Garage door repair, Portland metro and Clark County
New garage doors for Portland and Clark County homes, measured and installed
We measure, supply and install new garage doors for houses around Portland and across Clark County, in everything from basic steel to insulated, carriage-style, wood and full-view glass, with new tracks and springs sized to the door and the old one hauled away.
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What you are seeing
A garage door replacement search usually starts when repairs stop adding up or the garage changes use, and these are the moments behind it.
- A second or third section has failed on a door the maker no longer builds
- Every section shows rot or rust at its lower edge, not just one panel
- The garage has turned into a gym, shop or office and stays cold and loud
- An old one-piece tilt-up scrapes the jambs or sags shut when you let go
- An opening is being resized, or a garage conversion keeps one working bay
What we do on a new door visit
A new door takes two appointments, a measuring visit where you choose the door and an install day that ends with the old one gone and the new one balanced.
Measure the opening and the space around it
We measure the finished width and height of the opening, the headroom from the top of the opening to the ceiling, the side room on each jamb for track brackets, and the depth the horizontal tracks need running back into the garage. We also check the header, jambs and slab, where the outlet sits and what hangs from the ceiling. Odd sizes and tight headroom decide which doors and track kits will fit.
Choose the door and settle the details
With numbers in hand, we go through material, insulation, panel design, windows and color, and quote the door installed. Before the order goes in, three questions get settled: whether your city needs a permit for the work, whether an HOA or historic district wants a say in the look, and whether the current opener stays or a new one goes up on install day.
Release the old springs and remove the old door (the safety step)
Old torsion springs are unwound completely with winding bars before any bracket is loosened, and extension springs are disconnected only after the door is opened, which is when they are relaxed. Tear-out is the dangerous part of the day, and a tilt-up door's heavy side springs get the same respect. Then the sections, tracks, springs and hardware come down and go on the truck to be hauled away.
Check the framing, then hang the door
Jambs and headers that have held a door for decades get a hard look for rot and solid backing before anything is fastened to them. Then the bottom section goes in level, each section stacks on with its hinges and rollers, and the tracks are plumbed and lagged into solid framing. The torsion springs are sized to the new door's weight and wound, and the cables are set evenly on the drums.
Balance, connect the opener and walk you through it
The door must hold in place halfway up with no opener attached before we call it balanced. Then the opener, reused or new, mounts to a reinforcement bracket bolted across the top section, and we set travel and force, align the photo eyes and test the reverse. The perimeter seal goes on last, and you get a walkthrough of the manual release, the lock and care of the finish.
Steel, insulated, carriage, wood or glass: which door suits your house?
An insulated steel door suits the widest range of houses here, and each of the other types earns its place on particular houses and garages.
| Door type | Weight and hardware | Upkeep in a wet climate | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-layer steel | Lightest, with the smallest springs | Touch up chips before rust starts | Detached storage garages and rentals |
| Insulated steel | Heavier and stiffer, with springs sized up | Wash off grime and touch up chips | Attached garages, gyms, shops and rooms above |
| Carriage-style steel | Steel, often insulated, with overlays and decorative hardware | Same care as plain steel | Craftsman and period houses, HOA-approved styles |
| Wood | Usually the heaviest, with the largest springs | Refinish on a schedule, bottom edge first | Historic districts and custom houses |
| Full-view glass | Aluminum frame, weight set by the glass | Clean the frames and watch the glazing seals | Modern houses and studio garages |
Does a new garage door need a Portland permit?
Not for a same-size swap: Portland says no permit is needed to "replace doors or windows if the existing openings are not widened or reduced in size."
Changing the opening is another matter. The same city list requires a permit to "cut new window or door opening, widen or reduce the size of existing openings," and to move, remove or add walls, so turning two single doors into one double needs one. Converting a garage to living space needs a building permit as well.
Zoning applies with or without a building permit, because the city requires all development work to comply with it. In a historic district such as Irvington, ask the city before changing the look of a street-facing door.
