As the fourth generation of a family of manufacturers, we know what it's like to strive to preserve the integrity and legacy of the past while catching up to the innovations of today's design and building materials. Fortunately, we have learned to balance the two in order to provide a quality product built on tried and true practices while pushing the limits to give you more in a garage door.

We were proud to partner with another organization that holds the value of blending old school with new. The 2019 Ideas House in the coveted historic district of downtown New Canaan, CT featured the restoration of the facade of an 1880's Greek Revival. Karp Associates and CAH Architects married old with new to accommodate the legacy of the home and allow for modern aspirations.

The house was originally built in the late 1800's and until recently had been largely uninhabited with the exception of the rumored family of rats. Today it remains a built-from-the-ground-up glory that holds true to the original architectural style. Greek Revival architecture spans much of the 1800's designed to represent the triumph of our newly formed nation. The homes were painted in white to reflect the clean, solid marble of Greek design. They are typically rectangular in shape with a low pitch roof and large columns.

One defining aspect of Greek Revival is the windows and the front door which was often expansive to give dimension to the design. Typically they used double hung, 6-pane windows using a mid 19th-century glazing technique. The entry door is known for its dramatic side windows and transoms to enhance the interior light, overall sophistication to provide all who enter a warm welcome!

The Plan

The plan was to save the historic part of the façade, and build behind it a modern home with today's most innovative, quality building materials while preserving the window sashes and other aspects of the original build. Doing this requires the ability to adjust from the original material to a modern material offering sustainability and design capabilities. This is where we come in!

To complement the restored window sashes on the front of the home and many other features - both historic and contemporary - the Roaring Twenties Charleston design was chosen for the style, size, and complementing interior grille. Powder coated track was custom built to accommodate the angled roof and car lift. Every detail was considered in this project, and the garage doors were no exception.

The Doors

With the level of commitment made to the restoration of the front windows, selecting a garage door with complementary windows that are not only big and beautiful but built to last and allow the stark history to shine through. Using our one piece construction method to eliminate the gaps at joints and unsightly plastic inserts of other door models, our interior grille option enhances the character and depth of the top section! The complementary powder coated track truly shines as a nod to the modern twist of color used around the exterior and a break from the traditional white of Greek revival architecture.

The classic American carriage door comes to life with the Fimbel Roaring Twenties series. With its simulated battens, clean cut overlays, and the look of a swing door, it makes any project feel like home. The smart period detail combined with our advanced materials allow you to enjoy the look of wood with virtually no maintenance. Using patented construction and design flexibility, we offer nearly any combination of window and door styles. Roaring Twenties collection blends both tradition and innovation to welcome you home with a beautiful and durable door to stand the test of time.

The Result

When the project requires beauty and durability while offering more, the answer is a Fimbel door. This Old House Idea House 2019 is what new homebuyers want in a house today with its proximity to downtown New Canaan, the open and modern interior, and the finest 3-car garage in the area. With bonus rooms sprinkled throughout the house, it is clear they left no detail overlooked.

We are proud that our Roaring Twenties garage doors will welcome the new owners home and provide safety and durability for life. To learn more about how you can complement your home with a garage door uniquely crafted for you, please find a dealer and get curious about how you can find more in a garage door.

Resource Guide: https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19937585/toh_resource_guide_final.3small.pdf 

Every so often I stumble upon a photo that takes my breath right away. A photo that speaks a thousand words engulfing the pride of a parent, the admiration of an artist, and the joy of a child. This was the case upon finding the featured image above of the Portsmouth Fire Department and our Roaring Twenties doors: I had to have it!

As many of us can imagine, those of us who spent the last year through COVID on the front lines are tired, busy, and stressed, so I hesitantly reached out to gain permission to use the image. When I got Assistant Fire Chief Bill McQuillen on the line, our chat began with laughter. He simply said, "This may be the best call I have this month: You only want information on our garage doors when everyone else has a fire to put out be it a real fire or COVID related or volunteer related or whatever else. So how can I help?" It was at least 45 minutes later we had to tear ourselves from the call as our joyful time was filled with history, humor, and an appreciation of our doors and their department for quality and service!

