# New garage doors in Delaware

> Steel and aluminum Haas doors, sized to your opening, rated for your site, and styled for your house.

Page: https://www.bluehengaragedoors.com/garage-door-installation

## The short version

Garage door installation means measuring the opening and clearances, choosing a door (steel or aluminum, insulation, panel style, windows, color and any wind-load rating your building department requires), taking the old door down safely, and hanging the new one on its own track, springs and hardware. Blue Hen Garage Doors installs new and replacement Haas doors across Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore.

## Signs it's time for a new door

- Sections that are cracked, separating or rusted through
- Repeated repairs on a door that's past its useful life
- An uninsulated door on an attached garage, workshop or bonus room
- An older door with no wind-load label, especially near the coast
- Dents, fading or a style that no longer fits the house
- A remodel, addition or new build with an opening to fill

## How do you choose the right size and style?

Sizing starts with measurements, not a catalog. The opening's width and height set the door size, and three clearances decide what hardware fits: headroom above the opening, side room beside it, and backroom into the garage, all defined in DASMA's terminology. Common residential sizes include single doors around 9 by 7 feet and double doors around 16 by 7, the two sizes DASMA's residential wind load guide charts, and Haas builds far bigger: its American Tradition carriage house doors go up to 20 feet 2 inches wide and 16 feet tall.

Style comes next. Haas's insulated steel lines offer flush, V-groove, ribbed and recessed short and long panels, and raised ranch, raised standard and raised sculptured panels, while the American Tradition line adds carriage house overlays and the Residential Aluminum 360 Series covers full-view glass. Blue Hen's own installs include white raised-panel doors on a three-car garage with gray siding and a wood-look carriage door on a navy new build. If your neighborhood has an HOA, check whether a new style or color needs architectural approval before you order.

## Steel or aluminum?

Steel is the workhorse. Haas's insulated steel doors use 26-gauge galvanized steel skins around polyurethane foam, and its 2400 Series uses heavier 24-gauge galvanized steel. Steel also gives you the widest menu: the Insulated Steel 2000 Series alone comes in 26 colors and 9 panel options, against 3 colors and 4 panel options on the Insulated Aluminum 5000 Series.

Aluminum earns its place near salt water. Haas describes its Residential Aluminum 360 Series as rust and corrosion free, builds the 5000 Series from corrosion-resistant aluminum with polyurethane insulation, and offers the carriage house look in 24-gauge aluminum on its American Tradition 9200a models. FEMA's coastal building guidance says metal corrosion is most pronounced within 3,000 feet of the ocean, so for houses close to the beach, aluminum deserves a hard look. One trade-off to know: DASMA notes aluminum expands more with heat than steel, which can increase thermal bowing on insulated doors.

## How much insulation do you need, and what about R-value?

Insulation matters most on attached garages, garages under living space, and garages used as workshops. The number to compare is the tested U-factor, where lower is better. DASMA explains that R-value is a calculation through the center of one door section, while U-factor is measured on the complete installed door, including section joints, seals and hardware; the two aren't reciprocals, so one can't be converted into the other.

Haas takes part in DASMA's Thermal Performance Verification Program and now publishes third-party tested U-factors: 0.094 for the 2-inch Insulated Steel 2000 Series, 0.093 for the 1-3/4 inch 700 Series, 0.106 for the 1-3/8 inch 600 Series, and 0.081 for the steel 9200 models in the American Tradition line. DASMA puts the scale in plain terms: a door at 0.20 is twice as efficient as one at 0.40. Windows change the math, and DASMA's program covers doors with no more than 16 percent window area.

## What wind-load rating does a new door need in Delaware?

Your building department sets the requirement, and the label on the door proves it. Under the 2021 International Residential Code, DASMA explains, garage doors need a permanent manufacturer's label listing the model, the positive and negative design wind pressure rating, the installation drawing and the test standard. Sussex County adopted the 2021 IRC for plans submitted on or after January 1, 2023, and its building code office describes the county's ultimate design wind speeds as 115 to less than 130 mph.

