Minneapolis Garage Door Opener

Installing a garage door opener in some areas of the country isn't all that big of a deal. In fact, it seems almost silly in a place like L.A., where having to open and close your garage door on your own means climbing out of your car, walking 10 feet up the driveway, and opening the door manually, all in relentless, sunny, 70 degree weather. On the other hand, out on the great American tundra that some like to call Minnesota, average lows drop to single digits during the wintertime, and record lows can dip to forty below (not including the wind chill!). Say what you will, but in the face of those kinds of conditions, suddenly spending a few hundred dollars to install a garage door opener in Minneapolis doesn't sound like all that bad of an idea.

Minneapolis Garage Door Opener Costs

In case you're wondering how much installing a garage door opener in Minneapolis is going to set you back, our records (gathered from past installations that started as contractor referrals from ServiceMagic) indicate that in the Twin Cities you're probably going to pay about $550 for a new unit and installation. We have been party to jobs that cost as little as $300, and others that topped $1,000, but if you go with a middle of the road, quality garage door opening system, there's a pretty good chance you'll end up within a stone's throw of that $500 mark.

Decisions That May Influence the Cost of a Minneapolis Garage Door Opener

Many factors influence the price of garage door openers in Minneapolis, including your choice of drive mechanism, remote, and adding additional security features. Chain, belt, and screw drives make up about 99 percent of the drive mechanisms on garage door openers today, and they generally raise in price in the same order given above. Other than that, keyed entry pads, keyless entry, and even computer-linked and telephone-controlled units, can provide you with increasing levels of security and convenience. A basic, no frills model consists of a chain or belt drive opener, a remote with a rolling frequency (for security reasons), and a security feature that prevents the door from coming down on top of your child, dog, car, or anything else that isn't out of the danger zone. That's perfectly adequate for most Twin City homeowners, but if you want a few more bells and whistles, such as the upgrades mentioned above, they're going to cost you. As a rule, the more technology you add onto your unit, the more expensive your garage door opener is going to be.

Is Upgrading a Minneapolis Garage Door Opener Worth It?

Whether upgrading your Minneapolis garage door opener is a good idea or not is a question each homeowner has to answer for themselves. Get out of the garage mindset for a minute, and start thinking electronics (since that's really what you're paying extra for if you choose to upgrade your unit). Many people are fine with a standard 27 inch television and a DVD player. For others, it's unthinkable to walk into Best Buy and purchase anything less than a 42 inch flat screen plasma television, blue ray DVD player, and the accompanying speakers and receivers required to turn their living room into a home theater. Same goes for garage door openers. A chain driven opener with remote is going to do the job, no doubt about it, but for techno-junkies or homeowners with higher security concerns, then there's certainly nothing wrong with throwing a coded keypad into the mix, or investing in systems that allow you to control your garage door from remote locations. Your garage door won't open and close any different, but you'll definitely appreciate the increased level of convenience that some of these other options provide.

Can I install a Minneapolis Garage Door Opener Myself?

Honestly, the answer to this question with almost any home improvement, major or minor, is yes. So why aren't contractors struggling to stay in business in Minneapolis-St. Paul? Basically it boils down to time and convenience. Based on the same post-consumer surveys that tell us how much it costs to install a garage door opener in the Twin Cities, we can also tell you that a Minneapolis garage door opener technician will take one day to install your new opener, if everything goes wrong. A smooth installation takes a fraction of that time, and can be completed in a single morning or afternoon. Do it yourself, on the other hand, and the process of installation, running wiring, lining up frequencies, and testing all the different components, is probably going to take you an entire weekend, if not several. But don't take our word for it. One homeowner from Maple Grove wrote us that he was very happy he went through ServiceMagic.com to hire the job out. "As self-gratifying as doing the work yourself would be," he stated, "(my contractor) got the job done in a couple hours what would likely have taken me a day."

A second homeowner, this one from Elk River, was even more adamant on the subject: "When it comes to garage doors," he wrote, "see a professional who has been in the business. This is not a do-it-yourself project unless you don't care about quality."

To put it simply, it's never a bad idea to hire a contractor to install a garage opener in Minneapolis, especially since this is a home improvement that could potentially cause injury if it malfunctions from poor or improper installation.

Whether you do tackle this one on your own, or hire the job out, it's a smart investment to install a garage opener on garage doors in the Twin Cities. Remember, we're talking about the coldest major metropolitan area in the lower 48. Short of wearing full body, down insulated body suits, you'll never escape that cold completely. But a new garage door opener will at least buy you a few extra minutes of warmth and comfort each day in a climate that tops all when it comes to winter.