your garage, one of the first steps you should take should be changing your doors and openers.Garage doors used to be heavy, huge, wooden colossus that rotted and cracked. Even though wooden doors give you a wide range of styles and textures, the problems related to their poor insulating value are quite real. An good alternative is fiberglass material -- inexpensive, easy to lift, and resistant to corrosion. They require little maintenance, but they also provide very little insulation or security.If you want a maintenance-free, durable, warp-free garage door, you need steel. Steel doors also provide good insulation, as they are made of two or more sheets of steel alternating with a variety of insulating materials. They also come in a variety of styles, textures, shapes and colors to suit your needs. Moreover, you can add windows -- including the reflective type that obscure the view into the garage.Since 1991, automatic reversal on garage door openers have been required by law in the United States. Since 1993, optical sensors have been a requirement. The sensor works perfectly for your safety: if something gets in the way of the sensor beam while the door is going down, the sensor sends the door right back up. Also, new design options provide more security and a quieter operation. Today, the silent options include a belt-driven trolley made of Kevlar or, the cheaper option, a screw-drive model with a plastic-lined track to lessen the noisy impacbel. An Energy Star label on your replacement windows verifies that you're making a wise choice, selecting windows that meet rigorous standards for energy efficiency.But you need to look beyond the stars! Keeping on the energy efficiency theme, you'll want to look for the NFRC rating, which measures energy efficiency. You want a rating as close to 100 as possible.There are other replacement window ratings to consider. The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) tests windows to ensure they are air and water tight, feature high quality construction and provide some level of security to the homeowner. Look for the AAMA golden seal on your Replacement windows.We just couldn't agree on anything," said Amy Rocker. "This whole remodel was a nightmare - and the windows were the worst. I wanted wood windows, just like I'd grown up with, and my husband wanted vinyl replacement windows. He said they were easier to take care of - he never have to paint them, and they tilt in to clean - and best of all, they were much more affordable.""But they were white," her husband, Grant, cut in. "And we just couldn't have white indoors.""No, we couldn't," Amy said. "It would just look terrible with what we've done in here. Anyways, you see we couldn't agree - and you've got to have windows!"Luckily for Amy and Grant, there was a workable option. They didn't have to choose between the classic traditional styling - and high price tag - of wood replacement windows and the white vinyl replacement windows Amy was imagining. A visit to their replacement window specialist revealed that