When building a high-performance house, every part of the home matters—including the garage. Insulated garage doors are beneficial in both cold and hot climates, preventing extreme temperatures from reaching adjacent rooms for more comfort year-round. On the Connecticut Fine Homebuilding House, the team got to work installing Clopay’s House Reserve Wood Modern doors, which have solid wood framing and cladding and are filled with expanded polystyrene insulation. The insulation will help make the garage a comfortable buffer between the indoors and outdoors on this Passive House remodel.

Aside from the added comfort and energy-efficiency, the homeowners chose this model of doors with continuous horizontal cladding for a slick, modern look. Before the installation crew arrived, the cedar door panels were stained with Benjamin Moore Arborcoat in translucent cedar. The same stain will be used for the nearby porch beams and columns.

Installation went smoothly as the team assembled the heavy-duty hinges and hung the doors on smooth-rolling steel tracks. The organized and efficient crew from American Overhead Doors was able to assemble and install all three garage doors in only four hours. The quiet motors on the doors’ openers are WiFi enabled for integration with smarthome controls, and they have built-in backup batteries that can open or close the doors even if the power goes out.