In short
- HomeStars' Ottawa page puts installation of a single door at $700–$1,500, against $1,200–$2,500 for a double.
- Across Canada, an insulated steel single runs $1,500–$4,000 installed; HomeStars calls $2,500 a typical spend for a single door of any type.
- Garaga recommends 12 inches of headroom for torsion springs, plus 2 inches with an opener. Between 4¾ and 12 inches, a low-headroom track fits.
- In a condo townhouse, the declaration can set who repairs the door. Check it before ordering.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single door installation, Ottawa | $700–$1,500 | HomeStars Ottawa page; flat fee covering labour and materials |
| Non-insulated steel single, installed | $1,000–$1,800 | Canada-wide installation guide, standard opening in sound condition |
| Insulated steel single, installed | $1,500–$4,000 | Same guide; all single doors $1,000–$5,000, typical spend about $2,500 |
| Wood composite single, installed | $2,500–$4,500 | Same guide; aluminum and glass $2,500–$7,000 |
| Labour, standard single door | $300–$500 | Canada-wide replacement guide; low headroom or tight access costs more |
Sources. HomeStars, Garage door installation pros in Ottawa, cost section, seen 29.10.2026. HomeStars, Garage Door Installation Cost in Canada, seen 29.10.2026. HomeStars, Garage Door Replacement Cost in Canada, seen 29.10.2026. Sizes: Amarr, garage door sizing guide, seen 29.10.2026. Headroom: Garaga, headroom required above a residential garage door, seen 29.10.2026. Permits: City of Ottawa, projects not requiring building permits, seen 29.10.2026. Condos: Condominium Authority of Ontario, repairs and maintenance and the declaration, seen 29.10.2026. Contracts: Ontario, guide for home renovation businesses, seen 29.10.2026.
8 by 7, 9 by 7 and the less common sizes
Most single garages take a door 8 or 9 feet wide and 7 feet high. Amarr’s sizing guide lists 8, 9 and 10 feet as single widths, with 7 or 8 foot heights. HomeStars calls a 9 by 7 an off-the-shelf size that avoids custom panel pricing and longer lead times.
Amarr measures width from the inside of one side jamb to the inside of the other, and height from the floor to the underside of the header, at both sides and the centre; the shortest reading counts. Put both numbers in your request. More on clearances: garage door sizes.
What a single door costs, material by material
HomeStars’ Ottawa page puts installation of a single door at $700 to $1,500, as a flat fee covering labour and materials. Its Canada-wide installation guide prices the installed single door by material:
- Non-insulated steel: $1,000 to $1,800.
- Insulated steel: $1,500 to $4,000.
- Wood composite: $2,500 to $4,500.
- Aluminum and glass: $2,500 to $7,000.
- Solid wood or custom design: $3,500 to $10,000.
Windows add $100 to $500 per door; smooth steel, woodgrain laminate or a custom colour add several hundred dollars over a stock white panel. For an attached garage, the guide’s target is R-12 or higher, which matters with a bedroom above. Core choices: insulated garage doors.
Headroom in townhouse and narrow-lot garages
The gap between the top of the opening and the lowest duct, beam or ceiling above it decides the hardware. Garaga recommends 12 inches for torsion springs on a standard lift, plus 2 inches with an electric opener. With 4¾ to 12 inches it calls for a double-track low-headroom system; for extension springs that band is 4¾ to 8½ inches. Under 4¾ inches, the top of the opening has to come down first.
Low headroom, masonry work or tight laneway access push labour toward $500 to $700 per door, the HomeStars installation guide notes. In a townhouse row, say where a van can stop and whether the garage shares a wall or header with the next unit. Spring options: torsion vs extension springs.
Condo townhouses: the declaration comes first
In a condo townhouse, the garage door may be a common element. The Condominium Authority of Ontario says corporations are generally responsible for repairing common elements after damage, and governing documents can change that. A declaration identifies elements reserved for one owner and may allocate repair and maintenance between owners and the corporation.
Owners who change an exclusive-use common element must agree on it with the corporation, and the agreement should set out who maintains and repairs it. Ask the property manager in writing who pays, whether colour, style and windows need approval, and whether the corporation names a model for the row. Put the answer in your request.
What the quote for a single door should list
HomeStars’ Ottawa page advises an itemized written quote. Compare:
- Make, model, size, core and the R-value the maker lists.
- Springs, tracks and rollers matched to the new door’s weight. Old hardware is sized for the old door, the replacement guide warns.
- Labour: $300 to $500 for a standard single in the replacement guide.
- Removal of the old door: usually included, otherwise $50 to $250.
- Opener: remount and reset, or a new unit at $400 to $900 installed; an outlet from an electrician is $150 to $400.
- Framing repair for rot or an out-of-square opening, $200 to $800.
- Delivery date and deposit.
Ontario requires a written agreement for renovation contracts over $50 and recommends a deposit of 10% or less. A contract signed at your home carries a 10-day cooling-off period.
Who you are dealing with
Ottawa Garage Door Desk is a request desk. Your request goes to one independent garage door company in Ottawa, which calls you back, measures the opening, quotes the door and installs it. The quote, the deposit and the agreement are between you and that company.
Questions to ask the company
- Is this door a stock 8 by 7 or 9 by 7, or a custom size, and what does that do to the price and the delivery date?
- Does the price include new springs sized to this door's weight, new tracks and rollers, and taking the old door away?
- With the headroom I have, will you fit a standard track or a low-headroom track, and does that change the labour?
- Can my opener lift the new door, and is remounting and resetting it in the price?
- What deposit do you take, and what dates do you give for delivery and for installation?
Have this ready for the call
- Width of the opening from jamb to jamb, and height from the floor to the underside of the header, taken at both sides and the centre
- Headroom: the distance from the top of the opening to the ceiling or the lowest duct, pipe or beam
- Photos of the door from the driveway and from inside, with the springs and the opener in view
- Freehold or condo townhouse
- Whether a bedroom or living space sits over the garage, and whether the garage is heated
Questions people ask
Does a taller single door cost much more?
HomeStars’ installation guide says custom heights for trucks, vans or vehicle lifts add roughly 20 to 40 percent over a stock door in the same material. The replacement guide gives 15 to 25 percent for 8 to 10 foot heights.
Two single doors side by side: replace both, or turn them into one double?
HomeStars says one double door is usually cheaper than two singles over the same width: one opener, one set of springs, one visit. Converting the openings adds $400 to $1,200 in framing and finishing, and counts as structural work in most municipalities.
Do I need a building permit to replace a single door?
The City of Ottawa lists replacing doors in the same size opening among projects exempt from a building permit. The exemption stops on designated heritage buildings and in a Heritage District Overlay; questions go to 3-1-1.
How long does a single door take?
HomeStars puts a straightforward single door swap at three to five hours on site, old door removal included. Custom colours and window layouts can take four to eight weeks to arrive.
Can I keep my old opener with the new door?
Most installers remount an opener under about ten years old whose rating matches the new door’s weight, the replacement guide says. Heavier insulated doors can exceed what an older half-horsepower unit lifts safely; the installer should flag it.
