No matter what part of the house you’re talking about, it’s bound to need repairs given enough time. This is especially applicable to garage doors, which can open and close up to 1,500 times or more per year. Given the amount of wear and tear that the average garage door experiences, you might find yourself in need of garage door repair in Michigan from a company like ASAP Garage Door Repair Experts of Michigan. Some of the simpler repairs could potentially be taken care of with a trip to the hardware store and some basic tools, but most of them require the expertise of a garage door technician.
The question is, how much will these repairs cost? According to HomeAdvisor, a site that provides data on home improvements in the US, the average price of fixing a garage door is $223. Depending on what’s being repaired (which involves varying amounts of parts and labor) the actual price tag could be as little as $75 or less, or as much as $600 or more.
The price of repairs will also depend on where you live. Some parts of the United States are more expensive to live in, while others are cheaper. This influences the cost of replacement parts and the price of labor, which of course will be reflected in the invoice.
You may or may not end up paying for replacement parts, but one thing you’ll definitely see on the invoice is the technician’s hourly service fee. This is an average of $80 an hour, and while some repairs are quick fixes, others are a little more complicated. They’ll start with an inspection of the garage door to determine the problem, and may even be able to fix the issue with basic adjustments to the door’s lubrication, spring tension, or belt tension. However, if the garage door ends up needing extra parts or a more complicated repair, that’s when the cost starts to mount.
What it costs to repair your garage door
If you’re curious about what the most common garage door repairs cost, here are a few estimates.
- Rollers and hinges: $10 to $15 (each) – Come in Set of 10 Rollers
These are very important for the function of a garage door, but they’re also very small parts that are easy to replace. If this is the issue you’re having with your garage door, you won’t have to pay much to fix the problem.
- Circuit board: $100 to $150
This is one of those garage door malfunctions that very few people can fix themselves. The cost includes replacement parts, plus reprogramming services for the garage door controls.
- Panels: $150 to $400
Panels are some of the most basic structural components of a garage door, so obviously they’d need to be replaced if they were cracked or severely damaged. The price range is fairly broad because some panels are made of plastic, while others could be made of custom wood pieces.
- Dents: $75 to $100
A dented garage door is more of an aesthetic problem in many cases, but it can also cause alignment issues (or friction with your HOA). In any case, it’s a good idea to get a dented garage door repaired just as quickly as any other issue.
- Glass: $75 to $100
Not all garage doors have windows, so this won’t be an issue for everyone. If you do end up with a broken garage door window, however, getting it fixed won’t be prohibitively expensive. You may need to call a glass repair shop though as most garage door companies do not repair or replace glass.
- Cable or chain: $150 to $200
When a garage door falls quickly or bounces when it’s closed, this could indicate that the cable or chain is broken. These parts aren’t that pricey on their own; the bulk of the cost is in labor.
- Spring: $100 to $300
The size and weight of the springs can vary, depending on how heavy the garage door is. This being the case, the cost of replacing them can also vary. Standard sizes will cost less, while larger springs will be more expensive.
- Wheel tracks: $130 to $160
These parts of the garage door are essential for smooth opening and closing; if they’re damaged, you may struggle to get the garage door to move at all. Fortunately, they aren’t that expensive to replace (relatively speaking).
- Alignment or adjustment: $150 to $300
This type of repair is sort of a catch-all term to cover what the above categories don’t. If there’s something stuck in the wheel tracks, or a lack of lubrication is preventing smooth movements, or there’s any other problem besides structural damage, it can probably be taken care of for $300 or less.
- Replacement of the entire garage door: $800 to $2,000
If a garage door is severely damaged or very old, a complete replacement might be in order; this will obviously entail higher costs in both parts and labor. However, some people replace their garage doors simply because they want a different or better product. They might want a garage door with a nicer aesthetic, or with improved security features. Whatever the case, this is an expense that may take some budgeting since it can cost upwards of $1,000.
Hiring a repair company vs. doing it yourself
If you’re the kind of person who’s good at fixing things on their own, going the DIY route could be a great idea for smaller repairs. For example, replacing the weather sealant at the bottom of the garage door can be done without much effort or risk.
However, there are other garage door repair jobs that shouldn’t be done without proper training. After all, garage doors are heavy and hard to manage. If you take on major repairs with the philosophy of “I’ll figure it out as I go along”, you could end up injuring yourself – and probably not even completing the repair.
Where garage doors are concerned, it’s best to call an expert if there’s any doubt that you could handle the job yourself. Hiring a trained garage door technician will give you peace of mind that the problem will be resolved quickly, and will be done right the first time.
