To a homebuyer, the garage is perhaps simply an attached or detached structure designed to park a car. To an architect, the garage visually supports and leads to the main entrance of the structure.

Today's suburban communities are often filled with houses with garages occupying a substantial part of the front elevation. Being the first element of the home you notice, the stature and aesthetics of the garage set the precedent for the entire exterior, so the garage door should enhance the character of the home.

If the design of your new home features a prominent garage, it's imperative you make it a pleasing appendage of the main house.

It should offer design elements that reflect the architectural integrity of the home as opposed to simply being a shelter for cars.

The most prominent feature of a garage is generally its doors. Most garage doors used in new homes are steel, aluminum, fibreglass, moulded PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or wood.

Steel garage doors are the strongest, most secure option.

Steel-and-insulation doors are fitted with a layer of expanded polystyrene board insulation and a protective vinyl back cover, which helps keep the garage warm in winter and cool in summer.

This increases energy efficiency and makes the door lighter, quieter and easier to operate. It is less likely to sag or warp.

Steel-insulation-and-steel constructed doors have polyurethane foam insulation, or rigid polystyrene, positioned between the door's steel skins that expands to fill 100% of the door's interior.

Double-skin construction is much more durable and is attractive from inside the garage. This door offers maximum energy efficiency, soundproofing and structural integrity.

These doors can also be embossed with woodgrain patterns, rivaling the look of wood without the maintenance headaches.

Aluminum doors have many of the same advantages as steel, such as wood-grain embossing and durable finishes. They are extremely lightweight, will not rust and are relatively inexpensive.

However, they are easily dented.

Fibreglass doors generally have an aluminum frame with fibreglass sections. Like aluminum, they're lightweight, but they yellow with age and break, especially in cold weather.

Wood is coveted for its natural good looks but it demands regular maintenance. It will need to be painted as frequently as the wood trim on the exterior of your home.

Also, the wood expands and contracts and can warp or crack as it weathers.

High-quality garage doors will usually employ a full-width vinyl bubble weather stripping along the bottom edge that conforms to the floor of the garage when closed. They also have rigid-vinyl end caps along the sides of the door panels, a vinyl top cap and weather seals between each section.

Garage door styles range from carriage style to the standard panelled-look doors.

Operationally, there are three kinds of garage doors available:

Swing (traditional carriage doors), tilt-ups and sectional roll-up doors.

The tilt-up door is a single panel piece that pivots out and up which requires room in front.

A sectional roll-up door is made of four or more horizontal sections, hinged together and mounted with rollers to tracks at each side so the door can roll straight up and back.

Although many of today's garage doors appear to swing, slide or fold open like old-fashioned carriage doors, almost all garage doors are overhead doors that operate conveniently with modern automatic openers.

Decorative latches and pulls add beauty and historical accuracy to carriage-style doors and give modern doors flair.

And window sections can be installed on any door style for added natural light and decorative accents.