Summary:
I have the highest recommendation for Saturday…read moreGarage Doors (SGD)! I reached out to nine garage door companies and all either 1) refused the job or 2) tried to convince me to configure my garage differently, which meant cutting into support beams/sheetrock. When I contacted SGD, I explained my garage limitations (details below) and the desire to have both doors motor operated. Shawn, the owner, tackled the idea with enthusiasm and a can-do, engineer-at-heart attitude. He took the idea I found, translated it into parts and plans tailored to my setup, and saw it through to fantastic completion. His service was prompt, professional, and extremely adaptable on site to all the little challenges that arose during install. In a day and age where companies tend to replace instead of fix things or slap a standard solution on a non-standard problem, Shawn's refreshing attitude and willingness to adapt and overcome earn my highest recommendation!
Details:
I have a two-door garage in my home and at time of purchase only one door had an automatic opener installed. This chain drive opener was installed with the track going through a structural support beam (supporting the second floor above). While not unheard of in older homes, as an engineer, I did not want to install a second opener in the same way. I considered jack shaft and direct drive openers. With only about six inches of room on either side of the doors and only about eight inches in between the two doors, I could not physically install a jack shaft opener without cutting into the sheet rock (I access to anything that required opening the front cover, without removing the entire assembly). I spent hours on the phone with Chamberlain/Liftmaster reps, digging through manuals, etc. to confirm without a doubt that a jack shaft opener could not work in my garage. After eliminating that style opener as a viable option, I started contacting garage door repair/install companies directly. Of the nine companies I called, nine recommended just drilling a second hole through the support beam. Then one night, I stumbled onto a youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXfi7ZZxrnU&t=5s ) that showed a man essentially creating his own direct drive opener from a ceiling mount opener. It was mounted sideways with a short chain connected from the opener to a sprocket on a torsion rod. I called back all nine companies and they either didn't care to see the video (said it was impossible) or watched it and said they were not willing to do any type of install like that. Finally, I found SGD and spoke with Shawn. He looked at the video and said it was definitely doable, but would be tricky finding all the parts to meet my requirements (I also specifically requesting a wifi enabled opener that had integrated, automatic locks and a backup battery). Within 24 hours, Shawn called me back with a full parts list and quote. When we spoke on the phone he seemed genuinely excited by the project and curious to see how it would all come together. To me, that made all the difference and we booked the install.
The day of install he showed up on time with an assistant and helper (three-man team total) and began work. The job also included a conversion from an extension spring system to a torsion spring system (so there was a place for the sprocket to go). They worked through the many challenges my garage threw at them (unique framing set up, clearance issue, etc.) and completed everything in under five hours. They even took the time to replace some angle iron that should have been installed on my garage doors to begin with. All-in-all it was a top notch job! Shawn listened to my project constraints and preferences and met every single one. He made sure I had the mounting brackets, wiring, wall buttons, everything just where I wanted them. At the end of the day, I even received instruction on how to maintain the door and things to periodically check for. For such a challenging project, I could not be happier.
Because it's worth repeating: In a day and age where companies tend to replace instead of fix things or slap a standard solution on a non-standard problem, Shawn's refreshing attitude and willingness to adapt and overcome earn my highest recommendation!
