2014 Training Courses Now Open

Building on a series of successful product and installation training courses held during 2013, we have decided to increase the number of courses run next year to eight! That includes five installation courses and three product courses. Click here to view the 2014 brochure. Please complete the form enclosed in the brochure if you would like to attend. Forms can be returned by post, fax or email. Hurry! Places are limited!

Grease, Grease Lightning!!!

We are delighted to be supporting the Yeovil Youth Theatre in their production of Grease, which will be on at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil from 12^th Nov – 16^th Nov 2013.

If you are looking for a great night out, tickets are available here – be there or be square!

The Count down begins!

We’re getting ready for Christmas, not long to go now… only 50 days!

We’ve just updated our GRP colour range!

Our popular GRP range of garage doors are available in gloss white and a choice of 9 new wood grain finishes:

Name	Colour
Ebony
Matt White
Cherry Oak
Light Oak
Golden Oak
Rosewood
Honey
Golden Brown
Dark Oak

 

    

GRP doors are a great choice for home owners as they can provide a timber effect, without all the time and effort that goes into maintaining a timber door! So we thought it would be great to create a new and more diverse choice of timber effect finishes, with many of the colours having been designed to match existing wooden doors and windows. Click here to view the 2013 Garador Up & Over range.

The Ideal Homes Show

Last week we headed off to attend the Ideal Homes Show (13th-15th September) in Lerwick on the Shetland Islands. Armed with a van full of doors, a door stand and other show goodies, the exhibitions team travelled from Yeovil all the way to Aberdeen, and then took a ferry to Lerwick on the island of Shetland… which took over 24 hours in total!

With over half the islands population of 22,500 expected to attend it was a great opportunity for us to show islanders the excellent build quality of the doors in person. It was a long and exhausting trip, but was well worth the effort, with lots of enquiries into Garador garage doors and a warm and friendly welcome from the local people. We look forward to going back next year!

New 2013 Garador Price List now available!

We’ve just released the new 2013 price list, and I’m delighted to say that there have been no price increases in this issue! In fact, we’ve decided to drop the price on many of our steel up & over double doors… see below for a quick rundown of what’s changed:

• Substantial price reductions on Garador steel up & over double doors.
• New Series 3 GaraMatic operators, handsets and accessories now available.
• New range of accessories now available for GaraRoll garage doors.
• New Chatsworth PVC door added to the range.
• New Silkgrain Titan Metallic paint finish now available on sectional doors
• New GRP colour finishes.
• New timber paint finishes.
• New Primed white and fully finished timber doors now available.
• Garador FrontGuard FGS300 and FGS800 front entrance doors have been discontinued.

Click here to download your copy of the Garador 2013 price list.

Do you need a larger garage?

A recent article by Honest John, a renowned and trusted car expert in the Daily Telegraph, argued that the width of garage doors in many new build homes is too small, to the point where they won’t even fit a typical mid-range saloon car! Fortunately the Door and Hardware Federation (DHF) have started a campaign to encourage housing developers to build homes with garages that are at least 7’6” wide, which is good news!

What do you think? Please leave your comments below…

What handsets do I get with a Series 3 GaraMatic Operator?

We’ve had a few questions as of late, asking what handsets you get with a Series 3 GaraMatic operator. Series 3 Handsets are now available in black as standard with all Series 3 GaraMatic operators, including the GaraMatic 9, 10 and 20.

Each GaraMatic Operator features the following handsets:

Operator	Handsets Included
GaraMatic 9
GaraMatic 10
GaraMatic 20

Garador Photo Competition - Congratulations Sean Goodall

A massive congratulations to Sean Goodall from Fernie Garage Doors on winning the Garador Photo Competition, which has been running over the last couple of months. Sean sent through a series of great photo entries, complete with addresses and we were thoroughly impressed with his enthusiasm and desire to win.

 

Sean won a Garador Beaumont garage door and GaraMatic 10 Series 3 operator.

There’s more to Series 3 handsets and operators than first meets the eye

With the launch of our stylish new range of Series 3 handsets and operators, we thought it would be interesting to run through some of the new useful features such as bisecur radio communication, LED indicators to tell you the current position of your door, a longer battery life than handsets currently available on the market and an easy to program design, there’s plenty of incentives to purchase or upgrade to a new Series 3 garage door operator and handset. 

Handsets are Available in Two Colours and Various Sizes
Series 3 handsets are available in two colours: black and white, with black as standard with any GaraMatic Operator, and white as an option. These handsets are convenient for the operation of your Garador garage door, and they also have a long battery life so you aren't constantly changing batteries.