Oregon's statewide list draws the same line, and Gresham exempts door replacements where no structural member is changed. Vancouver and unincorporated Clark County publish no rule we could find either way for a same-size garage door, so call the permit center before ordering.
Old openings in Portland, new subdivisions in Clark County
The age of the house decides most of the surprises: older Portland garages bring odd sizes and tired framing, while newer subdivisions bring HOA rules and builder doors near the end of their run.
Detached garages behind early 1900s houses in Kenton, Woodlawn and Arbor Lodge can have openings that fall short of current stock door widths or heights. Those get a door ordered to the opening, or reframing to a stock size, which brings the permit question back because the opening changes.
North of the river, tracts in Orchards and Ridgefield were built with builder-grade sectional doors, and newer subdivisions there may carry HOA rules on style and color, so bring the approved list to the measuring visit. Near the Gorge, in Troutdale, Camas and Washougal, wide doors take real wind load, and we lean toward insulated doors with struts.
What changes the price
The posted price covers a basic single-car steel door with new hardware and haul-away, and these choices move the quote up.
- Double-car width, or an 8-foot height instead of 7
- Insulation, and the thicker foam options
- Carriage-style overlays, decorative hardware and window sections
- Wood, full-view glass and custom sizes, all quoted from measurements
- Low-headroom track kits for garages with little space above the opening
- A new opener on the same visit instead of reusing the old one
- Repairs to rotted jambs or framing found during measuring
When a repair stops making sense
Replacement earns its cost when the money is going into the door itself rather than its moving parts, when the garage has become living or working space that needs insulation, or when the opening is being changed anyway.
A new door is not always the right answer. If the trouble is a spring, a cable, worn rollers or one dented section on a door that is otherwise solid, a repair is the smarter spend, and we will say so at the measuring visit.
New door: common questions
Does turning two single garage doors into one double door need a Portland permit?
Yes. Widening an opening is on Portland's list of work that needs a permit, and so is moving or removing walls. A same-size replacement in the existing opening needs none. If you are weighing the change, we can measure both layouts so you can price the framing and the door together before you apply.
Is an insulated steel garage door worth the extra cost for a Portland garage?
For an attached garage, a room above it, or a garage used as a gym or shop, usually yes. The foam core keeps the space less raw through the chilly months, quiets the door and stiffens the sections. A detached storage garage does fine with single-layer steel. Count comfort as the payoff, since Energy Trust of Oregon and Clark Public Utilities list no rebate for garage doors.
How long does a new garage door installation take from measuring to the finished door?
Install day takes the better part of a working day for a standard single or double door. The wait before that depends on the door, since stock steel sizes arrive sooner than custom sizes, wood or glass. We give you the expected delivery when the order is confirmed and schedule the install around it.
Will a new wood garage door hold up to Portland's wet winters?
Yes, with upkeep. Wood outdoors here stays damp enough through winter to flirt with rot, so the finish is what protects it. Keep the paint or stain intact, refinish the bottom edge first, and keep the bottom seal and drainage in good shape. If that schedule sounds like too much, a carriage-style steel or composite door gives a similar look.
What happens to my old garage door, springs and tracks after the new door goes in?
They leave on our truck. The old sections, tracks, springs, cables and hardware come down on install day and go with us, so there is nothing for you to haul to a transfer station. A replaced opener goes too. If you want to keep any piece of it, just say so before we start.
Can a new garage door be built to fit an odd-size opening on an older detached garage?
Yes. Doors can be ordered in custom widths and heights, so an opening that predates today's stock sizes can keep its size and get a door made for it. The other route is reframing to a stock size, which means framing work and, in Portland, a permit because the opening changes. We measure both options so you can compare.
Related pages
Where we do this
New doors go up behind bungalows in North Portland and on cul-de-sacs in Clark County, and these areas are part of the current schedule.
Ready to get the door moving again?
Call with the symptom, or text a photo of the door and the opener, and we will name the part and the posted price before anyone drives out.