Garage Doors Have Come A Long Way!
You may not consider your garage to be anything of great significance but back in the early days of automobiles your garage would have been greatly cherished. When automobiles began to be more of a common belonging for most citizens, it was quickly realized that a place was needed to store such a prized possession. In the early days of horse and buggy, many people used what was a called a carriage house to store their horse and carriage. These carriage houses were not attached to the home, but were a separate structure on the property. Today, carriage house garage door styles are manufactured to resemble historic carriage house doors that swing, fold or slide!
Garage Parking Lot Designs
While the carriage house seemed like the perfect place to begin storing the automobile, many new car owners quickly discovered that keeping their car and their horse in the same place resulted in a car that smelled like horse manure. No one wants a smelly car, so what began to happen was the building of commercial garages and parking lots. Some of these were public and some were private, but car owners could pay a monthly fee to park their vehicles without having to worry about their car smelling like horse poop. No one wants to drive around in a car that smells like horse poop; nobody.
Garages Protect & Provide Shelter for Automobiles & Other Belongings
While parking lots and garages were a great way to store vehicles, many car owners soon found that it was not convenient or cost effective to store their car at a parking lot. People that lived blocks from the garage would rather have their vehicle available immediately right at their home. So rather than sticking their car back into the stinky carriage house, a new structure was built specifically for car storage and that is the beginning of the garage. The word garage comes from the French word garer, which means to shelter or protect. The main purpose of the garage was to protect and provide shelter for their vehicles.
History & Evolution of the Garage Door
The first garage door worked just like a barn door, and why not, that is what people were used to using to get in and out of larger building structures. A double door attached to the structure with large hinges allowed drivers to get out of their car, swing the doors open and pull comfortably inside of the garage. These hinges and large swinging doors began to wear down quickly due to how often they were being opened and closed. The invention of sliding tracks for garage doors greatly improved the garage door design and garages were never the same after that. For expert service on your garage doors, call AAA Action Garage Doors today!