We offer four types of handset with a sleek piano lacquer finish:

• 1 button handset
• 2 button handset
• 4 button handset
• 5 button handset
  

5 button and 2 button handsets in black and white are featured below.

Garador 5 Button Handset Provides Door Status Information
The 5 button handset can be programmed to indicate whether your garage door is open or closed at the touch of a button, meaning the customer doesn’t have to venture outside on a wet winters night.

A multi-coloured LED light indicates the door position, as indicated in the diagram below

1.    Yellow indicates that the operator is checking whether the door is open or closed.
2.    Red indicates that the garage door is open.
3.    Blue indicates that the handset is transmitting data.
4.    Green indicates that the garage door is closed.

 

 

Increased Security
Handsets transmit using 128 bit encryption, which is often used by banks for customers to bank online securely; ensuring no one can copy your radio signal!

Increased Range and Reliability
Series 3 handsets now also use bi-directional radio signals, which increase the range and reliability of the signal.

Backwards Compatible with Older Operators
Series 3 handsets are compatible with earlier versions of Garador operators (since 2005), enabling customers to purchase a new handset without a new operator.

Easy to Setup
Garador’s Series 3 handsets and operators are easy to program, with a 7 segment double digit display on the operator itself (GaraMatic 10 and 20 only), along with a clear and easy to use set of instructions.

Ergonomic Design
Sleek piano lacquer style finish and an elegant shape that fits easily in the palm of your hand, make the Series 3 Garador handset the must have Gadget of 2013.

Handset Stands
Hand transmitter stands are available for both white (see right) and black 1 button, 4 button and 5 button handsets, to help keep your handset safe and easy to access. These are available to order direct from Garador.

If you require any further information please contact the Garador Sales Team on 01935 443 722. Click here to view the latest price list. To find your nearest stockist visit www.garador.co.uk/stockists.aspx

Please let us know your thoughts on the new handsets in the comments section below!

The Code for Sustainable Homes

There’s been a lot of talk just lately about the Code for Sustainable Homes, so I decided to do a quick rundown of what it is and how it could be of benefit to you.

What is the Code for Sustainable Homes? The Code for Sustainable Homes is a new national standard for use in the design and construction of new homes which encourages greater sustainability. It is currently used for new homes constructed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

How does it work? Homes are awarded a rating, which ranges from level 1 to level 6, based on their performance against 9 sustainability criteria:
1.    Energy and CO2 Emissions.
2.    Water.
3.    Materials.
4.    Surface Water Run-off.
5.    Waste.
6.    Pollution.
7.    Health and Well-Being.
8.    Management.
9.    Ecology.

 

Which Garador products contribute toward the code? The Garador Guardian Range of Secured by Design accredited up & over doors, and FrontGuard front entrance doors qualify for points under the Code for Sustainable Homes (see category 8: management).

How could it benefit your business? The Code for Sustainable Homes provides up to 2 points for a Secured by Design product, which might not seem like much, but could be crucial in the grand scheme of things (i.e. could help a house builder get from a code for sustainable homes level 1 to a level 2)…

How do you qualify? After the completion of construction of new home, the developer needs to provide evidence of the following to qualify for the points:
•    Confirmation from the developer that all of the recommendations provided by the ALO (Architectural Liason Officer) /CPDA (Crime Prevention Design Officer) have been incorporated in the design and that the site meets the standards required in Section 2 – Physical Security from ‘Secured by Design – New Homes’ (in the Code for Sustainable Homes).
OR,
•    The technical guidelines of the Code for Sustainable Homes states ‘Where a ‘Secured by Design’ certificate can be provided, this will be deemed to satisfy the requirements and no other evidence will be required’.

The Code for Sustainable Homes is a respected and well-established method of certifying the sustainability of your new home, and it would be great to see a new method of assessment whereby it is self-managed by the builder themselves. Check out our website to find out more about the Garador Guardian range and FrontGuard range.

Just saw this lovely door… and it’s a Garador!

Just saw a lovely looking Garador vertical cedar timber door…

 

These doors will last a lifetime if they are properly maintained; click here to view the brochure.

Another fantastic garage door added to the Garador range…

The Sutton is a steel Up & Over garage door we recently released and it’s available with all the usual ‘bells and whistles’…

• Low maintenance and matches most modern properties.
• Comes with retractable, retractable plus or canopy gearing. 
• A choice of three die cast handle options; brass effect, chrome effect and white.
• A choice of 7 standard colour options (RAL colours) and 2 timber effect finishes (Update: as of 2014, choose from 18 standard colours on steel Up & Over garage doors).

Click here to view the latest Garador Up & Over garage doors.

