In Looks from Old World to Modern Day, Carriage-Style Garage Doors Accent Any Home

High-end home builder Gary Carlson pays a lot of attention to the garage doors he installs. Not only does he budget $10,000 to $20,000 for a semi-custom or custom wood door, he sets aside $1,000 just for the door's decorative hardware. On one of his Tuscan-style homes (priced at $2.8 million), Carlson, president of Trillium Homes in Castle Rock, Colo., wanted the garage door to match the home's architectural style. He added to each door a small speakeasy—a window with iron grilles—as well as large clavos to match the entry door.

Carlson says the garage door should be "something that would be in keeping with the design of the home," and his clients are willing to pay the price for a door that fits the bill—even though the garage doors on his homes are often in the back or on the side of the house.

Not every home buyer can afford to spend $10,000 on a detailed wood garage door, but pros and consumers at nearly every price point see the value in a garage door that matches a home's style. Virtually all manufacturers offer carriage house-style doors, many in multiple materials, that appear to swing out from side hinges, though they still lift and close vertically. But they're also now offering looks that go beyond the traditional "barn door" motif.

Carriage Couture

While demand for carriage house doors has been growing for a while, the doors are now accessible to homeowners in multiple price points because of a variety of material options. The definition of carriage house doors is also changing to encompass more modern design options, as long as they appear to open sideways.

Why the design shift after 25 years of the same old doors? Because "the old thing is really old and is everywhere," says Tom Wadsworth, editor of Door & Access Systems Newsmagazine. "Go to any neighborhood throughout America and you will see boring steel raised-panel doors." In the past, builders and homeowners had very little choice, he explains. "Finally there's something new that's also durable and stunningly attractive."

More and more high-fashion doors are hitting the mainstream, says John Monfore, sales and marketing manager for garage doors at Jeld-Wen. "Carriage house design used to be very descript, just one or two looks," he says. Now doors feature modern looks with vertical lines, designs with crossbucks on the bottom only, and decorative hardware or glass that matches the style of the home. The doors are available in several materials and also in a variety of standard or custom designs. "So really, it's a garage door evolution that's similar to what's happening with entry doors."