If you look closely at the photo above, you will see a hydrant; however, this one dispenses dog treats to the hundreds of canine passerby each day who visit this community hub. He spoke of this aspect with reverie for the connection it creates for the community as well as the members of the Portsmouth FD. As a family business and as a family unit, we support the efforts of Erin Fimbel, our President, who has fostered 27 dogs through her home and our office, this means a great deal to us! As I looked closer, it became clear the values that inspire this FD are aligned with those that inspire FADS.

The Estate Collection, the platform for the Roaring Twenties doors selected for this project is built using a hand placed wood frame and nesting in our insulation. Next we laminate a vinyl back cover and a solid vinyl exterior that encases the face. This slab now becomes a blank slate to bring you more for your door and allow abundant design options. Applying solid, study overlays pocketed (nested) into the face creates the pronounced look of this classic style. Behind the smooth, high end look of wood, we use composite materials made from partners who value the earth as much as we do. Our doors are durable to stand the test of time as well as low-maintenance. It is this innovation and material selection that create the opportunity to be modified in myriad ways, including 1" height and width increments, to satisfy decorative features and historical applications. 

We don't stop there! The one-piece grille with no joints or inserts and various profile options adds instant design appeal. In most of our doors we offer both large or small window options with custom designs, including window shape and placement, and custom arches available for your design needs.

We are very proud of our factory finish and offer it in both standard and custom paint options but also in an array of hand-applied faux stain. Using proprietary systems and heat-reflective high-performance paint, all Factory Finished products will be delivered with the finest finish in the industry with a furniture-like finish for exterior architecture. With a strong warranty and compassion for the earth, our paint is an excellent addition to your garage door.

All Fimbel products are insulated and engineered for sustainability. The products and processes we design are done to serve you and Mother Earth. We run on solar and give back our extra to the grid. We also plant one tree for each and every door we sell to be sure that future generations can enjoy the bounty and breath of our forests.

The Connection

Our innovation and sustainability make it possible to keep the past alive in places like historic, downtown Portsmouth. They have three locations, two are newer, but this classic beauty welcomed six black, factory-finished Roaring Twenties to their facade and their operations. Our values and products lined up with their needs and navigated their obstacles. When reading this quote from Fire Chief, Todd Germaine, it's impossible not to agree with their mission and feel we are a part of their value: "Throughout our history, we have taken pride in balancing tradition with innovation, and demonstrating a strong commitment in celebrating the past while at the same time looking to the future."

Feeling inspired by their alignment with who we are and my admiration for the project as a whole, I felt compelled to offer you a little insight into this department! The information below is from their website (shown in italics), and I encourage you to read along and fall in love as I did with the dynamic Portsmouth Fire Department!

History

Our story dates back to 1756 when the citizens of Portsmouth decided to organize and regulate fire protection. In the years to follow, they would improve the community's fire protection capabilities by purchasing fire engines and the building of fire houses. By the late 1800s the city would boast four steam fire engines and a horse-drawn hook and ladder. The first motorized fire engine was delivered in 1912 and in 1945 the department would begin providing ambulance service in the city. Today we are a modern, full-service fire department made up of sixty-one extremely dedicated professionals operating out of three stations. Throughout our history, we have taken pride in balancing tradition with innovation, and demonstrating a strong commitment in celebrating the past while at the same time looking to the future.

Mission Statement

Provide quality emergency, life safety, and prevention services for our citizens, businesses and visitors, with the highest level of valor, integrity, commitment, teamwork, and community involvement.

Vision Statement

The vision of the Portsmouth Fire Department is to be a recognized leader in the fire service, respected by our citizens for anticipating and responding to their ever changing needs. The department will embrace new technologies and techniques, focusing on training and education to provide the highest level of customer services and satisfaction in a professional and caring manner.

