Understanding what an overhead garage door is
What is an overhead garage door?
'Overhead door' is a description of movement, not a brand or a single product. It means any garage door that finishes above the opening when it is open, instead of swinging outwards on hinges like a gate. The phrase is used far more in North America than here, which is why people in Northern Ireland often search for it without being sure what they will get.
In practice, three of the door types we supply and fit are overhead doors: up and over, sectional and roller. Side-hinged doors are the one mainstream style that is not, because the leaves swing open. The rest of this page explains how the three overhead types differ, so you can work out which is worth asking about.
- Overhead types
- Up and over, sectional, roller
- Not overhead
- Side-hinged
- Lowest published price
- Up and over from £649 fitted
- Where the door ends up
- Above or behind the opening
Three ways a door can travel overhead
An up and over door is one solid leaf. It tilts out at the bottom and slides back into the garage on tracks, or pivots on a canopy frame so part of it projects forward as a small canopy when open.
A sectional door is made of horizontal panels hinged together. It lifts straight up behind the opening and turns along tracks under the ceiling, so it never crosses the line of the driveway.
A roller door is a curtain of narrow slats that coils into a box directly above the opening. It uses no ceiling tracks at all, which is why it keeps the roof space inside the garage completely free.
| Type | Moves | Space it uses | Published from-price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up and over | Tilts out, then back | Room in front and above inside | £649 fitted |
| Roller | Coils straight up | A box above the opening | £789* fitted (manual compact) |
| Sectional | Panels lift and turn | Tracks under the ceiling | £1,250 |
Is 'overhead' just a US word for up and over?
Not quite. Many people use the two terms interchangeably, but up and over is only one kind of overhead door. If a quote or a search result says 'overhead door', ask which mechanism it actually is, because that decides the space you need and the price you pay.
Our own name comes from the same idea: we work on doors that go overhead. That does not mean we only handle one style, and it does not tell you which style suits your home.
Which overhead type fits your garage
The deciding factor is almost always space, not looks. Measure three things before you decide: the headroom between the top of the opening and the ceiling, how far the driveway runs in front of the door, and whether anything hangs from the garage ceiling.
- Short drive, or a car parked close to the door: roller or sectional, both open vertically.
- Very little height above the opening: an up and over or a sectional with low-headroom tracks is often easier than a roller box.
- Loft storage, racking or a hoist in the roof space: the roller leaves the ceiling clear.
- Heated or converted garage: a double-skin insulated sectional performs best on warmth.
Manual or motorised?
All three overhead types can be opened by hand or fitted with an electric operator. Our automation is published from £395, and sectional and roller installs normally come with a motor, handsets and a manual release so the door still works in a power cut.
When 'overhead door' means a commercial door
On industrial estates the same phrase is used for sectional bay doors, roller shutters and high-speed doors. Those are specified differently, so we have kept them on a separate page about commercial overhead doors rather than mixing them in here.
Questions we get asked
- Is a roller garage door an overhead door?
- Yes. It coils into a box above the opening, so it finishes overhead just like an up and over or a sectional door.
- Are side-hinged garage doors overhead doors?
- No. Side-hinged doors swing open like a pair of gates, which is useful where there is no headroom at all, but they do not travel overhead.
- What is the cheapest overhead garage door you fit?
- On our published prices, up and over doors start from £649 fitted. Manual compact rollers start from £789* fitted and sectional doors from £1,250.
- Can you tell me which overhead type suits my garage?
- Yes. The survey and quotation are free, and we measure headroom, side room and the drive before recommending a type.
Not sure which overhead door you have room for?
Tell us roughly how wide and high the opening is and how the garage is used, and we will say which of the three types genuinely fits before anyone quotes.
Based at 31 Mount Street, Dromore (BT25) · covering Northern Ireland · 24/7 emergency repairs