Who to hire for a new garage door to install

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Garage Door Specialist.

• an electrician

  there is no power point at the opener position, which is common in older garages.

• a builder

  the opening itself is being changed, or the lintel is in question.

What to do before anyone arrives

1. 1Measure the opening width and height, the headroom above the opening, and the side room each side.
2. 2Check the floor is level across the opening — a sloped or uneven slab is a common complication and affects sealing.
3. 3Decide about insulation and about wind rating if you are in a cyclone-prone region, where specific ratings apply.
4. 4Check whether a power point exists at the ceiling for the opener.

What to ask when you book

• Is the removal and disposal of the old door included?
• Does the quote include the opener, the remotes, and the electrical work?
• What wind rating is this door, and is that adequate here?
• What is the warranty on the door, the motor and the installation?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

• Door type — sectional, roller or tilt — and size.
• Insulation and finish.
• Whether an opener is included and whether power exists for it.
• Site conditions: headroom, side room, floor level.

Is this licensed work?

Not separately licensed; the opener's electrical supply is licensed electrical work.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

• NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
• VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
• QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
• WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
• SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
• TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
• ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
• NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for a new garage door to install

A garage door installer, and an electrician if the opener needs a new power point. The measurement that matters is the headroom and the side room inside the opening, because it decides which door types are even possible.

Sectional or roller door?

Roller doors need less headroom and are usually cheaper; sectional doors seal better, are quieter, and offer more finishes but need headroom and side room the opening may not have. The measurement decides more than the preference does, which is why any quote should start with one.

Who to hire for

• Who to hire for a garage door that won't openA garage door technician. Check the simple things first — power at the outlet, the safety sensors aligned and …
• Who to hire to add a power pointA licensed electrician. There is no state in which a householder may install a power point. The practical advi…
• Who to hire for a garage door remote that stopped workingOften nobody — change the battery and re-pair the remote following the opener's manual first, because that res…
• Who to hire when you're locked outA locksmith — and get the total price on the phone before they leave, including the call-out, the labour and a…