Garage Door Opener Installation

Your garage door opener is the part of your garage door system you interact with every single day. You press the button in your car, the door goes up. You press it again, the door comes down. When it works, you barely think about it. When it doesn't -- when the motor groans, the chain slips, or the remote stops responding -- suddenly your whole morning routine falls apart.

At Integrity Garage Doors & Gates, we have been installing garage door openers across the Bay Area since 2009. We have seen the good, the bad, and the downright dangerous. We know which brands hold up to daily use, which features actually matter, and which sales pitches you can ignore. On this page, we are going to walk you through everything you need to know about choosing and installing a garage door opener -- from the different drive types and horsepower ratings to the smart home features that are actually worth having.

Types of Garage Door Openers

Not all garage door openers are built the same. The drive mechanism -- meaning how the motor moves the trolley that lifts your door -- determines how loud the opener is, how fast it operates, how much maintenance it needs, and what it costs. Here are the four main types we install:

Belt Drive Openers

Belt drive openers use a reinforced rubber belt (usually steel-reinforced) instead of a metal chain to move the trolley along the rail. The result is a dramatically quieter operation. If your garage is attached to your house, sits below a bedroom, or you simply prefer not to hear a loud grinding sound every time the door moves, a belt drive is the way to go. These units are our most popular installation, and for good reason. They are quiet, reliable, and the belts last for years without stretching or requiring adjustment. Our standard belt drive installation with a Wi-Fi-enabled LiftMaster unit comes in at approximately $1,075 installed, which includes the opener, battery backup, two remotes, a keypad, and full professional installation.

Chain Drive Openers

Chain drive openers are the workhorses of the industry. They use a metal chain -- similar to a bicycle chain -- to pull the trolley. They are strong, affordable, and have been around for decades. The trade-off is noise. A chain drive opener is noticeably louder than a belt drive, and the chain can vibrate during operation, transmitting sound through the ceiling and walls. For detached garages where noise is not a concern, or for homeowners on a tighter budget, a chain drive is a perfectly solid option. They tend to run $150 to $200 less than comparable belt drive models.

Wall-Mount (Jackshaft) Openers

Wall-mount openers, sometimes called jackshaft openers, take a completely different approach. Instead of mounting on the ceiling with a rail, the motor mounts directly to the wall beside the garage door and drives the torsion bar to lift the door. This frees up your entire ceiling for storage, overhead lighting, or high-lift track configurations. Wall-mount units are exceptionally quiet and clean-looking, but they are also the most expensive option -- typically running $400 to $600 more than a comparable belt drive. We recommend them for garages with limited headroom, high ceilings, or homeowners who want that clean, modern look.

Screw Drive Openers

Screw drive openers use a threaded steel rod to move the trolley. They have fewer moving parts than chain or belt drives, which means less maintenance over time. They operate at a moderate noise level -- quieter than a chain drive but louder than a belt drive. Screw drives can be sensitive to temperature swings, which makes them better suited for the Bay Area's mild climate than for places with extreme heat or cold. They are not as widely available as they used to be, but we still install them when a customer specifically requests one or when the existing door setup favors it.

Smart Features and Wi-Fi Connectivity

The days of a garage door opener being nothing more than a motor with a button are long gone. Modern openers connect to your home Wi-Fi network and give you control from anywhere in the world through a smartphone app. Here is what is actually useful versus what is just marketing fluff.

myQ by LiftMaster and Chamberlain

The myQ platform is built into every LiftMaster and Chamberlain opener we install. Through the myQ app on your phone, you can open and close your garage door remotely, check whether the door is open or closed in real time, receive push notifications every time the door moves, set schedules to automatically close the door at a certain time each night, and grant temporary access to guests, delivery drivers, or contractors. The myQ system also integrates with Amazon Key for in-garage delivery, Google Home, and other smart home ecosystems. In our experience, the "did I close the garage?" notification alone is worth the Wi-Fi feature.

Aladdin Connect by Genie

Genie's equivalent is the Aladdin Connect system, which offers similar functionality -- remote open and close, real-time status, alerts, and scheduling. It works well and integrates with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. If you already have Genie equipment or prefer their interface, it is a solid platform.

Camera Integration

Some newer openers, particularly the LiftMaster 87504-267 and similar models, include a built-in camera that streams video of your garage interior directly to the myQ app. You can see who is coming and going, check on stored items, and verify the door is closed -- all through live video. For homeowners who use their garage as a primary entry point or who store high-value items inside, the camera integration provides genuine peace of mind.

Choosing the Right Horsepower

Opener horsepower is one of those specs that gets overthought by homeowners and undertaught by some installers. Here is the straightforward breakdown.

1/2 HP -- Standard Residential

A half-horsepower motor handles the vast majority of standard single-car garage doors. If your door is a typical 8 to 10-foot-wide steel or aluminum door, uninsulated or lightly insulated, 1/2 HP is more than enough. The motor will not struggle, the door will open at normal speed, and the unit will last for years.

3/4 HP -- The Sweet Spot

For double-wide doors (16 feet), heavier insulated doors, or doors with wood cladding, stepping up to 3/4 HP gives the motor breathing room. It does not have to work as hard on each cycle, which means less wear on the gears and a longer lifespan. Most of our installations are 3/4 HP because the price difference is small and the performance benefit is meaningful, especially on larger doors.

1 HP and Above -- Heavy Duty

One-horsepower and above is reserved for the heaviest residential doors -- solid wood carriage doors, oversized custom doors, one-piece tilt-up doors, and commercial applications. If you have a door that weighs over 400 pounds or is unusually tall, a 1 HP motor ensures the opener does not strain. We also recommend higher horsepower for doors that get cycled heavily, such as households where multiple family members come and go throughout the day.

One important note: horsepower is not the only factor. The quality of the gear system, the motor type (DC versus AC), and the door's balance all play a role. A perfectly balanced door on a high-quality 1/2 HP opener will outperform a poorly balanced door on a cheap 1 HP unit every time. That is why we always check your door's balance and spring condition before installing any new opener.

Top Brands We Install

We are not locked into a single manufacturer. We install the brands that have proven themselves in the field, not the ones that offer the biggest dealer margins. Here are the three brands we recommend most often:

LiftMaster

LiftMaster is the professional-grade brand made by The Chamberlain Group, and it is what we install on the majority of our jobs. Their belt drive openers (8550W, 87504 series) are quiet, reliable, and feature-packed. The built-in myQ Wi-Fi, battery backup, and timer-to-close functionality come standard. LiftMaster units are only sold through authorized dealers and professional installers -- you will not find them at big-box stores -- which means the quality control and support network are a cut above. We have installed thousands of LiftMaster openers across the Bay Area and the failure rate is remarkably low.

Chamberlain

Chamberlain is LiftMaster's consumer-facing sibling brand, also made by The Chamberlain Group. The internal components are similar, and they use the same myQ smart platform. Chamberlain units are available at retail stores and tend to cost slightly less than LiftMaster equivalents. If budget is a factor and you want the myQ ecosystem, Chamberlain is a reliable middle ground.

Genie

Genie has been in the opener business for decades and offers a solid lineup of belt drive, chain drive, and wall-mount openers. Their Aladdin Connect smart platform works well, and their units are competitively priced. We install Genie openers frequently, especially when a homeowner has existing Genie equipment and wants to stay within the same ecosystem for compatibility with existing remotes and accessories.

Our Installation Process

A garage door opener installation is not a plug-and-play job. Done wrong, it can damage your door, create safety hazards, or simply not work properly. Here is exactly what we do on every installation, step by step:

1. Inspect the existing door and hardware. Before we touch anything, we check your door's balance, spring condition, tracks, rollers, and cables. If the door is not balanced correctly, even the best opener will struggle and wear out prematurely. We will let you know if anything needs attention before we proceed.
2. Remove the old opener. We disconnect and remove the old motor unit, rail, trolley, brackets, and wiring. If the old unit is still functional and you want us to dispose of it, we haul it away. If the ceiling mount points need repair or reinforcement, we handle that too.
3. Assemble and install the new rail. The rail is assembled on the ground, the trolley is threaded onto it, and the entire assembly is mounted to the header bracket above your door and secured to the ceiling with angle brackets. Proper alignment here is critical -- a crooked rail causes the trolley to bind and the opener to work harder than it should.
4. Mount the motor unit. The motor is secured to the ceiling at the back of the rail using vibration-isolating brackets. We make sure the unit is level, the chain or belt tension is correct, and there is adequate clearance for the door to travel its full path without interference.
5. Wire the safety sensors. Federal law requires every garage door opener to have photo-eye safety sensors mounted no more than 6 inches off the ground on each side of the door. These sensors detect if a person, pet, or object is in the door's path and automatically reverse the door. We mount the sensors, run the wiring, and verify that the auto-reverse function works correctly from multiple positions.
6. Program remotes, keypad, and wall button. We program your included remotes, mount the exterior wireless keypad, and install the wall-mounted control button inside the garage. If you have additional remotes or a car with HomeLink, we program those too.
7. Connect to Wi-Fi and set up the app. We connect the opener to your home Wi-Fi network, walk you through downloading the myQ or Aladdin Connect app, and make sure you can control the door from your phone before we leave. We also help you configure any notification preferences, schedules, or integrations you want.
8. Full safety testing. We run the door through multiple open and close cycles, test the auto-reverse on the safety sensors, verify the force settings are correct (the door should reverse if it encounters resistance), check the manual release, and confirm that the battery backup operates the door during a simulated power outage.

The entire process takes about 2 to 3 hours for a standard installation. We clean up after ourselves, explain how everything works, and make sure you are completely satisfied before we leave.

Pricing

We believe in transparent, upfront pricing. No trip charges, no "after we get there" surprises, no bait-and-switch. Here is what our most common opener installation packages look like:

• Belt drive Wi-Fi opener (LiftMaster), fully installed: $1,075. Includes the opener unit with battery backup, two remotes, wireless keypad, removal of old unit, complete installation, safety sensor wiring, Wi-Fi setup, and programming.
• Chain drive opener, fully installed: Starting around $875, depending on the model and features.
• Wall-mount (jackshaft) opener, fully installed: Starting around $1,475, depending on the brand and motor size.

These prices include everything -- parts, labor, and disposal of the old unit. If your door needs additional work (spring replacement, track repair, roller upgrade) we will quote that separately and upfront before we start. The price we quote is the price you pay.

Ready for a new opener? Call us at (888) 485-6995 or fill out our quick quote form for a free estimate. We serve Hayward, Oakland, San Francisco, Fremont, San Jose, Berkeley, Concord, and the entire Bay Area.