Sarah SusankaFoursquare
Instead of four windows in a row, try four in a square. Many garage door companies are willing to make these types of modifi cations.
Sarah SusankaTrimmed Out
A standard, flat garage door can be dressed up with 1x4 or 1x6 wood trim in different colors to add personality.
Sarah SusankaTradition-Bound
Many custom and semi-custom garage door companies are returning to traditional designs. Explore your options.
Sarah SusankaMotif Match
Design the door to match a motif that appears elsewhere on the house. For continuity, apply that motif to a front door or roof gable.
If your project has garage doors that face the street, spend a little extra on the doors themselves to make them a more personal expression than the typical panel or metal door. Custom garage doors are more expensive than their off-the-self competitors. However, if you have a tight budget, consider a high-density fiberboard door and add a few pieces of trim to give it personality. Here are some options to differentiate garage doors.
Adapted with permission from More Not So Big Remodeling Solutions by Sarah Susanka, published by The Taunton Press (2010).
For 20 years, architect and author Sarah Susanka has been leading a movement that is redefining the American home and lifestyle. Through her “build better, not bigger” approach to residential design, she reveals that the sense of “home” we seek is a quality that has almost nothing to do with square footage. Her “Not So Big” message has become a launch pad for a new dimension of understanding how we inhabit our homes, our planet, and even our day-to-day lives.
Susanka is the best-selling author of nine books including The Not So Big House, Home By Design, and The Not So Big Life, which collectively have sold well over a million copies. Her books provide the language and tools for homeowners to bring their own dreams of home to life.
As a cultural visionary, Susanka is regularly tapped for her expertise by national media, including “The Today Show,” CNN and The New York Times. Builder Magazine recognized Susanka as one of 30 most notable innovators in the housing industry over the past 30 years, Fast Company named Susanka to their debut list of “Fast 50” innovators whose achievements have helped to change society, and U.S. News and World Report dubbed her an “innovator in American culture.” She is also a recipient of the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Award for outstanding individual achievement toward making positive contributions to our world.
