Should You Get a Garage Door With Windows?

A common question for Mission Viejo homeowners investing in a new or refurbished garage door is if they should get one with windows. Windows can certainly add to the appeal of a home’s garage door and boost the home’s property value, but they do come with drawbacks that you should consider before investing in them. 

The first and most obvious benefit of windows in a garage door is that, like all windows, they let more light into the space. For your garage, this means it will have a more natural type of illumination, which will help brighten the garage and make it feel larger. You’ll also be able to see your car and anything you keep stored in the garage without having to turn a light on during the day, which can help you shave some money off of your electricity bill. 

Simply put, windows look nice. The human eye appreciates variety, and windows help to break up the large, flat surface of a garage door, making them look more dynamic. Additionally, if you have the windows of your garage door customized to resemble those of the rest of the house, you can have a fully unified and appealing aesthetic. With an improved aesthetic comes a boosted property value for your house, as potential buyers for your home will be willing to offer a higher price just from the first look at the exterior. Given that garage doors are already one of the strongest points of a home in terms of their return on investment, adding windows to them is simply adding strength onto strength. 

For all their benefits that windows bring, there are considerations you need to take into account before investing in them. First and foremost is the issue of resilience. A glass window is obviously not going to be as tough as the steel, aluminum, or fiberglass that the rest of the garage door is made from. While it won’t affect the garage door’s structural integrity and make it more likely to collapse, it will be more vulnerable to thrown rocks or rogue baseballs. Fortunately, options made from layered plexiglass exist that can counter this threat.

Another concern that comes with windows on a garage door is insulation and heat circulation. Windows cause a greenhouse effect, where they let light and heat in but don’t allow it to escape, which can end up trapping too much heat in your garage. Because most homes don’t connect the garage to the AC system, this can make it very difficult to cool down your garage in hotter weather.

Lastly is the issue of security and privacy. Fortunately, this is not as great a concern as some fear it is. The truth is that a garage door window is a very difficult and inconvenient method of entry for an intruder, as most windows are too narrow for someone to slip through. While it is certainly possible that a random passerby can look through the windows and into your garage, this is only a problem if your garage is immediately close to the sidewalk. If privacy is still a concern for you, you can always invest in frosted or stained windows that still allow light to pass through but prevent outsiders from seeing anything discernable.