In my 22 years of working with my family’s garage door business, I’ve seen quite a bit of change. This decade, it’s seemingly becoming about the Green movement…but where are we with ‘green’ garage doors, and is it worth it to pursue such a door?

Depending on if you would get credits to a LEED project, it may be worth it.
In speaking with one of our key manufacturers of custom-carriage garage doors, Doug Sequiera of Carriage House Door Company of Sacramento said they’ve accomplished such a feat!

FSC-certified

In short, it would add several hundred dollars to the cost of a door to have it FSC-certified (meaning that all of the wood materials have to be within the tougher tolerances of ‘green’ sustainability). But then there’s still the installing company and if they’ve accomplished FSC Chain of Custody accreditation. When I investigated this for my installation company (we don’t manufacturer, but we are the experts of consulting/installing/servicing such doors), it would cost over $3,000 each year to be chain of custody-certified.

So far, the jury’s out: Not many contractors are seeking this step in so far as NONE have inquired with us thus far. This makes the investment in being certified now a lower priority.

Does this mean it won’t change in the future? Probably not – as more momentum towards the green-building credits builds, more contractors, architects and end-users will demand for such a step. But at present, there haven’t been any inquiries to push this issue.

Supply versus Demand

I envision the simple law of economics – once demand is enough to merit the cost, supply will come about naturally.

In the meantime, our garage door company has nearly endless design options for any client need, whether maximizing natural light, working with earth-friendly, sustainable species of woods, or choosing highly-insulated garage doors that directly improve your home’s efficiency. And one can still buy an FSC-Certified garage door and have it installed for credits in most cases, so it very well may be worth the extra effort!

One thing is for sure – the garage door has grown up, so be sure to inquire with a true garage door professional for the best value and results on your project!