The front of many houses in America has a large garage door that covers a third or more of the face of the house. The garage door is even larger than the front door and larger than any window. Yet we almost never comment on the architecture of the garage door.
The garage door also has a design history, tracing the way that Americans have thought about cars, about privacy, and about how houses should look on the street. It’s a pretty surprising omission.
The Carriage House Origin
Garages grew out of carriage houses, which were separate buildings that housed horses and carriages. Typically located behind the main house of a property, these structures featured tall, wide doors that swung out to the side. A carpenter who built a house would also have built a carriage house, and the two would look quite similar. The buildings would feature such details as strap hinges, cross bracing, and painted trim. They would be an integral part of the total composition of a property’s buildings, rather than an afterthought.
These buildings found new residents with the arrival of the automobile, and often retained their swinging doors. The early purpose-built garages even copied the look of these buildings, and so the carriage-house style has become a familiar and traditional motif over a century later.
The Overhead Door Changes the Street
A swinging door was awkward in a snowy or narrow drive, because it needed space in front of it to open. The sectional overhead door, which rises up and back along tracks, solved this problem and by the mid 20th century had become the standard means of access to garages.
As a side effect of doors no longer swinging out, garages can shift to the front of the lot. In many postwar suburban developments they are sited on the street and as part of the house. As a result the garage door becomes a component of the façade whether this is intended by designers or not.
Mid-Century Restraint
The mid-century modern architect viewed the garage door primarily as a surface area to be kept quiet. A flat panel, no raised trim and a color to match the surrounding wall(s) were basic to keeping the door out of sight. On occasion the door was covered with the same vertical wood siding as the adjacent walls so that when closed it became almost invisible.
The idea was that a door should not compete with the low rooflines and long horizontal windows that defined the style. Many designers still follow that principle.
The Return of Ornament
By the 1990s the pendulum had swung, and builders wanted new houses that looked established. The carriage-house door made a comeback as the sectional overhead door, dressed up as a pair of swinging doors, complete with mock handles, non functioning hinges and often with arched upper sections and a ‘wood’ grain finish to the steel.
People criticize these doors calling them a costume, while others say they cover up a large area of a facade and by doing so they make the street look less like a row of warehouses. The critics’ point of view and the supporters’ point of view both have merit and they indicate how much weight a door carries on a facade.
Glass and the Modern Facade
Glass has become one of the most notable changes to the typical selection of materials used for domestic garage doors. Full-view garage doors made with aluminum profiles and fitted with transparent frosted or clear glass were once restricted to restaurants, fire stations and other high profile buildings but are now frequently specified for use on homes. A glass garage door can create a beautifully lit volume and provide the perfect connection between a garage, used as a workshop or studio, and the rest of the home.
Glass door design changes the brief. What would normally be a simple door between two areas of your home becomes a statement piece with the interior of the garage designed to sit behind it.
Old Houses, Old Doors
In many cities with older housing stock, one can see the history of development all at once. For example, in Pittsburgh with its many hillside lots, there are many garages that are under houses and have been constructed into retaining walls. Many of these old doors are decades old and are still functional. If a homeowner is trying to keep an old door(s) in service or find a replacement for them that will also be suitable for their old house, they can start by seeking out a local expert in
garage door repair in Pittsburgh and then determine if replacement is even necessary.
Design Still Has to Move
A garage door is not only a surface, but also a machine. Whether the style is modern or traditional, a heavy door (one made of wood, for example) needs stronger springs than a light door. Some glass doors can be much heavier than their slim frame lets you believe. However, work with the springs and cables must be done by a trained technician, not by a householder. Firms such as
Century Garage Door Repair Service see it in practice: a beautiful door that is out of balance does not stay beautiful for long.
For architects and home owners alike the garage door never was neutral. It expressed something about the house where it was put. The question is whether someone has chosen the expression the door now has.
Quick Answers
What is a carriage-house garage door?
Sectional overhead doors that mimic old swinging doors, typically equipped with decorative handles and hinges, and possibly even a few windows at the top.
Why do modern houses use glass garage doors?
Glass enables the garage to be read as part of the living space and makes a ‘volume’ at night that is illuminated. It is suitable for use in workshops, studios and in modern homes.
Does a heavier designer door need different hardware?
Yes. The springs are matched to the weight of the door. Therefore a heavier wood door or a glass door will need to have springs rated for such a door. That work is for a trained technician.
