As a homeowner, your garage door is a crucial aspect of your home's exterior and security. The garage door forms one of the first barriers against intruders, so it's important that it stays in good working shape. Since the garage door also takes up a lot of space on the exterior of your home, it also plays a big part in your home's curb appeal and overall aesthetic. For this reason, you want to keep your garage door looking great as well. The garage door is a highly engineered piece of machinery that needs professional work. You need to connect with a reliable garage door repair service in your area to handle maintenance and repairs. Here are a few things you might want to ask before you hire a service.

How Long Have You Been in Business?

The answer to this question will give you some indication of how much experience a garage door repair service has in this industry. The garage door repair industry is a growing market, worth about $318.1 million according to IBIS World. Within this booming market, you want to make sure that you're dealing with experienced professionals that you can trust with your home. Don't be shy when it comes to asking professional service providers questions about their experience and qualifications.

What Services Do You Provide?

Not every company will provide every type of service, necessarily. This is why you should ask what they provide upfront instead of later. This way you'll be able to quickly narrow down your options when shopping around for a new company to connect with.

Do You Provide Price Quotes?

You'll also want to find out if they provide price quotes. Getting a quote from a garage door repair service for work you need done to your home is a crucial step in the process. Scheduling a price quote accomplishes a couple of different things. First, it gives you an idea of how much the job will cost. This can help you to start budgeting for this. Second, it gives you an opportunity to get to know the business better. You'll be able to tell a lot about how they handle customer service as they're interacting with you. Last of all, getting multiple price quotes from different businesses gives you the option to compare prices.

You should always get your price quote in writing. Getting the quote in writing gives you the option to use that information for leveraging when you talk with other service providers. It also cuts down on the risk of there being any kind of confusion later on when it's time to pay for the services you've received. A written price quote should also be accompanied by a written work order that clearly outlines exactly what work is to be done on your home. You should have an opportunity to sign off on this.

These are important steps to take in order to protect yourself from receiving work you didn't want done and being charged for that work. If everything isn't in writing, there can be big problems later on when it's time to pay for completed work.

Can You Provide References?

You'll likely want to see some examples of their past work. Asking for references is also a good way to tell if the company is reputable. A reputable company will have references to share with you and will be happy to do so.

Do You Have Any Suggestions Concerning My Door?

One of the benefits of hiring a professional garage door repair service is that you'll have the opportunity to get expert advice concerning your home, specifically your garage door. You want to discuss with these professionals any recommendations they might have about your door. They may be able to advise you on ways to improve your door's appearance, operation, or security.

How Long Will It Take?

Another great question to ask is how long it is going to take for your garage door to be repaired or replaced. It's inconvenient when your garage door is out of commission, so you need to mentally prepare for the needed changes.

These are just a few questions you'll want to ask before hiring a service. If you're looking for reliable garage door repairs and maintenance in your area, please contact A & R Door Service Inc today.