Missouri's weather is a study in extremes: hot, humid summers, winters that bring ice storms and hard freezes, and spring storms with hail, damaging wind and tornadoes. Its housing covers just as much ground, from St. Louis brick homes to newer Kansas City suburbs and Ozark hillsides.
Here's what Missouri homeowners should know about keeping garage doors working. For St. Louis details, see our St. Louis page.
St. Louis brick homes and alley garages
St. Louis is known for its brick architecture, and many older homes in the city and inner suburbs have detached brick or frame garages on alleys. Those garages often have wood jambs set into masonry openings that have shifted over the decades.
Out-of-square openings, rotted wood jambs and cracked slabs are common challenges when replacing a door on an older garage. Custom sizing, new jambs or slab repair may be needed before a new door can close and seal properly. Because many of these garages were sized for smaller cars, owners sometimes ask about widening the opening; in brick, that means a new steel lintel and masonry work, so plan it with a mason before ordering a wider door.
St. Charles County and western growth
St. Peters, Weldon Spring, Foristell, Troy and the rest of the area west and northwest of St. Louis have seen steady growth, mostly in subdivisions where attached garages hold two or three cars. Builder-grade doors and openers in those homes are reaching the age when springs and openers wear out.
Upgrades to insulated doors, high-cycle springs and quieter belt-drive openers are popular. HOAs commonly regulate door style and color, so check before ordering.
Kansas City suburbs, hail and wind
Raymore, Lee's Summit, Sibley and the rest of the Kansas City area face frequent spring and summer hail and strong storms. Thin steel doors dent easily, and wind can bend tracks or blow in panels on doors left partly open.
After hail, take photos and call your insurer before anything is repaired. For a replacement, a thicker steel skin over an insulated core, with an embossed wood-grain texture, hides and resists small dents far better than a thin, flat panel.
- Keep the door fully closed during severe storms.
- After hail, check for dents and cracked windows.
- After strong wind, look for bent tracks before using the opener.
Tornadoes, ice storms and humid summers
Missouri sees tornadoes in spring and sometimes fall; the 2011 Joplin tornado was among the deadliest in U.S. history. Wind-damaged doors under spring tension can be dangerous, so leave them for a technician.
Ice storms can freeze seals to the slab and knock out power. Know how to use the manual release; a battery-equipped opener keeps working through an outage. Humid summers rust hardware and rot wood jambs, so inspect the lowest section and the base of the jambs every spring.
Ozark hillsides
In Springfield, Branson and the Ozarks, hilly terrain means steep driveways, sloped lots and garages under homes. Karst geology can cause settling, and heavy rain can send water toward garage doors.
Good bottom seals, drainage away from the door and regular checks of slab condition help. Garages under living space benefit from quiet openers and insulated doors. Around Table Rock Lake and the Lake of the Ozarks, garages that hold boats or golf carts often need taller doors or extra depth.
Last updated by the American Garage Door Team.