FAQs · Honest answers
Frequently asked questions.
Answers to the questions we get most often. Missing something? Ask us directly.
General
General.
- Where do you cover?
- Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell, Newbury, Basingstoke, Henley, Maidenhead, Slough, Camberley, Oxford and surrounding villages across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley. If you're within an hour of our base, we cover you.
- What happens at the free survey?
- We visit, measure the opening properly, talk through how you use the garage, and leave you with three written fitted prices — a budget, mid and premium option for the same opening. No obligation, no deposit taken on the day.
- Do you offer finance?
- Yes, through Ideal4Finance. Typical plans are 0% over 12 months on installs over £2,000.
- How long does a typical garage door installation take?
- A standard replacement (sectional or up-and-over) takes around 4-6 hours on a single visit. Roller doors with full automation can be 6-8 hours. Side-hinged with frame replacement is usually a full day.
- Do you remove the old door?
- Yes, every quote includes removal and ethical disposal of your existing door. We recycle the steel and aluminium where possible.
- Can you automate my existing door?
- Most door types, yes. We can automate existing up-and-over doors by fitting an electric operator, and on sectional and roller doors we replace or upgrade the motor operator. Side-hinged doors can be motorised too, typically around £800 depending on the gear your opening needs. Call us and we will confirm what is possible for your door.
- How much does it cost to automate a garage door?
- Our garage door operators start at £605 supplied and fitted, including the boom, remote controls and programming. Retrofitting an operator to a suitable existing door runs £500 to £750; adding automation to a new door at install time typically adds £400 to £700.
- What warranty do you offer?
- Manufacturer warranties run from 5 to 10 years on the door itself. We add a 5 year parts and labour guarantee on every install on top of that, plus a free service visit at the 12-month mark for automated doors.
- Are Hörmann garage doors worth the money?
- For most insulated-sectional buyers, yes. Hörmann's LPU 42 is the reference door the rest of the market is compared against — you are paying for engineering tolerances, warranty terms and an operator ecosystem that the industry benchmarks itself on. It typically lands at £2,000 to £2,800 fitted.
- How do sectional garage doors work?
- A sectional garage door is made of horizontal hinged panels that rise vertically in tracks and park flat under the garage ceiling. Because nothing swings outward, you can park right up to the door — and the 40 to 45mm foam-filled panels make it the best-insulated door type as standard.
- What is the most secure garage door?
- Of the common types, a double-skin insulated door — sectional or side-hinged — offers the most resistance to forced entry: the sandwich-panel construction is heavier, thicker and far more rigid than single-skin steel. Security also depends on the locking specification, which varies by model.
- Do I need planning permission to replace a garage door?
- Normally, no — replacing an existing garage door like for like is not something planning permission is usually required for. The common exceptions are listed buildings, some conservation areas, flats and leaseholds, or works that change the size of the opening itself.
- Can I see garage doors before I buy?
- We don't run a showroom — instead we bring colour and finish samples to your property at the free survey, so you see them against your own brickwork in natural light, which is a better test than any showroom lighting. Our install galleries show real local jobs.
- Do you install front doors too?
- Yes, Comp Door composite front doors and Ryterna aluminium front doors. Many customers match a new front door to a new garage door.
- Can I fit a garage door myself, or supply my own?
- Fitting a basic manual door yourself is possible but rarely worth it: fitting is 25 to 40 per cent of a professional quote for good reason, openings are rarely square, and spring systems under tension are genuinely dangerous to handle without training.
- What if my door breaks outside working hours?
- Call the main line and leave a message with 'urgent'. For total failures we aim to attend same-day or next-morning.
Maintenance
Maintenance.
- How often should a garage door be serviced?
- Once a year. An annual service costs £80 to £150 and frequently prevents a £300 to £400 failure later — worn springs, dry rollers and perished seals announce themselves quietly long before they fail loudly.
- Why is my garage door so noisy?
- New creaks, grinds or clanks usually mean spring tension, rollers or hinges — and they are a warning sign of bigger wear: cheap to fix early, expensive to ignore. A door in good order should run smoothly and quietly in any weather.
- How long does a garage door last?
- A well-maintained garage door commonly lasts 15 to 20 years or more. Our working rule: under 15 years old with a mechanical fault is repair territory; over 20 with rusted panels or obsolete parts is usually replacement territory.
- Do you repair garage doors you didn't fit?
- Yes — most makes and models, including doors fitted by other companies or long-gone installers. Roller, sectional, up-and-over and side-hinged; we service Hörmann, LiftMaster, Somfy and most major operator brands.
Still have a question?
Talk to the Wolverine team.
0118 336 0212 or send a quick message.