Plan the Opening Early
The easiest installs are the ones where the door was planned before the framing went up. Before the walls are closed in, it helps to settle:
- Door size. The rough opening needs to match the door you're ordering.
- Headroom. A standard torsion spring setup needs space above the opening, roughly a foot. Low ceilings can use a low-headroom setup or a wall-mounted opener.
- Side room and depth. The tracks need a few inches on each side, and the ceiling needs to be deep enough for the door to open fully.
- Framing and jambs. Solid framing for the spring and track mounts, and jambs that are square and plumb.
- Power. An outlet in the ceiling where the opener will hang.
Zach can look at the plans or the framing and flag anything that will cause trouble before it's built.
Timing
The door usually goes in once the opening is framed and trimmed and the floor is poured, so the bottom seal sits on finished concrete. Zach works around the builder's schedule and lets you know how long the door you've picked takes to arrive.
Choosing the Door
Zach installs Clopay doors in steel, carriage house, wood-look and modern glass styles, with or without insulation. On a new home with a room over the garage, insulation is worth planning in from the start. See garage door installation and insulation for the options.