Services

The Portsmouth Fire Department provides fire protection, advanced life support ambulance, fire prevention, hazardous materials response, and special rescue services to the seacoast community of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The department provides these services through a compliment of forty-two firefighters, twelve fire officers, one fire inspector, three chief officers, an executive assistant and an administrative secretary. The Portsmouth Fire Department responds to over 4500 requests for services a year. The types of emergency and community requests consist of medical responses, motor vehicle accidents, structure and vehicle fires, fire alarm activations and services related to weather events such as flooding, lightning strikes and power lines down.

Additional services:

• Sprinkler and fire alarm permits
• Burn permit
• Knox box
• Dry chemical fire extinguisher disposals
• Household sharps/needles disposal

https://www.cityofportsmouth.com/fire

What You Can Do

For 95 years, our family has committed to the Legacy of the past and the hope for the future. We want our doors to bring you the same pride, so we offer a robust long-life warranty regardless of geography. We are proud to stand behind our products, and we are excited for you to experience the Fimbel difference. Enjoy our website to help you get to know us and our products better! We look forward to offering you more in a garage door!

Wherever you are, it is likely you will find an organization with similar values protecting and overseeing your community's emergency services. We encourage you to ask the question of "How can I help?" when you see the brave men and women who have our backs. Thank you to all for your service!

To find a dealer near you, please visit our dealer locator!

At Fimbel ADS, we believe in offering your more in your garage door. We aspire to bring options to fully complement your project and satisfy your every need. The classic American carriage door comes to life with the Fimbel Roaring Twenties series. With its simulated battens, clean cut overlays, and the look of a swing door, it makes any project feel like home. The smart period detail combined with our advanced materials allow you to enjoy the look of wood with virtually no maintenance. Using patented construction and design flexibility, we offer nearly any combination of window and door styles. Roaring Twenties collection blends both tradition and innovation to welcome you home with a beautiful and durable door to stand the test of time.

The first step in navigating our product offerings is to understand that we make our doors in two innovative ways to offer a vast variety of styles and solutions. When buying a Fimbel door, you can count on the look of real wood, durable construction methods, low-maintenance, precision fit, bold windows, reliable R-value, and more, more, more! 

Our first construction platform offers carriage and traditional styles using a vinyl clad steel pan and applying vinyl overlays to create the look of a classic wood door. This door is exceptional for two main reasons – the first is the platform (pan) made of a smooth, steel base made for the elements that we coat (clad) in a thin layer of crisp, white vinyl. This innovation allows for the American Legends series to live nearly anywhere, even near the ocean, without rusting and rotting away in the elements. To this we add the smooth, solid white overlays made of sustainable material. Separating ourselves from the competition's fake wood grain completes the constructed look to appear as real, traditional wood. Both features ensure the longevity our ethics demand, the look we all crave, and a price point sure to please.

Our second construction platform truly shines in the blend between tradition and innovation. Using a hand placed wood frame and nesting in our insulation, we laminate a vinyl back cover and a solid vinyl exterior that encases the face. This slab now becomes a blank slate to bring you more for your door. Using both 3/8" and ¾" material, primarily Versatex, we have options to add select profiles and nearly limitless designs to satisfy inspiration. You will see these designs in our Euro-Dor and Presidential Collections offering both carriage, traditional, and modern styles.

To achieve a more classic carriage look, we offer the Roaring Twenties. This series starts with the same platform yet adds solid, sturdy overlays pocketed (nested) into the face. The pronounced look of this classic style can be modified in myriad ways to satisfy decorative features and historic applications. Each of these series offers incredible longevity and beauty we can all feel good about! 

One of the predominant features found on a classic American carriage house door are the big windows. This highlight of the product is one to truly make it stand out. Where many others use window inserts or have to joint the pieces together, our tops are made of solid, one-piece vinyl material. This means the entire face of the top, or grille as it is referred, is one quality sheet of carved material with no joints or inserts. With options for finishing and a variety of upgrades, you can design to your heart's delight!

