Need instant curb appeal? Replace your garage door

For most people who remodel their home, return on investment is important. The reality is that you usually won't recover the cost of your investment right away; however, there are projects that recoup faster than others and play a strong role in a home's resale value.

Projects that impact curb appeal tend to impact resale value. When a buyer approaches a house, the curb appeal can affect a potential buyer's first impression and, consequently, a home's resale value.

Every year Remodeling Magazine releases a Cost vs. Value Report going through the current costs of projects, how projects impact resale, and what percentage of the cost is recouped in the first year.

For 2010-2011, the editors at Remodeling Magazine added a Garage Door Replacement project to both the mid-range and the upscale project lists. In the report, the garage door replacement projects ranked high, recouping from 69 percent of the cost on the upscale garage door to 83 percent on the mid-range garage door. The editors attribute this high rate of return to the facts that garage door replacements are among the least expensive projects in the survey, and that they improve curb appeal instantly.

Look at the overall design of your home when considering a garage-door upgrade. Having the garage on the front of the house is not ideal, architecturally speaking, so the object is usually to make the door look as nice as possible without making it the star of the show.

The design focus should be on your front entrance, rather than the garage. But, if you are planning to replace your garage door, manufacturers today give you several options from which to choose.

Garage doors are comprised of two main elements: the sections and the overlay. The sections make up the basic unit of the door. They are the large panels hinged together to create the door.

Overlays are added for decorative effect. This is where the options seem endless. You can find any design you want with an overlay.

The most commonly purchased garage door does not include an overlay.

It is a standard door with steel sections that have a design pressed or embossed into them. The shadow lines are only about 1?8-inch deep, and the attempt to mimic wood grain is not very convincing. These are the least expensive type of garage door, running from $450 to $1,000. These doors are typically not insulated, so they are most appropriate for detached, non-heated garages.

Insulated garage doors make sense if your garage is attached to your home, or if you have a garage/workshop that is heated for your comfort.