How Much Does a New Garage Door Cost Installed in Seattle?

Updated November 2026 · 9 min read

A new garage door is the biggest single purchase most homeowners make on a garage, and the quotes can land anywhere from under a thousand dollars to several thousand for the same opening. This guide lays out what the dated national cost guides say, what moves the number in Seattle, Washington specifically, and what paperwork a job this size should come with.

Everything below is a published national estimate from Fixr (January 2025) or This Old House (March 2026), not a quote. Seattle-area quotes vary; compare at least three in writing.

Published price ranges for a new garage door

Read the single-door average, about $993, as a plain steel door in a standard opening. Read the top of the double-door range as a wood or heavily insulated carriage-style door with windows and a new opener.

1-car vs 2-car

A single door is roughly 8 or 9 feet wide by 7 feet tall; a double is 16 by 7. The double costs more than twice as much at the top of the range because it is heavier, needs larger springs and often a stronger opener, and because wider doors are where the premium materials show up. In Fixr's January 2025 figures, labor alone runs $100 to $300 for a single and $375 to $575 for a double; the rest is the door.

Seattle's housing complicates the simple sizes. The city's median home was built in 1976 and 22.8 percent of its homes date from before 1940 (American Community Survey 2020 to 2024). Many older Seattle houses have detached garages off an alley with openings narrower or shorter than today's standard sizes and little headroom. A door for one of those is a custom width, a low-headroom track or both, and it prices above a stock single; the Craftsman garage post goes into the options. Widening the opening instead moves the job into framing and a building permit.

Insulated vs not

Garage door insulation is sold by R-value, but in a Seattle garage the better reason to buy it is construction. An insulated door is two skins with foam between them: stiffer, quieter, harder to dent, and with the insulation sealed away from the damp air. Fixr (January 2025) prices an insulated single at $700 to $2,300 installed against $700 to $2,000 for the general single range, so the premium is real but not large at the low end.

Where it pays: an attached garage that shares a wall or ceiling with living space, a garage used as a shop, or a damp detached garage where a stiffer door lasts longer. Ask for the R-value and the construction on the written quote so you are comparing like with like.

Steel, wood or something that looks like wood

Wood is the expensive and high-maintenance choice here. Fixr (January 2025) puts wood door materials at $1,000 to $3,500 for a single and $2,000 to $6,000 for a double before installation. A wood door in a climate with about 156 days a year of measurable rain (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals) needs its finish renewed on a schedule, and the bottom rail is where rot starts. Many homeowners replacing a rotted wood door choose a steel or composite carriage-style door that reads as wood from the street. The wood door post covers when a repair still makes sense.

What else moves the price in Seattle

• Headroom and side room. Low-headroom tracks and tight side clearance add hardware and time.
• An opener at the same time. $300 to $600 installed (Fixr) or $430 to $730 (This Old House). Battery backup adds $75 to $175; the November 19, 2024 windstorm knocked out power to more than 114,000 Seattle City Light customers.
• Electrical work. A garage door company doesn't need an electrical license for an opener's low-voltage sensor and wall-button wiring (WAC 296-46B-901). A new outlet or circuit for an opener is electrical work for a licensed electrical contractor, with a permit from your city (Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, Burien, Tukwila, Lynnwood) or from L&I (Shoreline, Kent, Edmonds, Issaquah). Ask for it as a separate line.
• Permits. Most garage door repairs don't need a permit, but a new or resized opening, or new wiring for an opener, usually does. Seattle exempts minor repairs under $6,000 in six months that don't touch load-bearing framing; Bellevue, WA and King County exempt same-size door replacement; Issaquah requires a permit even for in-kind replacement (MyBuildingPermit tip sheet, June 2026). Exemptions may not apply on steep-slope or shoreline lots. Ask your installer or call your city's permit center. More in the permit post.
• HOA review. Many Eastside and plateau neighborhoods have HOAs with architectural review. Issaquah Highlands, for example, requires an application before changing a garage door's style or color but not for a same-style, same-color replacement (IHCA FAQ). Check your own CC&Rs.

New doors carry a design-pressure label. Ask the installer what your city requires and keep the label.

Paperwork a new-door job should come with

Almost every new door crosses $1,000. In Washington that means the contractor must give you a written Notice to Customer before work starts (RCW 18.27.114), stating the company's L&I registration number, bond amount and expiration date. Washington requires garage door companies to be registered with the Department of Labor & Industries as contractors; there is an "Overhead/garage doors" specialty. Registered contractors carry a bond (at least $15,000 for a specialty contractor) and liability insurance, and must show their registration number in ads (RCW 18.27.100). Look any company up on L&I's Verify a Contractor tool before you put down a deposit.

Deposits on a special-order door are normal; paying in full before the door is hung is not. Get the warranty terms for the door, the springs and the installation labor in writing; they are often three different warranties with three different lengths.

Repair or replace?

A single creased section, a broken spring or a tired opener on an otherwise sound door is a repair; the panel replacement page and the cost guide have the ranges. Replacement makes more sense when several sections are damaged, when a wood door has rot through the bottom rail, or when you want insulation and quiet that a repair cannot deliver. A company that recommends replacement should be able to show you why on the door itself.

The Garage Door Repair Seattle is a free quote-matching service, not a garage door company. Describe the door once, including size, single or double, wood or steel and whether you want an opener, or call (877) 265-2390. Independent installation companies serving Seattle, WA and the Eastside can reply with no-obligation quotes.

Frequently asked questions