Installing a man door in your garage can provide you with a level of convenience that you never had before with a regular garage door.
What is a man door, and what are the advantages and drawbacks of installing a one in your garage door?
What is a Man Door?
Otherwise known as a pedestrian door or wicket door, a man door is simply a classic swing-style door placed inside of a garage door.
“Just as the name depicts, [a] garage door with pedestrian doors is a normal-sized human door cut inside the bigger garage door to allow easy entry into the garage. It enables you to enter your garage without the need to open the entire garage door,” explains Garage Adviser.
Should you install a man door in your garage door? Take a look at the pros and cons and see if a man door is a practical choice for your garage.
Pros of a Man Door in Garage Door
If you use your garage for activities beyond storing your vehicle and your garage experiences regular in-and-out foot traffic, having an access point beyond a rolling garage door may save you time and energy.
Benefits of installing a man door in your garage door include:
- Adding Convenience – Instead of having to roll up the entire garage door every time you need to grab the mail or take out the trash, having a traditional man-sized door can spare you the trouble.
- Conserving Energy and Less Wear – Being able to walk in and out of a swing-door for times when you don’t need to open the entire garage door can help prolong the life of your garage door opener and remote as well as conserve on the energy. A small door also lets less heat escape the area during cold winter months than a bigger door.
- Saving on Space – If you live on a tight block with a small lot, the front of your garage may not have room to accommodate a full garage door and a swing door alongside it. Encasing the man door inside the garage door works to maximize space without compromising on accessibility.
- Increasing Fire Safety and Helping in Power Outages – In the event of an emergency when you need to quickly vacate your property or you cannot rely on an electric garage door opener, having a man door allows for increased safety and ensures you’ll be able to get in and out of the garage when need be.
- Boosting Privacy – If you’re concerned about passerby peeking into your garage unnecessarily, it helps to have a smaller access point than the entire rolling door.
Cons of a Man Door in Garage Door
While there are many benefits to installing a man door in your garage door, it may not be the best choice in certain circumstances.
Drawbacks of installing a man door may include:
- Making Small Doors Less Energy Efficient – While a man door can boost energy efficiency as mentioned above, small garage doors may actually become less efficient with the addition of a man door, since it creates more openings for air to get in and out. This can be counteracted with quality sealing.
- Limiting Garage Door Style Choices – Installing a man door typically requires a fairly large garage door and cannot be accommodated by all garage door styles.
- Adding Installation Cost – Since the process of adding a man door is quite involved and includes installing specialized safety features, the cost of adding a man door in a garage door can add up. However, you can save on garage door installation by choosing a local garage door professional with fair pricing.
- Increasing Damage Potential – Some homeowners have experienced serious damage to their garage doors by trying to open them after accidentally leaving their man door ajar. This situation can be avoided by using modern safety technology and extra caution.
Garage Door Company - Kent, WA
Whether you’re looking to install a man door or you’d like a new set of garage doors all together, the Doorman Service Co. in Kent, WA has you covered. We’ve been serving the PNW with top notch garage door installation and repair for over 40 years.
Get in touch today to get started!
6 thoughts on “The Pros and Cons of Installing a “Man Door” In Your Garage Door”
I appreciate you explaining that you should keep the climate of where you live in mind when you are looking to purchase a new garage door. My wife and I would like to get a new garage door that will repel heat and won’t absorb as much. It seems like we would want to get a bright material and one that isn’t affected by temperatures as much.
Hello,
Are there kits to purchase to be able to modify an existing garage door?
Pretty! This was a really wonderful post. Thanks for supplying this info.
Do u know who can put a manhole door in an existing garage door?
I want to put a single door and take out the garage door can you let me know what that will cost me
Just want the garage door replaced with a simple door
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