Garage Door
- What this is: how your overhead garage door works, the two genuine safety hazards it carries (spring tension and the auto-reverse safety system), what an owner can safely maintain, what must go to a pro, and what failure costs in Metro Vancouver.
- Not: the garage door opener/motor (see garage-opener (Home Systems)); the garage structure itself; windows, roof, or flooring inside the garage.
- Figures: 2024–26 Metro Vancouver estimates — get your own quotes. Spring and labour costs vary by spring type and door size.
Bottom line
The rule (tripwire)
- If a spring breaks, a cable snaps, or the bottom bracket cracks → stop using the door and call a garage door pro. These are stored-energy components. Attempting to adjust, remove, or replace a torsion or extension spring yourself can maim or kill — the coiled spring releases its full stored energy instantly if it slips. This is a genuine, well-documented hazard: more than 10,000 people are injured by garage door springs each year in North America, with fatalities recorded.1 Spring, cable, and bottom-bracket work is pro-only, always.
- If the door does not reverse when it contacts an obstruction → fix it now. Auto-reverse has been code-required since January 1, 1993.2 A door that fails the auto-reverse test is a child and pet crush hazard. See the monthly test procedure below.
- If the door is more than 15–20 years old and showing multiple problems → plan full replacement, not piecemeal repair. A 15-year-old door with worn springs, cracked rollers, and bowing panels is past its cost-effective repair window.
Recurring upkeep
- Test the auto-reverse and photo-eye sensors monthly. Two minutes, no tools. See procedure below — a failed test means stop using the door and call a pro.
- Lubricate springs, rollers, and hinges twice a year (spring and fall). Silicone or lithium-based spray only — never WD-40 on springs, and never lubricate the tracks (debris magnets).
- Check the balance annually by disconnecting the opener and holding the door at waist height. A balanced door stays put. A door that slams down or flies up has lost spring tension — call a pro.
One-time setup
- Find and save the number of a licensed garage door company. Spring failure happens without warning, often when you are leaving for work. You want the number ready, not something to Google in the driveway. → vendor-roster (Home Systems)
- Confirm with your strata manager (if applicable): is the garage door common property, limited common property, or your strata lot? The answer determines who pays for panel replacement and full door swaps — it varies by strata plan and bylaws. Read the relevant section below.
Standing facts
- Spring and cable replacement requires a trained garage door technician — not an electrician, plumber, or general handyman. The stored energy hazard is specific to this trade.
- Full door replacement in Metro Vancouver typically does not require a building permit for like-for-like swaps, but check with your municipality and strata if making structural changes or upgrading to a heavier door.
How it works — the one thing that matters
A garage door is a 100–200 kg panel (or sectional panel stack) balanced in place by spring tension. The springs do the heavy lifting — the opener just pushes and pulls a door that the springs have already balanced to near-weightlessness. Without working springs, the door weighs its full dead weight.
Torsion springs (the modern standard) sit on a horizontal shaft above the door opening. As the door closes, the spring twists and winds up, storing energy. When the door opens, the spring unwinds, releasing that stored energy to lift. A single torsion spring on a standard residential door stores enough energy, if released suddenly, to snap a winding bar across the garage or break bones.3
Extension springs (older style, runs along the sides of the door tracks) stretch as the door closes, recoil as it opens. They are slightly less dangerous than torsion springs but still store considerable tension and require safety cables threaded through them to prevent a broken spring from becoming a projectile.4
Standard torsion springs are rated for ~10,000 cycles (one open + one close = one cycle). At four uses per day, that is roughly 7–10 years. At two uses per day, roughly 14 years. High-cycle springs rated at 25,000+ cycles are available and cost more upfront but extend the interval significantly.5
So what: the spring is the load-bearing mechanism the entire door depends on. When the spring fails — and it will, eventually — the door becomes either immovably heavy (opener strains and burns out) or dangerously unbalanced. The auto-reverse sensor is the second critical mechanism: if a child crawls under a closing door, the photo-eye beam breaks and the door reverses. A door that does not reverse is a crush hazard that no spring balance can fix. Both mechanisms need regular attention. → Torsion-Spring-Is-a-Stored-Energy-Bomb-That-Must-Never-Be-DIYed (Home Systems)
What goes wrong, and the warning signs
| Watch for | What it means |
|---|---|
| Loud bang or snap from the garage | A spring has broken — stop using the door. Call a pro today. |
| Door feels extremely heavy, opener strains | Spring has lost tension or broken — opener is lifting the full door weight, which will burn out the opener |
| Door hangs unevenly or moves at an angle | Cable on one side has snapped or gone slack |
| Door reverses partway down, or won’t stay open | Spring tension too low; also check opener force settings |
| Photo-eye indicator lights are off or blinking | Sensors misaligned, dirty, or blocked — door will not close |
| Door doesn’t reverse when something passes under it | Critical safety failure — auto-reverse test failed; stop using the door |
| Visible gap or separation in a spring coil | Spring is broken — do not attempt to operate the door |
| Rollers squealing, grinding, or cracked | Normal wear; owner can lubricate; cracked nylon rollers need replacement (pro or owner depending on comfort — rollers do not carry spring tension) |
| Bottom seal torn or missing | Water, pests, and cold air entering; owner-replaceable |
| Panels dented or bowing | Cosmetic damage is often repairable; structural bowing of multiple panels suggests door age |
| Door slams shut when released at waist height | Spring tension too low — unbalanced door, call a pro |
What actually fails (the load-bearing failures):
- Spring failure — the dominant failure mode. Torsion springs have a finite cycle life (~10,000 cycles standard). When a spring breaks, the door becomes dangerous to operate. This is not optional maintenance — it is a failure that stops the door.
- Cable snap — cables run from the bottom corners of the door to the spring drum. A snapped cable drops one side of the door; continuing to operate with a broken cable can damage the track and panels.
- Photo-eye failure or misalignment — a sensor that doesn’t see the obstruction allows the door to close on a person or animal. Misalignment is the most common cause; physical damage is less common but more serious.
- Bottom-bracket failure — the bracket at each lower corner of the door where the cable attaches is under significant tension. Cracked or loose brackets are a spring-system failure mode (pro-only).
- Opener motor burnout — often caused by a failing spring forcing the opener to lift the full door weight. Replacing the opener without fixing the spring first repeats the failure.
When to replace vs repair
| What you see | Do this |
|---|---|
| Spring broken | Replace spring (pro) — necessary to restore safe operation; consider replacing both springs simultaneously if they are the same age |
| Cable snapped or frayed | Replace cable (pro) — cables carry spring tension; fraying is a near-failure warning |
| Single panel dented, door otherwise <15 years, panels available | Replace panel (pro) — single section swap at 8006 is usually cheaper than full door |
| 2+ panels damaged or bowing, or panels discontinued | Replace full door — matching discontinued panels is expensive; structural damage across sections doesn’t repair cleanly |
| Door is 15–20+ years old with multiple failing components | Replace full door — stacking repairs on an aged door costs more than replacement over 5 years |
| Rollers cracked or noisy | Replace rollers (pro or owner-comfortable DIY) — straightforward; rollers are not under spring tension |
| Bottom seal worn, cracked, or missing | Replace seal (owner DIY) — simple owner task; seals cost 60; replacement is a slide-in or screw-fastened strip |
| Photo-eye sensor misaligned or dirty | Clean and realign (owner DIY first, then pro) — wipe lenses with a dry cloth, check alignment (both indicator lights solid); if still failing, call a pro |
Verdict (repair-vs-replace): a spring replacement on a door younger than 10 years is clearly reversible and typically under 1,200–500 threshold, so it earns the full The Decision Lifecycle treatment. The decision is straightforward when either (a) the door is under 10 years old with one failing component (repair), or (b) the door is over 15–20 years old with multiple issues (replace). The middle ground (10–15 years, one major and several minor issues) is where a pro’s assessment matters most — ask them to project 3-year cost-to-maintain before deciding.
→ Torsion-Spring-Is-a-Stored-Energy-Bomb-That-Must-Never-Be-DIYed (Home Systems)
Typical cost (BC / Metro Vancouver)
| Tier | What’s included | Range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY / owner tasks | Bottom seal replacement (parts ~60), roller lubrication (spray 15), photo-eye cleaning; owner-doable maintenance only | 60 per task | 78 — indicative (limited sources) |
| Basic repair | Spring replacement (torsion pair), labour only + parts; cable replacement; roller replacement; track realignment — single-item repairs, service call included | spring pair 550 · cable pair 300 · rollers 40 each · track 200 | 91011 |
| Standard — tune-up / maintenance | Professional annual service: inspect springs, cables, rollers, balance, lubricate all hardware, test safety reverse and sensors; tune-up does not include parts replacement | 145 | 1211 — indicative (limited sources) |
| Full door replacement (installed) | New sectional steel door + installation labour + hardware + opener if bundled; permit not typically required for like-for-like; haul-away of old door | 4,000 (single door, steel) · 8,000+ (double door, insulated, premium) | 131415 |
Metro Vancouver service call fees typically run 100 on top of labour; many companies waive the fee if you proceed with the repair.1011 Emergency and after-hours service adds 50–100% premium.12 Panel/section replacement for a single section runs approximately 800 depending on panel availability and material.6 High-cycle spring upgrades (25,000+ cycles) cost more upfront (~750 installed) but extend the interval to 15–25 years of typical residential use.9
Pricing for spring replacement is from multiple Metro Vancouver garage door companies (2024–26). Full door replacement figures are from Vancouver-area installer pricing guides and a Canada-wide cost aggregator. Thin sourcing on exact panel replacement cost for Vancouver specifically — the 800 range is from a Victoria, BC installer and should be treated as indicative; get a local quote.
How to maintain it — the procedures
Spring, cable, and bottom-bracket work is pro-only — the procedures below are recognition, testing, and owner-safe tasks only. For pro-only items, the procedure describes what to look for and what to tell the technician.
Procedure: Monthly safety test — auto-reverse and photo-eye
Why: the auto-reverse is a child and pet crush-prevention device, required by federal safety code since 1993.2 A door that fails this test is dangerous to operate and must be taken out of service until repaired.
You’ll need: a 2×4 piece of lumber (or similar flat piece of wood), a broom handle; 2 minutes.
- Photo-eye test: While the door is fully open, wave a broom handle through the sensor beam (the two small box sensors mounted ~6 inches off the ground on each side of the door frame) with the door in motion closing. The door MUST immediately stop and reverse. If it does not, the sensors need cleaning or realignment — proceed to Step 2, then call a pro if still failing.
- Photo-eye cleaning: Wipe both sensor lenses with a dry cloth. Confirm both indicator lights are solid (not blinking). A blinking light means misalignment — nudge the receiving sensor (usually the one with the green or amber LED) until the light goes solid. Re-run Step 1.
- Auto-reverse (contact-reverse) test: Place a 2×4 flat on the floor in the centre of the door opening. Close the door. When the door contacts the 2×4, it MUST stop and reverse within 2 seconds.2 If it continues pressing down or does not reverse, stop using the door and call a pro — this is a failed safety device.
Done when: both tests pass — door reverses on photo-eye break AND reverses on contact with the 2×4.
MUST stop using the door and call a pro if:
- Door does not reverse on photo-eye break after cleaning and realigning sensors
- Door does not reverse on contact with the 2×4 within 2 seconds
- Indicator lights will not go solid despite realignment
→ Garage-Door-Auto-Reverse-and-Photo-Eye-Are-Child-Safety-Devices-Test-Monthly (Home Systems)
Procedure: Annual balance test
Why: the balance test reveals whether the springs still have adequate tension. A door that won’t hold itself at waist height means the springs are failing and the opener is carrying the full load — burning itself out and operating the door unsafely.
You’ll need: nothing; 60 seconds.
- Close the door fully.
- Pull the red emergency release cord on the opener carriage to disconnect the door from the opener (manual mode).
- Lift the door by hand to waist height (~3–4 feet off the ground).
- Let go and observe — a balanced door holds its position, moving no more than 1–2 inches either direction over 30 seconds.
Done when: door stays at waist height, stationary or nearly so.
MUST call a pro if:
- Door drifts down or falls — springs have lost tension (too light for the door weight)
- Door flies up — springs are over-tensioned
- Either condition means spring adjustment is needed, which is pro-only work
Re-engage the opener: lift the door to fully open, pull the emergency release cord toward the door (some models), then manually move the door until the carriage re-engages the trolley. Alternatively, press the opener button — most openers reconnect automatically.
→ Garage-Door-Balance-Test-Is-the-Spring-Health-Proxy (Home Systems)
Procedure: Twice-annual lubrication
Why: lubrication reduces friction on all moving metal parts, extending spring and roller life and eliminating the squealing that indicates wear.
You’ll need: silicone-based or white lithium grease spray (15 at any hardware store); a rag.
- Springs: spray a thin coat along the coils of torsion spring(s) above the door. Wipe off excess. (Lubrication reduces metal fatigue from friction; it does not affect tension.)
- Hinges: spray each hinge pivot where the sections connect.
- Rollers: spray the roller stems (the shaft that fits into the hinge bracket) — not the roller wheel itself if it is nylon.
- Bearing plates: spray the round discs at each end of the torsion spring shaft.
- Do NOT spray the tracks — tracks collect debris; keep them clean with a dry cloth only.
Done when: all metal pivot points have a thin coat; no dripping. Operate the door 3–4 times to work the lubricant in.
Stop and call a pro if:
- You see frayed or kinked cables during lubrication
- You see a gap or separation in a spring coil
- Any component looks cracked, bent, or corroded
Procedure: Bottom seal inspection and replacement (owner DIY)
Why: the bottom seal prevents water, pests, insects, and cold air from entering under the door. Metro Vancouver’s wet winters make an intact seal important for both comfort and pest control.
You’ll need: replacement bottom seal (match the door width; common types are T-slot, nap/brush, or retainer-channel rubber; 60 at hardware stores), a flathead screwdriver or drill with Phillips bit.
- With the door closed, inspect the full width of the bottom seal from inside the garage.
- Look for cracks, stiffness, chunks missing, or visible gaps where light enters.
- T-slot seal replacement (most common): slide the old seal out from one end of the retainer channel. Wet the new seal with soapy water and slide it in from the same end.
- Retainer-fastened seal: remove the screws or nails holding the retainer strip; peel off the old seal; press the new seal into the retainer and refasten.
Done when: no light visible under the closed door; seal makes full contact with the floor across the full width.
Maintenance calendar:
- Monthly: auto-reverse test (2×4) + photo-eye test (broom handle). 2 minutes.
- Twice a year (spring and fall): lubrication of springs, hinges, rollers, bearing plates; bottom seal inspection; visual check of cables and rollers for fraying, cracking, or wear.
- Annually: balance test (disconnect opener, hold at waist height).
- Every 7–10 years (standard springs) or at first sign of imbalance: professional spring inspection or replacement; consider high-cycle spring upgrade at this point.
- At 15–20 years: shift from “repair as needed” to “plan full replacement” — budget and get quotes before failure forces an emergency decision.
Strata reality
Who owns the garage door depends on your strata plan — do not assume.
In BC stratas, responsibility for a garage door is not uniformly defined by the Strata Property Act. The door’s classification — strata lot, limited common property, or common property — depends on where the door sits relative to the midpoint of the exterior wall in your strata plan, and on your registered bylaws.16
The two most common scenarios in Metro Vancouver:
- Attached townhouse with a private garage: the garage is typically part of the owner’s strata lot. The door, springs, and opener are usually owner responsibility under Standard Bylaw 2 (owner maintains and repairs their strata lot). However, bylaws can and do shift this — some townhouse stratas treat garage doors as limited common property maintained by the strata, especially when the exterior appearance is controlled.
- High-rise or wood-frame strata with a shared underground or surface parkade: the garage door servicing the common parkade is common property. The strata corporation is responsible for it under SPA s. 72.
The BC Civil Resolution Tribunal has decided cases where individual components (such as a spring) were found to be the owner’s responsibility even when located on a door at the strata lot boundary.16
What to do:
- Ask your strata manager: “Is the garage door serving my unit classified as strata lot, limited common property, or common property in the strata plan?”
- Read your registered bylaws for any provision reassigning garage door maintenance.
- If in doubt, treat door maintenance as yours until the strata confirms otherwise — a neglected door that fails and damages the building or another owner’s property is a liability regardless of who is technically responsible.