Wind speed is only the starting point. DASMA's wind load guide shows required pressure rising with wind speed, building height and exposure, and open flat land and waterfront sites see the highest loads. IBHS adds that an older home's original door is likely not wind-rated, since there were no such requirements before 2006, and that a failed garage door lets pressure build inside and push up on the roof. Haas offers wind-load and impact options across its lines, and a rated door is installed with the track, struts and brackets shown on its drawing.

## What happens to the old door, track and springs?

A replacement starts by taking the old door down safely, which means releasing the spring tension under control before any section comes off. The old track usually goes with it. DASMA's safety tips warn against putting a new door on old track, because track and sections work together as a system and the old track may not fit the new door's section thickness, weight, headroom or opener position.

We also check the framing the new door will hang on. DASMA's guidelines for wood back jambs call for structurally sound, solid wood with no decay, recommend at least a 2x6 where a separate jamb or spring pad is added, and say jambs should be plumb, square and flush. If the jambs or spring pad on an older garage are soft or loose, we'll show you before anything gets hung on them.

## Windows, colors and wood-look finishes

Windows change both the look and the performance. Haas offers carriage house, ranch, standard and SlimLine window designs, insulated glass in clear, frosted, obscure and Low-E options among others, decorative glass, and impact-rated polycarbonate. Haas's catalog also notes that wind load and impact requirements limit window placements and options, so the design and the wind rating get decided together.

For color, Haas steel runs from Polar White, Almond and Sandstone to Charcoal and Carbon Black, plus embossed wood grains and plank finishes such as Cedar Plank, English Oak Plank and American Walnut Plank. Dark doors look sharp on a white board-and-batten barn or a gray metal-roof house, and Blue Hen's installs include both, but Haas notes some of its darker finishes aren't recommended for extreme heat and sun exposure, and DASMA says dark insulated doors in the sun bow more. We'll help you match the finish to the house and the exposure.

## What decides the price of a new garage door?

The size of the opening, the material, the insulation and the options you choose decide the price of a new garage door. We go through each one at the estimate:

- The size of the opening, and how many doors
- Steel or aluminum, and the panel style
- Insulation, which Haas rates by tested U-factor
- Any wind-load rating your building department requires
- Windows, color, wood-look finishes and hardware
- A new opener, and taking down the old door, track and springs

Estimates for new doors are free and next-day: we look at the opening, talk through the options and give you a price for the door you actually want.

## From the call to a working door

1. Call (302) 735-0046 or email Dalton@bluehengaragedoors.com to set up a free next-day estimate.
2. We measure the opening, headroom, side room and backroom, check the framing, and ask about any HOA or code requirements.
3. We help you choose material, insulation, style, windows, color and wind rating.
4. On install day, we take the old door down safely and hang the new door on its own track, springs and hardware.
5. We balance the door, connect or install the opener, and test the photo eyes and auto-reverse before we leave.

## Questions

### Do you offer free estimates on new garage doors?

Yes. Blue Hen offers free next-day estimates for new doors. We measure the opening and clearances, look at the framing, and go over steel or aluminum, insulation, panel style, windows, color and any wind-load requirement for your address, so the estimate matches the door you actually want. Call (302) 735-0046 or email Dalton@bluehengaragedoors.com to set one up.

### Is an insulated garage door worth it?

For an attached garage, a garage under living space or a workshop, usually yes. Insulated doors slow heat loss and outside noise, and Haas notes its polyurethane foam bonds to the skins to make a stiffer section. Compare tested U-factors, where lower is better: Haas's 600, 700 and 2000 Series run from 0.093 to 0.106. For a detached, unheated storage garage, a non-insulated door can be enough.

### Do I need a wind-rated garage door?

Your building department decides, based on wind speed, exposure, building height and door size. Since the 2021 IRC, rated doors carry a permanent label with their design pressures, and Sussex County's code office describes local ultimate design wind speeds of 115 to less than 130 mph. Even where it isn't required, it's worth weighing: IBHS found that 90 percent of homes whose garage door survived a storm had no structural roof damage.

