As with any modern day consumer conundrum I’m lost in a web of marketing guff and wildly varying prices.

My current door is the worst of all worlds
1. It’s motorised. It’s never worked properly and when it does it’s loud and slow so it makes a racket for ages.
2. It’s thin, flimsy and uninsulated. There’s no way to bolt any proper security devices to it.
3. When the burglars came for my bikes, opening the door was as difficult as peeling the lid off a Pot Noodle. It’s a roller shutter so they just pushed it up and it slithered off the roll.

What I want is something that I can quickly pop up and down by hand. Something that can’t easily be defeated by the local scrotes but also doesn’t take 30 minutes for me to unlock. Maybe something insulated so the garage doesn’t feel so much like a meat locker. I probably don’t want a regular ‘up and over’ as we currently block the door with the car and I don’t want to move it every time I need to open the garage.

Basically the whole thing has been screwed shut since we were burgled but I need to start using it again. We always reverse the car right up against it but when it’s not there we have no protection.

So what do I want? Who are the reputable suppliers? What’s a fair price and what’s a total rip off?

https://www.lathamssteeldoors.co.uk/ or similar might be worth considering (I’m thinking seriously about it). Can swing inwards if you have the space, and about as quick as it gets for unlocking and nipping inside. Also means you can have bikes on the side you don’t normally open so they’re not visible from the street when you go in and out.

Else worth looking at the industrial doors, they can often be done down to single garage door size but more substantial than a typical cheap garage roller. Lighter ones can be manual too which saves waiting around for a slow motor to pull it up. Have a look at https://securitydirectuk.com/

Thanks for that. Latham is the name that I wanted but could not bloody remember! I’d actually consider one of those. There’s no real need for a traditional garage door.

Those other ones look decent as well and the prices aren’t too outrageous. I’ve got nothing against a roller door, it’s just that ours is crap.

Horman insulated sectional with extra locks

Probably not local to you but there must be some-one local who does the same.. BGID catalogue
Three part vertical sections, that fold up, any of the sections can be the door, you can have insulation added into the door and as many locks (&type) as you want. It wasn’t cheap, but it also wasn’t stupidly expensive, like most stuff it was a long term investment in my bikes security

I changed an old GRP up and over door to a Carteck insulated steel door for about £1200 I think it was (I fitted it).
Very happy with it.

I recently had a Hormann insulated sectional door installed, works well (goes up and down pretty fast and is very quiet) but was £2k so hard to recommend…

I’ve used Latham’s for a metal security door on the side of my garage but not the main door. Very good quality and an excellent company to deal with, I had a slight issue with one of the locking mechanisms 6 months after i installed the door, very quick response, new parts sent out and fixed the problem, customer service is clearly important to them.

Did you fit the Lathams door yourself or did they come out and do it? I’ve watched the video it looks straightforward but a bit involved. I really want one for the back of the garage even if I don’t get the main one.

Another Hormann sectional here, really pleased with it. They are a bit spendy but we did it as part of an insurance claim so only had to pay the difference. Plus it makes a big difference when working out there in the winter.

I went to this place this morning…https://www.thegaragedoorcompany.ltd.uk/garage-doors-sheffield/

Just because they’ve got a showroom which is walking distance from home and I wanted to see some options in the flesh.

They sell insulated sectional doors from a company called Cardale.

They said it’ll be £1900 for my 230x230cm with 40mm insulation. I wonder if that’s because they’re a big company with a load of showrooms and maybe I could get the same thing cheaper from an independent. There’s also a 12 week wait.

I’ll make a few more enquiries.

We’ve gone for one of those from  cardale from the garage door company ours will be electric and is due to be installed in May.

You don’t mention if you still want to be able to get a car through it.
More wall and less door would probably be a better cost/security option.

@sharkattack

Yes fitted myself (well, roped a mate in too, bit too heavy to do on my own). No problems fitting it and all done in a couple of hours.

Thread resurrection.

After the last attempt on our door we really need a new one now. ‘Luckily’ they really borked it this time and we have a cash sum from the home insurance of just over 2k to replace it with.

Latham’s are out sadly. Our opening is too wide.

I’m back looking at insulated sectionals like the Hormann. I like the fact that it has mechanical locking built into it so hopefully can’t just be forced open.

I’ve found this local supplier and requested a visit…http://www.zapgaragedoors.com/

Annoyingly everything is closed on a weekend. Still open to suggestions for now. Security is still the top priority over any fancy features.

We used Direkt Garage Doors Repair who are based in Rotherham.

He came as a recomendation after our old roller door was busted off an two bikes taken. He also ordered what door and runners the police recommended

https://seceuroglide.co.uk/products/roller-garage-doors/excel

Mansfield garage door company have fitted two houses for me and I’ve been pleased both times. You’re probably within their catchment area

Those Seceuroglide doors looked a bit worrying at first as they look exactly like what I’ve already got. On inspection they’ve obviously got loads of security features that are missing from mine.

I’ll get them out for a quote.

Hormann have been great for us, with added benefit of white door + insulation making it the coolest place to be in this heat 🙂

Brick up the opening enough to fit a Latham’s?

Joking aside, if it’s something that keeps getting attacked, brick it up and fit a composite door wide enough to get bikes in and out.

I’ve got big Hormann on order. It’s costing £4.5k but hopefully worth it. I did a mass of research and came to the conclusion it’s the best.

Another +1 for SWS securoglide. Had ours for 3.5 years now and has been faultless.

Compared to a friend who has an Aluroll roller door and there’s definite difference in build quality.

We’ve got a roller shutter on ours. I want a little bit more security in case some scrote does get it open, so just been looking at lattice retractable screens . Either that, or I’ll fabricate some steel gates to fit in between the block piers.

I’ve put a ring door sensor on the RSD near the bottom , so if it gets lifted then I’ll get a notification and it’s got a Somfy alarm on it too.

what width is the OP’s opening ? I think Lathams do a spacer kit for larger openings

Any recommendations for side hinged, offset doors?

I wish they would put prices on the websites. If our Herman quote comes back over 4k there’s zero chance of that happening.

Also I don’t want to do anything unconventional. We live in a street where every house is identical with all matching black doors and matching garages. We’ll definitely be selling up in the next few years so I don’t want anything weird looking.

I might never put a car in the garage but the next owner might.

Any recommendations for side hinged, offset doors?

Very happy with our Teckentrup side hinged doors.

Garage door ordered.

£1900 for a motorised Hormann LPU42.

Don’t have a fitting date yet but I’m quite looking forward to being able to use the door again. We’re lucky that we have an internal side door but it’s a bit of a drag getting bikes in and out through the passage.

I know as soon as it’s fitted I’ll be tasked with painting over all the damage I’ve done with tyres and handlebars!

Motorised huh? Then you’ll be needing a garage door opener from 12speed too!