Early 19th century pioneers to what is now Parker, CO included Alfred Butters who built the Pine Grove Way Station along a stage road leading from Denver. George Long purchased the Pine Grove building from Butters, relocated it and renamed it Twenty Mile House, because it was 20 miles from Denver. Twenty Mile House changed hands a couple more times before ending up in the possession of James Parker. Parker was a veteran of the Civil War who moved to Colorado following the cessation of hostilities.
Just as Long had done Parker increased the size and number of services offered by the Twenty Mile House. When a post office was established for the nearby Pine Grove settlement Parker became the first postmaster. He also built the area’s first schoolhouse. George Parker - James' brother - arrived in the area shortly after and homesteaded a large tract of land. He would eventually parcel out his land to new arrivals in order to encourage settlement.
In 1882 the name of the settlement was changed from Pine Grove to Parker, in honor of the two brothers. That was the same year the railroad came to town. During the ensuing decades, more businesses moved to the area. A church was established as well as a cemetery, hotel, and brickworks. The first substantial houses in the Victorian style appeared early in the 20th century.
During the 1960s a concerted effort was made to develop the town, although it largely petered out. A second wave of development during the 1990s, however, was far more successful with the population surging from just over 5,000 in 1990 to more than 23,000 by the year 2000. That exponential growth has continued to this day with the current population estimated to be some 56,000.
If there is one thing most of the 20 and 30-year-old homes in Parker have in common it’s that their original garage doors are in need of replacement. Either that or their second generation garage doors have reached the point that they require fairly regular repair.
The Need to Replace Garage Door Springs
When homes are originally built the developers are driven by a desire to maximize profits. That shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. But it means that they look for discreet places where they can cut corners a bit. One of the most common places for that to happen is with the garage door springs.
Often developers will install a single torsion spring rather than 2 on a new home. Or they'll use springs made from inferior grades of steel. Or they'll install a pair of mismatched springs because they happen to be available. These are often the first things to go on an overhead door. So, even homes built in the past decade or so will likely need their garage door springs replaced if not now, then soon.
Keep in mind too that the condition and quality of the springs directly influence the tracks. If you have mismatched springs on your overhead door this will cause unequal pressure to be applied to the door as it opens and closes. This puts enormous stress on the tracks and can cause them to warp. This type of uneven pressure also makes life harder on the rollers as they are forced through the track at odd angles. And it can cause excessive wear and tear on the garage door opener as well.
Garage Door Openers
High-quality garage door openers that have been rigorously maintained have a life expectancy of as much as 15-20 years. However, most garage door openers on Parker homes wind up lasting about 10 years. That’s usually because the developer saved a few dollars by installing a less-than-quality opener. That means most homes in Parker are on their 2nd or 3rd opener. Even openers on homes built around 2010 are likely reaching the end of their usefulness.
Some homeowners are of the opinion that if there is trouble with the garage door opener they can just ride the repair train indefinitely. But the last thing you want to do is get in an endless cycle of repairs with a cheap garage door opener. If you do, the law of diminishing returns will quickly take over and you’ll wind up paying many times as much in repairs as you would pay to simply replace the opener.
As such, when the time does come to replace your garage door opener it's a good idea to pick one of today's energy-efficient, high-quality models and schedule regular maintenance checkups by the pros at A Better Garage Door. This way your door will always be there for you when you need it and maintenance and repair costs will be kept to a minimum over the life of the door.
The Right Garage Door Repair Company for the Job in Parker, CO
A Better Garage Door has been serving the people of Parker, CO for more than 23 years. We’ve seen the town transform from its sleepy agrarian roots to become the vibrant, thoroughly modern suburb it is today. And we have firsthand knowledge of and experience with every type of home within the town borders. We understand the common problems that beset them, know which types of homes have which types of doors and stock all the parts needed to affect quick and lasting repairs.
We are also used to working in the often brutal winter conditions that can descend on Parker. So if you need emergency repairs at any time of the day or night in any type of weather, we are the company to call. With all this practical experience with both the environment and the housing stock, it only makes sense to call A Better Garage Door for all your maintenance and repair needs.
New Garage Doors
Making sure your new garage door is the right one for your home is important. After all, the overhead door is the single largest component of your home’s exterior. And since garage doors typically face the street, they also have a profound impact on how your home is perceived; it’s ‘curb appeal’ as the real estate agents say.
When it comes to garage doors we’ve spent long years studying issues of compatibility, both aesthetic and practical. We know precisely which doors perform best in the Colorado climate, which ones are the best aesthetic match for local home styles and which ones are the best value. Should you want a one-of-a-kind custom garage door for your home we can do that too. So when the time comes to install a brand new garage door on your home make sure you entrust the job to the most qualified garage door installation company in the state: A Better Garage Door.
The Bottom Line
Parker is one of the fastest-growing communities in the Rocky Mountain State. But it’s also a town with a long proud history and one that continues to embody the common sense values established by the Parkers and their fellow pioneers all those years ago. We are proud to serve the residents of Parker and look forward to doing so for the next 20+ years. Give us a call for any of your garage door repair, installation or maintenance needs.