### My beach house is in a flood zone. Does that change the door?

It can. DASMA notes that where a garage door sits below the base flood elevation in a FEMA V zone, breakaway rules for tidal surge can override the usual wind-load and debris requirements, and the door may need to be designed to break free under set loads. Your building official and the home's flood zone determine which rules apply, so we check before choosing the door.

### Can I see a new door on my house before I order?

Yes. Haas's HaasCreate tool lets you upload a photo of your home and try on Haas door styles, colors, wood grains and windows. It's a good way to narrow the choices before the estimate. Save the looks you like and bring them to the estimate, and we'll check that the door you picked fits the opening, the clearances and any wind rating.

## Related

- [Haas garage doors](https://www.bluehengaragedoors.com/haas-garage-doors)
- [Garage door opener installation](https://www.bluehengaragedoors.com/garage-door-opener-installation)
- [Pole barn garage doors](https://www.bluehengaragedoors.com/pole-barn-garage-doors)
- [Commercial garage doors](https://www.bluehengaragedoors.com/commercial-garage-doors)

## Sources

- [DASMA Technical Data Sheet 160: sectional garage door terminology (PDF)](https://www.dasma.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/TDS160-Sectional-Garage-Door-Terminology.pdf)
- [DASMA TDS-155aa: garage door wind load guide, 2021 and 2024 IRC](https://www.dasma.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/TDS-155aa-.pdf)
- [DASMA Technical Data Sheet 163 (PDF)](https://www.dasma.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TDS163..pdf)
- [DASMA Technical Data Sheet 196 (PDF)](https://www.dasma.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TDS-196.pdf)
- [DASMA TDS-185: thermal bowing](https://www.dasma.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/TDS185.pdf)
- [DASMA Technical Data Sheet 156 (PDF)](https://www.dasma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/TDS156.pdf)
- [DASMA TDS-1502: the IRC and wind load labels](https://www.dasma.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TDS-1502.pdf)
- [DASMA TDS-184: garage doors and tidal surge breakaway rules](https://www.dasma.com/wp-content/uploads/pubs/TechDataSheets/CommercialResidential/TDS184.pdf)
- [DASMA: garage door safety tips](https://www.dasma.com/safety-tips/)
- [Sussex County Building Code Office: 2021 IRC update](https://sussexcountyde.gov/sites/default/files/PDFs/IRC_Update_January_2023.pdf)
- [IBHS: why a strong garage door matters](https://ibhs.org/why-a-strong-garage-door-matters/)
- [FEMA Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction, Fact Sheet 8](https://www.denr.louisiana.gov/assets/docs/energy/programs/residential/coastal/hgcc_fact08.txt)
- [Haas Door: residential garage doors](https://www.haasdoor.com/residential/index.html)
- [Haas Door: Insulated Steel 2000 Series](https://www.haasdoor.com/residential/2000/index.html)
- [Haas Door: 2400 Series steel doors](https://www.haasdoor.com/residential/2400/index.html)
- [Haas Door: Residential Aluminum 360 Series](https://www.haasdoor.com/residential/360/index.html)
- [Haas Door: Insulated Aluminum 5000 Series](https://www.haasdoor.com/residential/5000/index.html)
- [Haas Door: American Tradition Series](https://www.haasdoor.com/residential/AmericanTradition/index.html)
- [Haas Door: wind load](https://www.haasdoor.com/windload)
- [Haas Door: about the company](https://www.haasdoor.com/about/index/html)
- [Haas Door: commercial full-line brochure (PDF)](https://connect.haasdoor.com/Portals/0/Literature/HaasDoor%20Commercial%20FullLine.pdf)
- [Haas Door: residential full-line brochure (PDF)](https://connect.haasdoor.com/Portals/0/Literature/HaasDoor%20Res%20Full%20Line%20Brochure.pdf)

## Contact

Blue Hen Garage Doors, 110 Lafferty Ln, Suite F, Dover, DE 19901. Phone (302) 735-0046. Email Dalton@bluehengaragedoors.com. Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm.