My torsion spring broke for my garage door yesterday, and I've looking into replacing it today. I thought it was going to be a relatively easy fix, but that seems to not be the case. I've spent some time this morning looking at replacement videos online, and though they all have huge safety discalimers on them, the work involved in replacing the springs does really not seem that complicated, technically. I've been renovating the work on my basement for about a year, and in that time I've taught myself framing, electrical, plumbing, and drywall work, and while I understand the torsion springs have a lot of potential energy, it really don't seem that complicated to just slowly wind and unwind them with a proper amount of leverage (i.e. not a screwdriver). With all the DIY work I've been doing, I really think I could save ~$140 by just doing it myself, and it really doesn't seem like the most complicated thing I've had to do on my own. But my co-workers and most garage supply stores strongly recommend against attempting it on my own. So, with the proper knoweldge, but no actual experience, how difficult/dangerous is this, really? As long as I hold onto the winding bars, and make sure they're seated fully before applying pressure to them, it really doesn't sound that bad to me. The hardest part seems, to me, to find the proper springs to use, and even that doesn't sound too hard, just need to take the proper measurements. And a follow-up question: How difficult is it to tune the springs to be appropriate for the door? Again, it sounds like you just count the quarter-turns to unwind and wind the same amount, and make fine adjustments at the end, which does not sound compliated. But in general, is this the sort of work you'd recommend to a DIY'er, or is it really more dangerous / difficult than it seems? I mean, rule #1 seems to be pretty simple - don't put your head in the way of the winding bars if there were to slip and spin out of control. To me, it seems almost like shooting guns. Not at all complicated, and as safe as can be, provided you follow basic and important saftey steps at all times. I feel as if i can manage that. This is the video I watched that I think I'd be following, step-by-step. [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxUoJrLhaSI[/url]

Hi, I need some help with the look of my exterior garage. The door is located on the right hand side, and it looks horrible. Normally I would throw in a normal door on the left to balance the look out, but there's a shower behind that wall, so I can't. What can be done to balance out the look? Any suggestions? Planter boxes, trellace? I also have carriage lights for the front, and would like to know where everyone would place them on something like this? Thank so much :)