First impressions, curb appeal, best foot forward: Your garage door does it all when it comes to the appearance of your home. That's especially true of suburban homes built in the last several decades. Designed for drive-right-in accessibility, many have in-your-face garages that occupy up to 30 percent of the front facade.

Small wonder that upgrading a garage door is a popular home improvement project. According to the 2010 Cost vs. Value Report from Remodeling magazine, a garage door replacement is the only project in the survey that recorded an uptick in value compared to the previous year.

Dazed and amused
If you're ready to scout out styles and options for your new garage door, take a deep breath: There are so many choices you'll be seeing garage doors in your dreams for weeks. Wayne-Dalton, for example, boasts 12 design options, 10 window patterns, and 15 colors for its Model 9700 door alone. Let's do the math: That's a possible 1,800 combinations! Exhale!