This series offers the true, classic look but makes itself at home in any opening. We offer 1" height and width increments in the Estate Collection products which gives way for Historic renovation where the opening is often an odd size or has uneven flooring. As seen in the image below of the Watch Hill Yacht Club in Rhode Island, we furnished them with 15 doors all of which had unique sizes to accommodate the various openings. Additionally, we are confident in our warranty regardless of their location to the water. For us this is no problem.  

The Roaring Twenties is loved by architects, Historic Preservation organizations, and mother earth and will certainly raise the envy level of curious neighbors. This construction method with it's sustainable and beautiful design will bring satisfaction for years to come. Since the unfinished Versatex appears similar to painted wood, there are many reasons for it to be loved. With virtually no maintenance and sustainability you can count on, we proudly offer you more!

Garage doors have come a long way. For decades they simply stood sentinel to welcome vehicles and hide our belongings. Today, 71% of families use the garage as the primary entrance to the home, and the role of the door has changed. Now we see design innovation and manufacturing excellence furnishing garages with absolute beauty and supreme function. At Fimbel ADS we are committed to carrying forth the quality and craftsmanship our great-grandfather built our family business upon while blending in the marvels of today's manufacturing capabilities.

Whether you are building (or rebuilding) your dream home, we want to help enhance your curb appeal, ensure sustainability and energy efficiency, and allow for a low-maintenance lifestyle. With a Fimbel door you can count on more, and we have the patents to back it up.

A patent for an invention is issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and gives rights to the inventor generally for a duration of 20 years. While many product patents never grace the shelves in stores, owning patents demonstrates a great many things. It speaks to the power of innovation and creativity, to one's determination to solve a particular problem, and the hope that what we make will make a difference. Patents also allow us to not only understand the original vision and usage for a product but also understand the innovation behind the idea itself!

The Fimbel Family has been an interwoven fiber of the garage door story since its origin in the 1920's. Today our innovations hold four patents showcasing our desire to bring our customers more. Applying these innovations to our operations based on quality and safety, we know we can offer solutions that last!

Essentially, we make two products – two platforms upon which you can design away! 

1. The American Legends Series

Our first construction platform offers carriage and traditional styles using a vinyl clad steel pan and applying vinyl overlays to create the look of a classic wood door. This door is exceptional for two main reasons - the first is the platform (pan) made of a smooth, steel base created for the elements that we coat (clad) in a thin layer of crisp, white vinyl. This innovation allows for the American Legends series to live nearly anywhere, even near the ocean, without rusting and rotting away in the elements. The second is the addition of our smooth, solid overlays made of sustainable material. Separating ourselves from the competition's fake wood grain completes the constructed look to appear as real, painted, traditional wood. Both features ensure the longevity our ethics demand of us, the look we all crave, and a price point sure to please.

2. The Estate Collection: Euro, Presidential, and Roaring Twenties

Our second construction platform, the Estate Collection, truly welcomes the designer in all of us to emerge with the blend between tradition and innovation. Using a hand placed wood frame and nesting in our insulation, we laminate a vinyl back cover and a solid vinyl exterior that encases the face. This slab now becomes a blank slate to bring you more for your door. 

Using both ⅜" and ¾" material, Versatex for unfinished doors and Tricoya for finished doors, we have options to add select profiles and nearly limitless designs to satisfy inspiration. These capabilities allow us to build the door in 1" height and width increments. You will see these designs in our Euro-Dor and Presidential Series offering carriage, traditional, and modern styles. 

To achieve a more classic carriage look, we offer the Roaring Twenties. This series starts with the same platform yet adds solid, study overlays pocketed (nested) into the face. The pronounced look of this classic style can be modified in myriad ways to satisfy decorative features and historical applications. Each of these series offers incredible longevity and beauty we can all feel good about. 

Standard and Custom Tops Available

We don't hold back with the designs on our doors, so we can't hold back on the designs of our glass sections. Much like the sections described above, we use a solid sheet to create the face and contain the design. The one-piece grille with no joints or inserts and various profile options adds instant design appeal. In most of our doors we offer both large or small window options with custom designs, including window shape and placement, and custom arches available for your design needs. 

Finishing Options

As you dream of your door coming to life, don't forget to consider your options. We are very proud of our factory finish and offer it in both standard and custom paint options but also in an array of hand-applied faux stain. The result is the finest finish in the industry and brings a furniture-like finish to exterior architecture. With a strong warranty and compassion for the earth, our paint is an excellent addition to your garage door.

Using heat-reflective high-performance paint, all Factory Finished products will be delivered with a clean finish to last! While most of our products do not require finishing and may remain natural white, adding color to your project can add the wow-factor that you are after! Our vast and ever-expanding color palette includes blacks, charcoals and dark greens as well as faux stains to truly replicate the look of wood without the maintenance. With solutions for replacement of damaged sections to navigating tough exposures to Do-It-Yourself options, our finish will brighten up your home and increase durability. To read more about it, enjoy this blog. 

More Options

Make it your own by choosing specialty glass for your garage door. With these options and many more, you can add style and details to your project while managing your privacy and the natural light you let in!

For a true carriage look, we offer a variety of options for decorative hardware. From strap hinges and pull handles to latches and clavos, you can further customize your door! Many standard kits are available, but the options are limitless!

Fimbel Wind Load approved garage doors offer your home protection during extreme wind conditions. Through rigorous testing over the years to determine wind load eligibility, we continue to optimize our product to bring you the highest quality and safety you can count on.

With additional options for the interior of the garage door, you can customize to complement your garage lifestyle. Offering interior backer options for all our doors gives an upgrade to the aesthetics. Our interior grille inserts provide the look of true divided lites and classes up the glass. We don't stop there - powder coated track, robust spring packages, and custom details allow you to make it your own.

More for YOU!

Whether you are building (or rebuilding) your dream home, we want to help enhance your curb appeal, ensure sustainability and energy efficiency, and allow for a low-maintenance lifestyle. We build our legacy and our innovation into every door we make.

We set out to elevate the garage door industry from just fine to fabulous (while still affordable), and we made that happen with the American Legends series: The first classic carriage style door made with vinyl clad steel and solid overlays. In the late 90's and early 80's, we saw the market lacked a true carriage door with the classic big windows and the sturdy overlay look, and we had the innovation and the experience to make it happen. The end result has all the appeal of a painted wood door, but the longevity, cost, and low-maintenance appeal for the needs of any home and homeowner!

Other manufacturers in the industry came close, but with the lumpy, embossed wood-grain texture, the plastic window inserts, and the weak construction, the end look lacked the quality and accuracy of a historic carriage style door. We saw this, and we stepped it up!

Using a vinyl-coated steel pan and applying composite overlays to create a classic wood door look, this Series lives everywhere - even near the ocean without rotting and rusting. Adding our smooth, solid overlays made of sustainable material separates us from the competition's fake wood grain. With customizable top designs in 1" height increments, we offer you more. The American Legends Series was engineered for longevity and designed for beauty at a price point sure to please.

Fimbel American Legends doors can be found in garages of old-fashioned neighborhoods and new developments alike. With head-turning curb appeal, they provide extraordinary beauty and require very low maintenance. Built using advanced materials, every American Legends door delivers superlative style, lasting beauty and a terrific return-on-investment.

Customizable Glass Section:

One of the predominant features found on a classic American carriage house door are the big windows. This highlight of the product is one to truly make it stand out. Where many others use window inserts or have to joint the pieces together, our tops are made of solid, one-piece vinyl material. This means the entire face of the top, or grille as it is referred, is one quality sheet of carved material with no joints or inserts.

