Garage doors in Oxford

Wolverine Garage Doors supplies, fits and repairs garage doors across Oxford and the OX postcodes. We are a family-run firm with our registered office in Caversham, Reading, and we fit doors from Hörmann, Garador, Ryterna and Teckentrup. Every installation and every repair carries our 5 year parts and labour guarantee.

Where we work in and around Oxford

We cover the city and its suburbs, from Summertown, Wolvercote and Headington to Marston, Cowley, Littlemore and Blackbird Leys, plus Botley, Kennington and Kidlington outside the ring road. Our pages for Abingdon, Didcot and Wallingford cover more of the OX postcodes. Our installation round-ups also include work elsewhere in Oxfordshire, such as three Teckentrup sectionals in Quartz Grey for a property in South Oxfordshire and a Garador canopy door in Fir Green for a rural Oxfordshire home.

Conservation areas and planning

Parts of Oxford are tightly protected. Jericho, Old Headington and the North Oxford Victorian Suburb are all conservation areas, and Oxford City Council has an Article 4 Direction in Jericho that removes some permitted development rights for houses. Replacing an existing garage door like for like does not usually need planning permission, but listed buildings, some conservation-area properties, flats and leaseholds, and any change to the size of the opening can. We flag anything that looks sensitive at the survey, and the council, as the planning authority, gives the definitive answer. Our planning permission answer explains the exceptions.

Oxford homes and the doors that suit them

Where the look of the street matters, timber and timber-effect doors are the usual choice. Real timber, such as a Garador timber side-hinged pair, gives a genuine grain but needs treating every year. Foil finishes such as Golden Oak, Rosewood or a dark wood effect give a similar look on a steel or aluminium door with no upkeep. Side-hinged doors also need no headroom above the opening, and you can open one leaf to fetch a bike, which suits garages that double as a store or workshop.

In the suburbs, many houses have a single garage with an older up-and-over door. The most common UK single size is 7'0" by 6'6". Where the garage is attached to the house, an insulated sectional door is the usual upgrade: it is the best-insulated door type as standard, and its panels rise straight up and park under the ceiling, so you can park right up to it. Where there is no ceiling space to spare, a roller door coils into a box above the opening that needs around 300mm of headroom, or about 205mm for compact models.

It is worth deciding on electric operation at the same time, because adding it to a new door costs less than retrofitting it later. Most door types can be automated: sectional and roller doors are built for it, suitable up-and-over doors on retractable gear take an operator well, and side-hinged doors can be motorised too. Our electric garage doors page sets out the options and costs.

Common garage door faults we fix in Oxford

We repair most makes and models, including doors fitted by other companies. Springs, cables, rollers, tracks and electric openers are the usual culprits. A door that suddenly feels very heavy, drops or sits crooked often has a broken spring or a damaged lift cable. If that happens, stop using it, keep clear, and do not try to lift it or pull the manual release, because springs and cables can still be under tension. Electric doors that stop part way, reverse or ignore the remote can have a power, sensor or operator fault, and we repair Hörmann SupraMatic, LiftMaster, Somfy and most other openers. Typical repair costs are listed in the repairs section on this page, and you get a firm price after diagnosis.

What a survey in Oxford involves

The survey is free and there is no obligation. Openings are rarely square, so we measure properly, check headroom, side room and fixing points, and talk through how you use the garage. We bring colour and finish samples so you can see them against your own brickwork or stone in daylight. You then get three written supplied-and-fitted prices including VAT, a budget, mid and premium option for the same opening, and no deposit is taken on the day. Removal and disposal of your old door is included in every quote. Book with the form at the top of this page, or call us Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.