Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2009 | Page 126

life

LOCAL BUSINESS

Up, up and away with
Anne Ginger, where
Islandwide Garage Doors you can have it all
“SOME people like to have
a touch and a feel before
buying a door,” says Mick
Gallop, owner of Islandwide
Garage Doors, a family firm
in Ventnor. “They like to know
what sort of sound it makes
when it closes, and to try out
different mechanisms.”
There is indeed far more to
choosing a garage door than
you’d think. It’s got a job to do
and it needs to be secure but
you want the garage to fit in
perfectly with the rest of the
house.
At his showroom, Mick
touches a button and an
apparently solid door of deep
wooden panels begins to fold
as it retreats up to the roof:
thanks to its railing system
it disappears completely,
maximising headroom. He can
show you up-and-over doors,
roller doors, and sectional
doors. Manual or automatic,
the choices of material include
wood, steel, fibre glass and
UPVC. Some doors even have
a small pass-door within the
main one.
Once you’ve picked the type,
you can choose your finish or
colour. Perhaps you need to
match your woodgrain UPVC
double glazing or the colour
of your front door? Do you

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want an insulated door – an
energy consideration if the
garage is integral to the house,
keeping in valuable heat. How
about windows for a bit more
light? The choices are many,
and Mick can source doors
from most manufacturers if
required. Islandwide Garage
Doors is the only registered
Garador Installer for the Isle
of Wight.
“I visit everyone to measure
up, and make suggestions
about design details that might
complement the house,” says
Mick. An engineer by trade, he
is also exacting about what he
sells. “I wouldn’t sell anything
I wouldn’t use myself. I put in
a great deal of thought to the
specific customer’s needs.”
His workshop is a delightful
melange of spare parts,
including many from obsolete
garage doors which he uses in
his repair service.
For Mick the most important
thing is to do the job well.
“I like to go out, fit a garage
door, and in the nicest possible
way, not see you again,” he
smiles.
Islandwide Garage Doors, Old
Station Road, Ventnor, 856856

GETTING your home looking
just right is not easy. How
do you translate an idea into
reality? Where do you find
those colours, that fabric,
those blinds? Many people feel
that living on the Island limits
their c