High Security Garage Doors now available from Garador

When we ask customers, safety and security always come high on their feature list, so just recently we decided to start designing a new range of high security garage doors and front doors!

Our new Guardian range of Up and Over garage doors and FrontGuard front doors, both have Secured by Design status.

The Secured by Design status is great, as it shows our customers that the doors have been tested by the UK Police to see how resilient they are in withstanding an attack.

 

The Garador Guardian range of garage doors has been engineered with the following features:

Lock Body Protection: A reinforcing plate has been added to the lock body to prevent attacks against the locking mechanism.
High Security Bracing: There are now eight door braces, rather than two, at the back of the door for extra protection.
Anti-Snap Cylinder: A new anti-snap cylinder with a sacrificial front is included and, is designed to prevent entry even after an attack.
Improved Lock Security: Additional steel plates have been added to the base corners of the door to protect the bottom locking points.

They’re currently available in two styles: Horizon and Carlton. We’ve tried to price these so that they aren’t just affordable for the rich and famous, but for mid-range buyers too. Check out the Garador website and the latest Garador price list for more information.

It’s the end of an era!

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our Area Sales Manager for the Southwest of England… Nick Dyke aged 65, retired today and will be sorely missed by all at Garador.

Nick has worked at Garador for over 50 years. Originally starting out on the shop floor as a production operative, Nick soon moved onto management roles and has developed a very successful career with Garador.

We wish you all the very best Nick and hope you have a great retirement :o)

New doors in our showroom!

We’ve got lots of new and different garage doors in our showroom, with Secured by Design Up & Over Garage Doors and Sectional garage doors, GaraRoll roller doors, FrontGuard front entrance doors and accessories. If you are after a new door, pop in and have a look in our Yeovil showroom.

Sleek, stylish, sexy… this year’s must have gadget

Garador have just released their new range of remote hand transmitters… these Garador Series 3 handsets are available in either gloss black or gloss white.

Click here to find your nearest stockist / order them on the Garador shop.

A helping hand when choosing your new garage door…

Buying a garage door is not quite as simple as you might think. When you consider the range of colours, styles, types of door, gearing options, insulation options and the different brands on the market, where do you begin? The first thing homeowners should consider, when purchasing a garage door is what they want to use their garage for and where they live, and then look at how much they are willing to spend, whether they want an operator and issues such as water-tightness and insulation.

All doors have their merits; sectional doors for example provide extra drive through width for your car, which is often taken up by the gearing mechanism on a traditional Up & Over canopy door. A sectional garage door also allows you to park your car right up close to the door, without fear of the door panel swinging out as it opens.

If drive through width and space in front of the garage comes high on your list, but you don’t want tracks inside your garage then a roller door could be worth considering. These doors provide excellent insulation, rubber seals to prevent rain water coming in and come with the added convenience of being automated as standard.

Budget is also an important consideration, the price of a Steel Up & Over door with canopy gearing is always the most cost-effective solution, but will always leave the bottom third of the door panel protruding out the front of the garage when open. Furthermore, whilst the option to buy a garage door with a steel frame, is an additional cost, it results in a much more professional finish with as little as a 6mm gap between the door and the frame, not to mention the fact that you save time and money not having to prepare and finish a timber frame when fitting the garage door.
For buyers with concerns over the security of their garage, Garador have recently developed a Secured by Design accredited garage door range; the Guardian Range. Which have been rigorously tested by the UK police to prove they can withstand a serious attack from a burglar.

Having an automated garage door not only provides added convenience, but also extra security as it always shuts the doors even if you are just popping down to the shops. The latest Garador range series 3 operator even comes with a remote sensing feature that tells you whether your door is open or closed, for those times when you just can’t see the door and you don’t want to venture outside on a wet winters night.

So there are a range of different door styles on offer, to suit garages used to store everything from cars to home offices and more. There are budget options and more expensive ones, a selection of standard colours, and a broad range of door styles, to suit those with security concerns and even those who want a door to match an ultra-modern property. Click here to view the full range on the Garador website.

New garage door sales and installation training courses

Spaces are filling up fast for the new Garador 2013 training courses… why not get in touch and see how our training courses could benefit your business

We’ve just extended our factory!

We’ve been manufacturing garage doors here in Yeovil since 1948, and after a series of production upgrades just recently, we’ve decided to extend the factory by a further 1600 sq metres. This will enable us to assemble, store and transport more Garador garage doors. Check out the aerial photo!

Welcome to our blog!

Welcome to the blog of Garador, the UK's largest garage door manufacturer. We hope this will turn into a fun and informative resource for our customers