You may not give much thought to your home's garage door, but when it's time to buy a new one, you want to choose carefully. The garage door is important for the curb appeal of your home and needs to be easy to manage and safe. All of this will depend on the features you choose when selecting a new garage door. Note a few of those features here so you ensure you opt for the right type of door for your home's garage.

Windows

Windows can be more important to a garage than you realize. A garage door with windows can make the entryway seem more homey and less industrial and also allows in natural light during the day for a more comfortable feeling when you're in the garage. Windows can also be a security feature; you can check for a stranger lurking outside or check to see if the kids are still playing in the driveway before you open the garage door. Windows may seem like a simple feature but you would probably miss them if our garage door didn't have them, so choose a door with windows of some sort.

Material

Wood doors may look very attractive but they need to be repainted every few years, and they may be more susceptible to breaking, chipping, cracking, and other such damage. If you must have a wood garage door, choose one with wood overlay that is applied over a steel or other metal so that it's strong and secure. 

It's also good to choose a lightweight material if you're not very physically strong; if the automatic opener should break or malfunction, you'll need to open the door manually before you can get it fixed. Opt for vinyl or aluminum to ensure you can manage the door in these cases.

Fire resistance

If you weld in your garage or keep any type of flammable materials inside, opt for a door with a good fire resistance rating. This will be one that is sealed against the frame so that a fire is starved of oxygen and cannot spread. The material may also be solid metal and any insulating materials inside the door will be fire-resistant.

Interior surfaces

For those who spend time in the garage, choose one with an interior surface. This means that the inside of the garage is designed to look as attractive as the outside; it might have an overlay that covers the garage interior and its components. Rather than looking at the inside of a garage with an exposed spring or hinges or other features that make it very industrial, choose an interior surface for a more attractive appearance inside and out.