Although the American Legends is limited to standard widths, the construction of the top section allows for either larger or smaller window options and are available in 1" height increments for greater flexibility. To truly make this top your own, custom designs and arches are available in nearly any configuration for simulated divided lites. You can also choose from a C-profile (standard) or a V-profile to complement the details of your home! For those projects that require a full, solid top, we also offer this product without glass! You can find a closer look at the standard available tops and profiles linked here!

Lasting Beauty, Proven Durability:

You cannot go wrong with an American Legends. The smooth white, vinyl coated section with the look of real wood will satisfy your project needs. Yielding a 13.12 R-Value, the vinyl coated steel platform, is constructed with powder coated end styles (caps), an insulated core, and a vinyl backcover. Added to this are solid, decorative cope and bead overlays. Using a tenacious adhesive and a template system, our overlays come with a precision fit and a union that will endure. 

Although we coat our exterior steel in vinyl, we made sure the rest of the steel would hold up as well as the rest of the door. Using 20-gauge vinyl coated G90 design for over 3 times the rust protection of other door brands, we feel confident offering a warranty regardless of proximity to the ocean, waterways, or riverine locations. Other manufacturers with less quality in the process and in their materials cannot offer this, but we are committed to giving you more!

Life is Messy

We know that life can be busy and quite frankly messy! Fortunately the American Legends Series takes the stress out of life (at least as it pertains to your garage door). From damage to dirt, we have solutions.

Generally the doors simply need to be cleaned with gentle soap and water. When more demanding dirt presents, because sometimes it does, a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser rubbed gently will do the trick! If anything beyond that has you puzzled, we are always here to help.

With matching replacement sections readily available we have your back when little Tommy or little Susie send a hockey puck into the vinyl clad steel of the intermediate section! Most other manufacturers will require full purchase of a replacement door to make sure it all aligns - not at Fimbel. We are proud of our precision fit technology to be sure that when left in its factory state and installed by an authorized dealer, our replacement sections will fit in snug as a bug!

We also know that sometimes their hockey puck may end up in the solid white vinyl overlays! Provided the damage is a dent and not a puncture, an easy repair with a heat gun is an option. Slowly distributing the heat over the damaged area will oftentimes pop the PVC back into its natural state!

Finishing:

Using our D200 High performance finish, all Factory Finished products will be delivered with a clean finish to last! While most of our products do not require finishing and may remain natural, adding color to your project can add the wow-factor that we are after! Our vast and ever-expanding color palette includes blacks, charcoals, and dark greens as well as faux stains to truly replicate the look of wood without the maintenance. 

We recently published several great blogs that address the topic of paint and our faux finish, so feel free to preview them to get more information on our finishing!

Why Choose A Fimbel Door:

If you want the best bang for the buck backed by a superior warranty – even in harsh waterside conditions, Fimbel ADS has the door for you! Whether it is the American Legends series or another of our fantastic options, you will be offered vast design options for your garage doors with the high-end wood look and virtually no maintenance. Add to this our Factory paint and faux stain options, you get the best quality in the industry.

We are proud to be a 4th generation business, driving excellence since 1924 that today is offering you more: More quality in our products and in our expert customer service with over 20 years average experience.

Find a dealer today to get started on your Fimbel door!

The Basics of the American Legends Series:

• Available Heights: Any size in 1" increments
• Available Widths: 8' ,9', 10', 16', and 18'
• Thickness (whole section): 2 1/2"
• Overlay thickness: 3/8"
• R Value: 13.12
• Fastening Points: White powder coated steel end and center stiles.
• Section Joints: Interlocking tongue & groove vinyl-clad steel
• Interior Face: High impact pre-finished white interior cover
• Exterior Face: 20 gauge vinyl-clad steel face with solid composite overlays
• Heavy Duty Bottom Astragal: Seals the bottom of the door and keeps water and debris from coming under the door. Our heavy-duty Astragal lasts longer.