step 10 of 10

    Close the job and keep the paperwork

    

    Program your remotes, collect the manuals, the warranty, the final invoice, and the permit sign-off if there was one. Put the monthly safety test from the opener manual on your calendar.

    Before the final payment

    • License and insurance checked before signing
    • Bid named the door, springs, tracks, opener, haul-away, and permit
    • You watched the door reverse on the photo eyes and on an object on the floor
    • Manual release shown to you
    • Permit signed off if one was needed
    • Manuals and warranty are in the job folder

Draft guide written from standard practice, not yet reviewed by a licensed pro. Follow product labels where they differ.

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