company

  • How to Instantly Transform your Garage Door!

    How often do you notice a garage door? If you’re like most people, garage doors are probably practically invisible to you. You might notice a particularly ugly residential garage door, or if a restaurant has a commercial door installed on the front wall you might think about it for a moment, but if you see a totally normal garage door you probably wouldn’t think twice about it. What if we told you that there was a product that could change that completely, and make every visitor notice and remember your garage door?

  • Broken Garage Door Springs and Cables

    Garage door spring repair is one of the most common types of jobs that we get called in for. The spring is a critically important part of your garage door, and because it does most of the hard work behind lifting the door, it is under considerable stress. In fact, aside from user error (like running your car into your garage door!) broken springs and broken rollers account for almost all the repair jobs that A Plus Garage Doors sees in a given week. Since these two parts are doing most of the work, it makes sense that they will wear out first – the only way to counter this is to use high-quality parts and to keep them well maintained.

  • The Play in the Garage

    We like filling you in about new developments in garage doors and garage door openers, but we know that all that talk can get a little dry. Even still, the garage is one of the most iconic rooms in a home, and even just a mention of “garage door” gives you an instant image of what a garage looks like. Everyone knows that garages are used for parking cars, storing sports equipment, practicing with your band, or plying a trade like woodworking or auto repair. But despite how garages are typically typecast, they can be used for so much more – such as this Los Angeles-area garage that is the stage for a new and innovative play, “In Case of Emergency”.

  • The ONE Simple Trick to Extend Your Garage Door’s Life!

    Do you know how to treat your garage door right? The garage door is often a mysterious part of the home to homeowners who have never seriously examined their garage door, but to the informed and vigilant homeowner, the garage door can actually be a mark of pride. Charlotte, North Carolina is home to a range of beautiful doors, but many homeowners never think to dream beyond the simple door that their home originally came with. The garage door remains an eyesore for many homeowners, who prefer to put it out-of-sight and out-of-mind rather than tend to it. Today, we’re going to tell you an insanely simple tip to extend the life of your garage door AND keep pests out of your garage. This tip is so simple that you might already be doing it and just not know how much good you’re doing, but some of you might be accidentally making this mistake and not be aware of all the potential downsides!

  • How to: Check your Garage Door’s Safety Features

    Do you know what would happen if you stepped underneath your garage door? Homeowners rarely think about the true power of their garage door, but consider this – not only is the garage door the largest moving appliance in the home, but it is also extremely heavy. A two-car garage door could weigh over three hundred pounds easily! Think about that every time that you or your children run underneath the door while its opening or closing, and it might give you reason to examine the safety features of your door and make sure that they are functioning properly. Luckily, the two most basic safety features of the door are easy enough to check, and we’ll explain just what you should do now!

  • The Rise and Fall of Dell, Inc

    There are very few consistent details between all of the companies that we’ve featured on Garage Greatness. Sometimes, the people responsible for these international powerhouse companies don’t pursue their passion until later in life. Sometimes, they spend years or decades toiling with their idea before finding worldwide success. Sometimes, these companies are momentary successes that then see their sales decline, dropping in popularity as time passes them by. None of these are true about the company we’ll be examining today, Dell Inc. Dell had a mercurial rise to success, going from an unknown name with $1,000 of startup money to being the 51st company in the Fortune 500 list in 2014. And just like the rest of the companies that we’ve covered, Dell got their start in a garage. The year was 1984, the place was Austin, Texas, and the mind behind the company, Michael Dell, wanted to fill an expanding niche in the consumer computers market.

  • Inventing the Cat Flap: Newton or Not?

    Hello readers! On this installment of Garage Greatness, we’re going to be exploring the dubious claim that Isaac Newton himself invented the cat door while in the garage! Although this claim is interesting and would certainly make for a good story, many people doubt that it is true, so we will also be discussing the other potential origins of the cat door. Having specialized doors for your pets is a very old idea, and tracking the exact origin is difficult, but we have done our best to verify the information we’re bringing you. We bring the same reliable and dependable service to our blog that we bring to our residential and commercial garage door installation and repair services.

  • Etch A Sketch: The Timeless Toy

    There are certain timeless toys that are universally associated with childhood – dolls, action figures, building blocks, and so on – but there is one common toy that very few users understand. The enigmatic Etch A Sketch has an elegant design and has remained mostly unchanged for over fifty years, but the simple secret behind its magical erasable screen is not the ultimate reason for the toy’s success. The real reason that the Etch A Sketch has remained an unchanging cultural icon for the better part of a century is that it appeals to children of every background, of every level of artistic aptitude. The Etch A Sketch is an icon, and like many other great icons that we’ve explored on Garage Greatness, it was first invented in a garage.

  • Dyson’s Innovative Vacuum Solution

    Dyson is a symbol of innovation around the world, but they got their humble start in a garage, just like so many other important companies of today. James Dyson, the inventor behind the company’s rise to fame and the continuing sole owner of the company, started working on a new way to vacuum after realizing that his Hoover Junior was losing suction over time, as the bag filled with dust and the mesh became clogged. Over 5000 prototypes later, Dyson implemented centripetal cyclones similar to those used in sawmills and build the G-Force, a revolution of a vacuum cleaner that propelled Dyson into the very lucrative vacuum cleaner industry. Now, Dyson sells to over 70 countries, produces vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, fans, and heaters, but the company continues to push the entrepreneurial inventor mindset that it was founded on. All of this, from Dyson’s early prototyping efforts in the coach house attached to his home in Cotswolds, England.

  • |

    Fall DIY Crafts!

    It is the season for pumpkins and apple cider, scary story and monsters, and also the season for a whole bushel of simple craft projects! We’ve created a list of some of our favorites over on our pintrest page, and if you’re looking for a way to decorate your home on a budget or just a way to stretch your creative muscles with a little project, we’ve got something perfect for you!

  • Harley-Davidson: American Excellence

    Garages are notoriously loud, since hobbyist mechanics and garage bands tend to use the garage specifically for making noise. With a private workshop sectioned off from the rest of the house, these backyard innovators had all the space (and muffling walls) they needed to practice their craft without disturbing their family. Of course, some garage inventors want to make noise, like the Davidson brothers and their friend William S. Harvey. These four inventors, all born before 1882, tinkered in a shed behind their friend’s property and ended up inventing a product that would revolutionize American roads and become one of the most iconic examples of any industry – The Harley-Davidson motorcycle.