Get a price for your garage door, in writing, before anything starts

Unplug the opener, pull the release with the door down and lift the door by hand. That one test separates a spring problem from an opener problem from a cable problem. Then they run the door, watch every roller and hinge, check the cables at the drums and the bottom brackets, test the photo-eyes and the auto-reverse, and look at the opener's gear, board and limits. Only after that do they name the fault.

For a repair: the fault, each part by name and, for springs, by cycle rating, the labor, the balance and safety-reverse test, disposal of the old parts, and the warranty term on the parts and the work. The trip fee appears and is shown credited. For a new door or opener: the manufacturer and model, the insulation value, the design pressure the door is specified to and its Florida Product Approval, the struts and brackets included, the permit as its own line, any association submittal, the opener by model with battery backup stated, removal of the old door, and the warranty in writing.

A repair is usually done in the same visit, after you have read the sheet and said yes; the common springs, cables, rollers, sensors and opener parts are on the van. A new door is ordered once you approve the quote and the association, where there is one, has signed off; stock doors go in within one to two weeks of the permit, custom and impact doors in four to eight.

The visit for a repair carries a trip and diagnosis fee, $79 to $129 in daytime hours, which comes off the bill when the repair goes ahead. Quotes for a new door, an opener or a screen cost nothing, and the written figure holds for 30 days. No deposit is taken for a repair; a custom or impact door may carry one at ordering, as the quote states.

Yes. Thirty days is long enough to compare, and nobody here will hurry you. Compare the design pressure, the product approval, the permit line and the warranty term as well as the total; a quote missing any of those is not quoting the same door.

Say so when you call. A car trapped inside, a door stuck open or a spring that just broke goes to the front of the queue and the next free technician comes to you. Until then, leave the door where it is, keep people and pets clear, and do not pull the red release if the door is up.

All of Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce and Lakewood Park, Jensen Beach, Stuart, Palm City, Port Salerno, Hobe Sound and Vero Beach. The where-we-work page lists the communities town by town. The ranges are the same across the whole area.