Roller garage doors for integral garages

In short

An integral garage is a garage built into the main structure of the house, usually with a room above it and an internal door into the home. A roller garage door suits it well because the curtain coils into a compact box behind the lintel, so it needs no ceiling space, leaves the garage ceiling clear and doesn't swing out over the drive.

Anthracite electric roller garage door rolling up as a remote fob is pressed on the driveway

Computer-generated image

Why does a roller door suit an integral garage?

A roller door suits an integral garage because it opens straight up into a box at the top of the opening, leaving the garage ceiling free. In an integral garage that ceiling is often the underside of a bedroom or living room, with pipes, cables and lights fixed to it, so there's rarely space for the tracks of an up-and-over or sectional door.

Because the curtain rises vertically, nothing swings out over the drive. You can park close to the door, and the full width of the opening stays usable. If you're weighing up the options, our roller vs up-and-over vs sectional guide sets out the differences.

Will an electric roller door be noisy under a bedroom?

An electric roller door makes some noise as the motor turns and the laths coil onto the barrel, but a well-fitted door with insulated laths runs with a steady hum rather than a clatter. The tubular motor sits inside the barrel, and insulated laths reduce noise compared with single-skin laths.

Fitting matters as much as the product. We set the guide rails square so the curtain runs without rubbing, fit brush seals in the guides, and set the motor's limits so the door stops cleanly at the top and bottom instead of straining against its stops. If the room above is a bedroom or a nursery, tell us at the survey so we can talk through lath choice and where the box and control box go.

Should I choose insulated laths for an integral garage?

Insulated laths are usually the better choice for an integral garage, because the garage shares walls, and often a ceiling, with heated rooms. Insulated laths are double-skinned aluminium filled with polyurethane foam, and they reduce heat loss, draughts and noise compared with single-skin laths.

It's worth being clear about what the door can and can't do. A garage door is not part of the house's insulated envelope, so the walls and ceiling between the garage and your rooms still do that job. An insulated door keeps the garage less cold and draughty, which helps the rooms next to it.

An insulated electric roller door for an opening up to 2.4 m wide is £1,495–£2,295 inc VAT, supplied and fitted, including removal and disposal of an old roller or up-and-over door. See insulated roller garage doors for wider sizes.

Does a new garage door change the fire separation between the garage and the house?

No. In an integral garage, the fire separation between the garage and the house is provided by the internal door, walls and ceiling, not by the garage door, and our work doesn't touch them. In many homes that internal door is a fire door, sometimes with a self-closer.

Our work is limited to the garage opening: the box, guides, curtain, motor and controls. We don't remove, alter or prop open the internal door to the house, and it should stay exactly as it is after the new garage door is fitted. If you have questions about the internal door itself, or you're planning to turn part of the garage into a room, speak to the local authority's building control team before any work starts.

Where does the power come from for an electric door in an integral garage?

An electric roller door needs a power supply close to the box, usually a fused spur or socket on the wall inside the garage near the top of the opening. Integral garages often already have power from the house, which makes this straightforward.

If there's no suitable supply, a qualified electrician fits a new fused spur, which is £129–£249 inc VAT when added to a new door. In England and Wales some domestic electrical work is notifiable under Part P, and the electrician handles that.

It's also worth planning for power cuts, especially if the garage is a regular way into the house. Most electric roller doors have a manual override, and a battery backup unit can run the door for a limited number of cycles. Our power cut guide explains how each works.

Questions

Can I fit a roller door if my integral garage has a low ceiling?

Usually, yes. A roller door only needs headroom directly above the opening for its box, not space across the ceiling. Box sizes vary with door height and lath size, commonly from around 205 mm to 300 mm or more. If there isn't room behind the lintel, the box can sit under it or on the front of the wall, and we'll explain how that affects the clear opening at the survey.

Can I still get into the garage if the power goes off?

Yes, by using the manual override. Most electric roller doors have an internal crank or winding handle that lets you open the door by hand, so keep it somewhere easy to find. If the garage door is your main way in, ask about an external override or a battery backup unit, which can run the door for a limited number of cycles during a power cut.

Will an insulated roller door make my integral garage warm?

It will make it less cold and draughty, but it won't turn the garage into a heated room. Insulated laths reduce heat loss, draughts and noise compared with single-skin laths, yet the door isn't part of the house's insulated envelope and the garage walls, floor and roof still lose heat. The benefit is greatest where the garage shares walls or a ceiling with living space.