10 Fun Facts About Garage Doors & Garage Door Openers

You’ve probably never thought of your garage door or garage door opener as particularly ‘fun’ things. But, considering that you likely use your garage door and opener every day, we thought we’d dig up a few fun and interesting garage facts for your reading pleasure.

Garage Door Fun Facts

1. What is a ‘Garage’ 

The word ‘garage’ didn’t enter the English language until 1902. It comes from the French word ‘garer’, which means ‘shelter’. The name came into use when homes began to be built with garages for motor cars. Previously, the term used for a place to store your vehicles was ‘carriage house’ to reflect their use for horse-drawn carriages. In fact, ‘motor house’ was briefly used in England before ‘garage’ became common.

2. The Oldest Existing Garage

A motor house in Southport, Lancashire, UK is thought to be the oldest garage still in existence. It appeared in an issue of ‘The Autocar’ in October 1899.

3. The Main Entrance

Over 70% of families in homes that have a garage use it as the primary entrance to the home instead of one of the main entrance doors. This fact underlines the importance of the security of your garage as a way to keep intruders out of the home.

4. He Invented the Overhead Garage Door and the Garage Door Opener

The overhead garage door, versus swing-out carriage-style doors, was co-invented by C.G. Johnson in 1921 and he demonstrated it at the 1923 New York Automobile Show.

Interestingly, Johnson is also credited with developing the first garage door opener, which he did after he became frustrated by having to open the door manually every time he came home.  

5. Garage Bands

Among many others, The Beatles, Nirvana, and Metallica all began as garage bands. Canadian rock icons The Tragically Hip famously appeared as a garage band in an episode of the TV series Corner Gas.

6. A Good-Quality Garage Door can Increase the Value of Your Home by up to 4%

Think about it. The February 2018 average price of a detached home in Markham was $1,253,188. If you manage to get the full 4% boost in value from your garage door, that’s over $50,000!

7. DC is Quieter

One of the choices you have to make when buying a garage door opener is whether to an AC or DC motor. DC motors are quieter.

8. ‘Intelligent’ Since 2014

Leading garage door opener manufacturer Liftmaster introduced its MyQ(r) technology on its openers in 2014. Its internet connectivity means you can open and close your door with your smartphone, tablet or notebook computer from anywhere that you can connect to the internet. You can also get email and text alerts if you forget to close your door or if someone is trying to open the door.

9. A Growing Part of Your Home

Early garages were just big enough to house a single automobile of the day. As cars grew in size, and two- and three-car families became more common, garages grew too. In 1915, the average garage accounted for only about 8% of the square footage of a home. Today, the average garage accounts for about 45% of a home’s square footage. That’s almost half the footprint of your home!

10. A Great Place to Start a Business

Among the many companies that started in a garage are Amazon, Apple, Disney, Google, Harley Davidson, Hewlett-Packard, Lotus Cars and Maglite.

So now that you know a thing or two about garage doors and openers, including how valuable they can be when it’s time to sell, call us at 905-472-9178 to install a new door or repair and maintain the one you have.