Garage doors don’t get much attention, unless you crash into one (which this writer may or may not have done recently).
![It’s getting hard to find garage doors](https://20627419.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/20627419/hubfs/The%20Hustle/Assets/Images/773316755-News-Brief_2022-03-02T021941.036Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=773316755-News-Brief_2022-03-02T021941.036Z.webp)
But these days, garage doors are top of mind for builders and aspiring homeowners across the country.
Garage doors are becoming harder and harder to find, with prices up 2x-3x in the last year, and lead times up from weeks to months, according to The New York Times.
So what’s going on?
A couple of well-documented macro factors are at the core of the problem:
- The housing market: Record prices are pushing folks away from cities, where the need for a car and garage increases.
- The supply chain crisis: Garage doors often contain components that have been in short supply, including spray-foam insulation, polyurethane, and steel.
Short supply is a big problem since, in 2020, 90% of new US homes had a garage.
Now builders are in a bind
The shortage is causing massive delays in homebuilding. One builder says it used to take 20 weeks to build a house; now it takes 20 weeks just to get a pair of garage doors.
But the situation has sparked some creative solutions:
- Using cheap replacement doors as placeholders until the permanent doors arrive
- Passing provisions allowing for plywood sealing in place of garage doors, like they did in Sacramento
BTW: If you’re feeling inspired after all this garage talk, check out this list of 50 ideas to make your garage door way cooler than a piece of plywood.