How Do Up & Over Garage Doors Work?

• Affordability and Durability: Up and over doors are usually cheaper and simpler to install, making them a long-lasting and cost-effective choice for homeowners.
• Ease of Use and Maintenance: These doors are known for their straightforward design, making them easy to use and maintain over the years.
• Types of Up and Over Doors:
  • Canopy Style: Opens on a pivot, with about a third of the door protruding outward when open, requiring less internal storage space.
  • Retractable Style: Retracts fully into the garage on roof tracks, allowing for smoother operation and the option for automation.
• Space Considerations: Canopy doors require clearance outside the garage when opening, while retractable doors do not, making them more practical for close-quarters situations.

Up and over doors are probably the most common of all garage doors, especially on older properties.

That’s partly down to the fact that they’re usually cheaper than other options, probably because they’re the most straightforward in terms of design and installation; but that in turn means that once you’ve had one it’s likely to last for years and years.

What they lack in sophistication, however, they more than make up for in terms of ease of use and maintenance, but what is it about them that has made them the go-to garage door for homeowners across the country?

This month we’re going to take a look at this design classic and discover what has made it such a great garage door.

Canopy up and over garage doors

When you think of the traditional up and over door, this will almost certainly be the one you have in mind. Its beauty lies in its simplicity, and while it may lack the elegance of certain other garage doors, there’s no denying that it’s extremely effective.

It works by opening on a pivot, so that as you raise it, it goes from being vertical to horizontal.

Incidentally, the canopy up and over door gets its name because it doesn’t go all the way into the garage – about a third of its height sticks out at the top creating a canopy effect above the entrance.

One of the benefits of this design – apart from how easy it is to open – is that it needs less space to store the door inside the garage once it’s been opened, leaving you more room for whatever you store within.

There is one disadvantage to the up and over design, however, which is that the lower half moves out as you open it.

This means you can’t open it if you have anything too close to it outside.

This shouldn’t be a problem when you’re opening the door from the outside, but if you’re opening from the inside, it’s worth making sure that you haven’t parked your car on the driveway too close to the garage, otherwise it might get a bad bump.

Retractable up and over garage doors

These operate in a very similar fashion to the canopy doors, but with one major difference in that the door retracts all the way into the garage when it is opened.

This is achieved by having tracks that run along in the roof through which the door passes as it is raised.

That makes it a much smoother operation than the canopy style, as well as having a neater appearance when open. The other big advantage with the retractable doors is that they can be automated so that they can be opened at the push of a button. We also offer a stunning range of front doors and composite doors. 

If you would like to know more about the up and over garage doors available from Associated Garage Doors and whether they would be suitable for your property, get in touch today to arrange a free site survey.