SPA provisions that apply:
- SPA s. 72 — strata corporation’s duty to repair and maintain common property
- Standard Bylaw 2 — owner’s duty to maintain their strata lot
- SPA s. 13517 — strata must give written notice and a chance to respond before charging back a repair cost to you
If a strata-owned door fails and damages your unit or vehicle: the strata claims on its insurance; depending on the cause and the bylaws, there may be a deductible chargeback under SPA s. 158. → The Strata Insurance Circularity Problem
When you hire someone
Ask:
- Are you a licensed, insured garage door technician? (Garage door spring work is not regulated by TSBC, but licensing and insurance are still minimum quality signals — ask for proof of business licence and liability insurance.)
- Will you replace both springs simultaneously if one breaks? (Springs installed at the same time wear at the same rate — replacing only one often means a second call within months.3)
- Do you offer high-cycle spring upgrades (25,000-cycle springs)? What is the price difference? (Worth considering at replacement time.)
- What is covered by your parts and labour warranty? (1-year is standard from reputable companies.3)
- Is there a service call fee, and is it waived if I proceed with the repair?
Verify the work:
- Test the auto-reverse (2×4 on the ground) before the technician leaves
- Test the photo-eye (wave a broom handle through the beam while closing)
- Run the balance test (disconnect opener, hold door at waist height) — ask the tech to demonstrate
- Confirm both springs (if torsion) are new, matching, and correctly tensioned
- No cable slack or fraying visible at the bottom corners
- Door opens and closes smoothly without binding, grinding, or jerking
Who to call
- Garage door technician (licensed, insured) → vendor-roster (Home Systems). Fill: company name, phone, hours, whether they offer same-day service, spring warranty terms.
- Strata manager (if applicable) → Strata MOC. Fill: confirm garage door classification (strata lot / limited common property / common property) in writing.
- Insurer / broker → insurance-warranties (Home Systems). Fill: confirm whether your policy covers emergency garage door service and strata deductible chargebacks.
Sources
Idea Compass
North: Where this comes from
- Torsion-Spring-Is-a-Stored-Energy-Bomb-That-Must-Never-Be-DIYed (Home Systems) — the physics that defines the DIY line for all spring work
- Garage (Home Systems) — parent system
- UL 325 and the 1993 US CPSC rule — the federal safety standard that defines the auto-reverse requirement
East: Tensions / failure
- Garage-Door-Auto-Reverse-and-Photo-Eye-Are-Child-Safety-Devices-Test-Monthly (Home Systems) — the safety-sensor failure mode that makes the door dangerous even when the spring is fine
- Garage-Door-Balance-Test-Is-the-Spring-Health-Proxy (Home Systems) — the test that reveals spring degradation before visible failure
- The Strata Insurance Circularity Problem — if the strata-owned door fails and causes damage, the deductible chargeback question applies
South: Where this leads
- garage-opener (Home Systems) — the opener depends on a balanced door; a spring failure burns out the opener
- vendor-roster (Home Systems) — the garage door technician named-resource card
- insurance-warranties (Home Systems) — coverage confirmation for emergency spring failure
- The Decision Lifecycle — full door replacement crosses the irreversible + >$500 threshold
West: What’s similar
- electrical-panel (Home Systems) — same pattern: a stored-energy / always-live hazard that makes interior work pro-only, combined with a load-bearing safety device (breaker / auto-reverse) that must be tested periodically
- water-heater (Home Systems) — same strata responsibility ambiguity; same strata deductible-chargeback exposure if the door or opener fails and causes damage
Footnotes
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Precision Door Service, a US garage door chain — garage door spring injury statistics; 10,000+ injuries annually with fatalities documented; links to US Consumer Product Safety Commission data — https://www.precisiondoor.net/garage-door-spring-injury ↩
