Why It’s Time to Replace Your One-Piece Garage Door
Still holding onto an old one-piece (tilt-up) garage door? While these doors were standard decades ago, they come with significant drawbacks in safety, performance, and durability. Upgrading to a modern sectional garage door offers a range of benefits, and it’s why more and more Santa Barbara homeowners are making the switch.
Enhanced Safety
One-piece doors swing outward and often rely on outdated spring systems with exposed moving parts. This creates a higher risk of sudden failure or injury. Sectional garage doors move vertically on guided tracks, keeping the motion controlled and predictable. They’re also designed to integrate with modern safety features like auto-reverse sensors, tamper-resistant panels, and pinch protection, providing peace of mind for families, pets, and vehicles.
Fire Protection and Sealing
Tilt-up doors typically lack full perimeter sealing, leaving gaps around the sides, top, and bottom. In fire-prone areas like the foothills of Santa Barbara, Montecito and Carpinteria, this makes garages more vulnerable to smoke, heat, and embers during wildfire conditions.
Modern sectional garage doors can be equipped with advanced weatherstripping, creating a tight seal to help block debris and airborne embers. Many sectional models are also constructed from non-combustible materials such as steel and anodized aluminum. Which are far safer than older wooden tilt-up doors.
Long-Lasting, Low-Maintenance Materials
Traditional one-piece doors are usually wood, which is prone to rot, termites, and water damage. Sectional doors today are built with durable materials like steel, aluminum, and fiberglass composites. They resist rust, warping, and weather exposure, requiring less maintenance and fewer repairs over their lifespan.
Better Protection Against Weather and Pests
Modern sectional doors provide a stronger barrier against rain, wind, dust, and rodents. With tighter seals and improved weatherproofing, they help keep your garage cleaner and drier. For attached garages, this protection can even help improve your home’s overall energy efficiency by reducing drafts.
Space-Saving Operation
Because tilt-up doors swing outward, they need several feet of driveway clearance to open safely. This can be inconvenient for shorter driveways or when parking an SUV or truck. Sectional garage doors lift straight up and store overhead, saving space while reducing safety hazards.
Improved Curb Appeal
Replacing an old tilt-up door with a sleek sectional instantly updates the look of your home. With a wide variety of styles, finishes, windows, and decorative hardware to choose from, sectional doors can complement any architecture.
From coastal cottages in Carpinteria to ranch homes in the Santa Ynez Valley. A new garage door sets the picture of your home and ranks among the top home improvement projects for return on investment.
Ready to upgrade? Contact Consolidated Overhead Door & Gate today to schedule your free consultation and learn more about modern sectional garage doors.
👉 Call (805) 965-0539 today to receive a Free Consultation and quote.