Congratulation, you have finally decided to transform your garage into a living room. As a first step towards garage conversion, you’ll have to remove the garage door. For this, you can replace the garage door with French doors.
If you already have an existing garage door structure, replacing your garage door with French doors will be super easy. However, before replacing the garage door with French doors, you may require permission from authorities and some structural adjustments.
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Can I Replace Single Garage Door with French Doors?
Yes, you can replace your garage door with a French door. However, while installing French doors in place of the garage door, you’ll have to meet the following requirements.

Requirements for Garage Door to French Doors Replacement
- At first, you’ll need permission from your local city authority. For this, you’ll have to apply for garage door replacement. After that, they will inspect your garage, and if everything is fine, you’ll get the permit.
Without your local city authority’s permission, it’ll be illegal to replace the garage door with French doors.
- After taking permission from your local city authority, you’ll have to make a blueprint of how you’ll replace the garage door. If you’re a novice in this field, you should consult with an expert and design a blueprint for your garage.
- As you’ll be using your garage for residential purposes, you’ll need to insulate the walls. Apart from this, you’ll need separate electrical wiring for residential purposes. Again, if the garage wall walls aren’t in good condition, you’ll have to repair and color the walls.
- Plumbing isn’t necessary but depends on the end-user.
So, the bottom line is that you’ll need a complete makeover when you convert your garage for residential purposes.
How to Replace Garage Door with French Doors
Step 1: Remove the Garage Door
First, you’ll have to remove the garage door. For this, take a screwdriver and put it under the pivot stick lip. After that, with a hammer or mallet, remove the door.
Step 2: Clear the Dust and Other Instruments
After removing the door from its pivot, you’ll have to clear all the debris produced while removing the door. Also, don’t forget to remove the instruments from the door frame area.
Step 3: Install the Door Frame
Now, after clearing the entryway, you’ll have to assemble the door frame by using shims.
Step 4: French Door Installation
For installing the French door, you’ll have to insert the bottom of the door first. You can use the carpenter square or the long level to ensure your French door fits in the door frame.
Advantages of Installing French Doors
1. Aesthetic
One of the key features of the French door is that it provides you with a new look for your residential building. If you want to increase the value of your house, there is no better option than replacing the regular doors with French doors.
2. Makes the Room Feel Bigger
French doors allow light to enter your space, which makes your room seem bigger. This works great when you have a patio right in front of the room. It’ll make the outside patio an extension of the interior.
3. Security
The primary purpose of a door is to provide security, and the French door does it pretty well. Unlike other glass doors, French doors have smaller glass panels and a large frame, which increases the house’s security.
Drawbacks of the French Door
1. Require Large Space
As French doors are connected to hinges, you’ll need a large area to fully open the doors. If you have a smaller room or have big furniture near the door, French doors may not be the right fit for your house.
2. Not Energy-Efficient
If you’re planning to make your house more energy-efficient or save heating and cooling bills, installing a French door may not be the right idea. Because French doors are hard to seal, they have big gaps, and doors must be opened longer than the regular or sliding doors.
FAQs about Replacing Garage Doors with French Doors
1. Are French Doors Customizable?
2. What is the Average Cost of a French Door?
3. What are the Framing materials of French Doors?
4. Do I Need City Authority’s Permission to Replace My Garage Door?
Conclusion
French doors have some advantages and drawbacks as well. That’s why before installing French doors, you should consult a garage professional.
Helpful Products For Your Garage
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you found it helpful. Here are a couple of websites I’ve found that have some helpful products I have personally used to organize, maintain, and help add some style to my garage over the years.
These are affiliate links, so if you do decide to use any of them, I’ll earn a commission. But in all honesty, these are the exact products that I use and recommend to everyone, even my own family.
Garagebasics.com – Garagebasics.com does have everything you need to create the most attractive and organized garage on your block. I purchased Garage Basics Diamond garage floor tiles for my new garage floor and I couldn’t be happier with the result.
Click the Garage Basics website link above to find everything from storage racks to garage workbenches and see why this is my go-to site when looking for products to improve my garage.
Dooropenersandmore.com – Dooropenersandmore.com sells a large selection of replacement garage door opener remotes, keypads, and receivers all in one place! When my LiftMaster remote failed last year, dooropenersandmore.com came to my rescue.
I was really surprised at the number of brands they carried and their prices were lower than I could find anywhere else. If you need replacement parts for your garage door remote, keypad, or receiver, click the link above. Plus, shipping is free on orders in the United States!
If you need replacement parts for your garage door remote, keypad, or receiver; click the link above to see why they’re the best.