As the term suggests, custom wooden garage doors can be constructed in almost limitless configurations and from many different types of wood, most commonly Cedar, Redwood, Hemlock and Oak. Manufactures specializing in wood doors build quality products that will last for many years. However there’s no getting away from the fact that wood, being a natural material, requires more maintenance (i.e. regular painting or treating with stain) than metal or composite garage doors.

On the plus side, any wood garage door (whether custom or standard) brings a number of benefits to outweigh the higher maintenance regime. Wood doors off a variety of insulation options and even an entry-level wood door can provide a better R-value than a similar non-insulated steel door.

But although wood is naturally a good insulator it is not recommended for areas that suffer extreme cold or if you intend to heat or cool your garage. Likewise, for high wind risk areas such as Florida and the Gulf Coast in general, custom wooden garage doors are most unlikely to comply with high wind codes such as the Miami-Dade wind code – doors designed to withstand hurricanes are typically made of high gauge steel.

But extreme weather aside, wooden garage doors will actually take quite a bit more day to day punishment than steel doors which is definitely something to consider if you have children that play near the doors (or bounce balls off them).

The versatility of wooden garage doors is probably the true key to their enduring popularity though. Homeowners who want customized garage doors to match their home invariably choose wooden garage doors. Think about it. Is your home curvaceous with arches, or is it all straight lines and box shaped? Does it have feature details such as panels or wood trim? Are the window and door frames made of a distinctive wood, are they stained or painted a particular color?

Carriage style wooden garage doors, with their graceful curves would perfectly complement a house with curved windows. A rustic looking garage door would be a great match for a Spanish villa style house. A stylish, contemporary home could look stunning with garage doors sporting glass or wide horizontal panels. Whatever your house style – Colonial, Tudor, Mediterranean, Country, Contemporary – you can customize garage doors to match it.

Custom doors are the most expensive garage doors. These are the doors that are designed to the home owner’s specifications, and can be built to fit odd shaped or custom garages. Typically these doors are made of high quality hardwoods, and incorporate lots of architectural interest.

In most cases a custom wood door will cost much more than a metal door. Although there is some overlap in pricing, with some top-end metal garage doors being more expensive than some more basic wooden varieties, the price differential between a really cheap metal door and a quality custom wood door can be as much as ten times.

The question then is whether the difference in quality and the long-term value-add to your property justify the outlay for doors that are custom designed to your own specifications or built to fit an unusual garage arrangement.

If fully custom designed wooden doors are a stretch though, semi-custom doors are a good compromise, and in fact account for the majority of garage door sales. Semi-custom doors allow you to choose styles, materials, colors, and windows based on a set menu of options. The number and shape of panels, materials, insulation or not, and ancillary hardware can be configured to provide a garage door that appears custom made in many respects but at a fraction of the price of a bespoke wooden garage door.