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US Consumer Product Safety Commission — 1993 federal rule requiring auto-reverse entrapment protection on all residential automatic garage door openers; photo-eye sensors and contact-reversal mechanisms code-required since January 1, 1993 — https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/1993/Safety-Commission-Publishes-Final-Rules-For-Automatic-Garage-Door-Openers (flagged — page 403’d at time of research; CPSC rule is referenced across multiple industry sources including UL 325 documentation) ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Garage Door Services Vancouver (garagedoorvancity.ca), a Metro Vancouver garage door company — spring replacement safety warning; recommend replacing both springs simultaneously; 1-year warranty standard — https://www.garagedoorvancity.ca/garage-door-problem-solutions/garage-door-spring-replacement-in-north-vancouver-same-day-service/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Clopay Corporation, a major North American garage door manufacturer — torsion vs extension spring mechanics; extension springs require safety cables; DIY spring work strongly discouraged — https://www.clopaydoor.com/blog/post/blog/2024/07/22/understanding-garage-door-springs ↩
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Raynor Garage Doors, a North American garage door manufacturer — torsion springs rated 10,000–15,000 cycles; extension springs 5,000–10,000 cycles; real-world lifespan 7–10 years at 4 daily uses — https://raynor.com/garage-door-spring-types-and-lifespan/ ↩
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Premium Living Victoria, a Vancouver Island installer — single panel/section replacement 800; replace whole door when multiple panels damaged or door over 15 years — https://premiumlivingvictoria.com/2025/09/19/can-you-replace-a-section-of-a-garage-door/ ↩ ↩2
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Fortify Services, a Canadian home maintenance company — garage door maintenance checklist for Canadian homes; owner-doable tasks (lubrication, seal inspection, visual checks); September 2025 — https://fortifyservices.ca/the-ultimate-garage-door-maintenance-checklist-for-canadian-homes/ ↩
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Garaga, a Canadian garage door manufacturer — lubricant type and application guidance; silicone-based lubricant for weather stripping and moving parts; do not lubricate tracks — https://www.garaga.com/ca/information/faq/lubricant ↩
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Fix It Right Garage Doors, a BC garage door company — torsion spring pair installed 550; extension spring pair installed 325; high-cycle springs 750; Metro Vancouver/BC pricing 2025 — https://fixitrightgaragedoors.ca/repairs/garage-door-spring-replacement-2025/ ↩ ↩2
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Your Garage Guru, a Metro Vancouver garage door company — 2026 pricing: torsion spring pair 500; cable pair 300; track realignment 200; $45 diagnostic fee waived if services purchased — https://www.yourgarageguru.ca/pricing ↩ ↩2
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Master Garage Doors, a Vancouver garage door company — spring replacement 160 labour; track 180 labour; tune-up 89 service call fee in Vancouver; 2022 pricing (indicative — older data) — https://mastergaragedoors.ca/garage-door-repair-price-list/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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604 Garage Doors, a Metro Vancouver garage door company — annual maintenance 145; spring replacement 350; opener repair 300; emergency service adds 50–100% premium; 2024–25 Vancouver pricing — https://604garagedoors.ca/how-much-does-garage-door-repair-cost-in-vancouver-complete-2024-pricing-guide-for-common-issues/ ↩ ↩2
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A2Z Garage Door Repairs, a Vancouver garage door company — full door installation 4,000 typical Metro Vancouver; double door or complex: 300–$600 for standard single door — https://a2zgaragedoorrepairs.ca/how-much-does-garage-door-installation-cost/ ↩
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RenoQuotes.com, a Canadian home renovation cost aggregator — steel door installed (single): 5,300; double door installed: 10,000+; Canadian pricing January 2026; Vancouver noted as higher end — https://renoquotes.com/en/blog/garage-door-prices-in-canada-2025-price-breakdown-buying-guide ↩
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Thrifty Garage Door Repair, a Vancouver garage door company — spring replacement 450; cable 250; service call $89; 2019 pricing (older; treat as floor reference only) — https://thriftygaragedoorrepair.ca/blog/standard-garage-door-repair-costs/ ↩
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Vancouver Island Strata Owners Association (VISOA) — garage door strata vs owner responsibility; case-dependent; CRT has found individual components (springs) can be owner responsibility; check bylaws and strata plan — https://visoa.bc.ca/resources/who-pays-for-repairs-owner-or-strata/ ↩ ↩2
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Strata Property Act (BC Laws) — the governing statute (incl. ss. 135, 158, 164) — https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/98043_09 ↩