Garage Doors

How Much Does Garage Door Repair Cost in Ottawa? What Drives the Price

You called two companies about the same broken spring and got two prices that don't look related. Or you asked for a number over the phone and got "it depends," which sounded like a dodge. Sometimes it is one. Most of the time the price really does depend on things nobody can see from the other end of a phone line.

We don't publish a price list, and we'd be careful with anyone who quotes a firm number for a repair they haven't seen. What we can do is show you what goes into a garage door repair price, so you can read a quote and ask the right questions.

What every repair price is made of

Any garage door repair bill comes down to four things.

• Parts. The spring, cable, roller set, seal or opener component itself, sized to your door.
• Labour. How long the job takes and how many hands it needs. A second technician is sometimes needed for heavy doors.
• The trip. Getting a stocked truck to your driveway, and whether the right part is on it.
• What else turns up. A spring job that reveals a frayed cable, or an opener call that turns out to be a broken spring.

That last one is where most of the difference between quotes comes from. A company that looks only at the part you pointed to can quote low. A company that checks the whole door may quote higher because it found a second problem, and that problem was there either way.

Springs

Spring replacement is one of the most common garage door repairs, and it has the widest price spread because springs aren't one-size parts.

Torsion or extension

Torsion springs sit on a shaft above the door. Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on each side. The two systems use different hardware, and extension systems also need safety cables running through each spring. If yours are missing, adding them is part of doing the job properly. The door association DASMA advises a safety inspection for any extension-spring door without them.

Size and weight

Springs are matched to the weight of the door. A double insulated steel door needs heavier springs than a single uninsulated one, and wood doors are heavier again. The wire size, inside diameter and length all have to match. A spring that is "close enough" leaves the door out of balance, and that shows up later as a worn opener.

One spring or two

If your door has two springs and one has broken, DASMA's guidance is to replace both. They've done the same number of cycles, and the one still intact is carrying extra load. A quote for two springs will be higher than a quote for one, and it's usually the better repair. If a quote covers one spring on a two-spring door, ask why. Our page on garage door spring replacement explains how we handle it.

Standard or high-cycle

Springs are rated by cycles, one cycle being one trip up and back down. Longer-rated springs cost more up front. They make sense for a household that uses the garage as its main entrance, and less sense for a door that opens twice a week. The usual signs of a broken garage door spring are worth knowing before you go any closer.

Cables and drums

A lift cable on its own is a small part. The price moves with what came with it.

A cable that slipped off its drum on an otherwise healthy door is a different job from one that snapped and let the door drop onto one side. If the drum is worn or cracked, it gets replaced too. If the bottom bracket at the corner of the door has rusted — common in garages where salty slush drips off the car all winter — that comes into it as well. And if the door racked sideways when the cable let go, the rollers may be out of the track. Cable failures also travel with spring failures more often than people expect. If you're not sure which one you're looking at, our article on telling a spring problem from a cable problem walks through the signs.

A proper broken garage door cable repair covers drums, cable size and the balance check afterward.

Rollers, hinges and tracks

Worn rollers are a common reason a door gets loud, and replacing a set is usually straightforward. Price depends on the roller type. Basic steel rollers cost less than sealed-bearing nylon ones, which run quieter and last longer. Hinges crack where the door flexes, most often at the middle sections.

Tracks are where the range widens. A loose bracket is a quick fix. A bent section from a car bumper or a snowblower handle may need straightening or a replacement piece, and a badly bent track can mean replacing the full length on that side.

Off-track doors

A door that has come off its track costs more than the sum of its parts, for two reasons. The door has to be secured before anyone works on it, and the cause has to be found. Something knocked those rollers out, whether an impact, a slack cable or a worn roller. Resetting the door without fixing the cause means it comes off again.

The price also depends on the damage the door took on the way out. A section that creased when the door twisted may be repairable. If it isn't, the conversation moves to panel repair when a matching section is still available. We cover this under off-track garage door repair.

Openers and sensors

Opener calls have the widest spread of all, because the fix can be almost nothing or a new unit.

• Sensors. A bumped sensor that needs realigning is a small job. A cut or corroded sensor wire takes longer to trace.
• Remotes and keypads. Programming or replacing a remote costs little. Compatibility with older openers can limit your choices.
• Drive components. Many chain and belt openers use a plastic drive gear that wears out. A gear kit on an opener that's otherwise healthy is usually worth doing.
• Logic boards and motors. On an older opener, a board or motor failure often costs enough that replacement makes more sense.

The age of the opener changes the math. Parts for current models are easy to get. Parts for a twenty-year-old unit may not exist. We'll tell you when repairing an opener is throwing good money after bad. We also handle problems with the garage door opener.

Weather seals and small hardware

Bottom seals, side and top weatherstripping, loose lag screws, handles and lock bars are the least expensive repairs on a garage door. Seal cost depends on the width of the door and the retainer the seal slides into. Some retainers take a standard seal. Others need a profile matched to the door's manufacturer, and an aluminum retainer that's bent or corroded may need replacing as well.

Emergency and after-hours calls

A door stuck open on a January night, or a door down with the only car trapped behind it, is a different kind of call. The job often has two parts: secure the door now, then complete the repair once the right parts are on hand. Ask how a company prices after-hours work before you book, so the bill holds no surprise.

If the door is stuck, hanging or unsafe right now, emergency garage door service is the right starting point.

The part that raises the bill: waiting

The most expensive garage door repairs we see are usually two repairs, and the second one didn't have to happen. The usual chains go like this.

• A spring breaks, someone keeps pressing the button, and the opener strips its gear trying to lift a door it was never built to lift.
• A cable slips, the door keeps running crooked, and the rollers climb out of the track and crease a section.
• A roller seizes, nobody notices for a season, and the track takes the wear.

If the door is heavy, crooked, or making a new noise, stopping early is the cheapest thing you can do.

How to get a quote you can rely on

Send photos before anyone drives out. It narrows the parts list and cuts the chance of a second visit. The most useful shots are:

1. The whole door from inside, with the door closed.
2. The area above the door where the springs sit.
3. Each bottom corner, where the cables meet the door.
4. The label on the opener, if you can see it from the floor.
5. Anything that looks bent, loose or broken, up close.

Then ask three questions of any quote. Does the price include parts, labour and the trip? What else did you check on the door? And if two springs are involved, are both being replaced? A quote that answers all three is one you can compare.

We give a flat-rate price before any work starts, and you approve it first.

When the repair quote says "replace"

Sometimes the honest answer is that the door isn't worth fixing. Several worn parts at once, creased panels that can't be matched, rust through the bottom section, or a door that can't be balanced any more all point that way. If you're weighing that decision, read when to repair or replace a garage door. We'll price both when it's a close call.

Questions we hear about repair prices

Can you give me a price from photos?

Often, yes, or at least a close one. Clear photos of the springs, cable ends and opener label let us identify most parts. Where something can't be judged from a photo, we'll say so and look at it first.

Why does a spring quote include cables?

When a spring breaks, the cables can go slack and slip on their drums. A frayed cable found during a spring job is also worth replacing while the tension is already off the system. You can always ask for the cable work to be priced separately.

Is it cheaper to replace the opener than repair the door?

No. A new opener won't fix a door that's out of balance, and a heavy door will wear a new opener out too. Fix the door first, then decide about the opener.

Does the price change in winter?

The work doesn't change, but cold weather tends to bring out springs and openers that were already close to failing, so demand rises. Having a tired door looked at in the fall avoids some of that.