Why choose a manual roller garage door?
In an age when everything is connected, the manual roller garage door still has powerful arguments on its side. With no motor, it can never suffer an electrical breakdown: no capacitor to replace, no circuit board vulnerable to damp, no remote control with flat batteries. Its mechanism boils down to a spring-balanced winding barrel and an operation by strap, crank handle or direct pull. The result is a lower purchase price, minimal upkeep and a remarkable lifespan — often well over twenty years when the door is properly fitted and lubricated.
It is also the only sensible option when the garage has no power supply: basement boxes in apartment buildings, garages at the end of a courtyard, outbuildings of older houses. Rather than billing you for a trench and a consumer unit, we fit a perfectly balanced manual door that lifts effortlessly with one hand — something many of our expat clients, used to heavier doors elsewhere, are pleasantly surprised by.
Three operating methods to choose from
Strap operation
Just like a traditional roller shutter, a strap runs through a guide and winds onto a reel fixed to the wall inside the garage. Simple and intuitive, it suits modestly sized doors, up to roughly 6 m² of curtain. It is the most economical solution of all.
Crank handle operation (geared winch)
For wider or heavier doors, a geared winch driven by a crank handle transmits the effort to the barrel. The gearing keeps the movement smooth even on a large curtain, and the handle can be positioned wherever is most convenient for you, including offset onto a side wall.
Direct pull with spring assistance
On light, well-balanced doors, a simple handle or cord is enough: the compensation springs housed in the barrel counterbalance the weight of the curtain, which glides up and down with fingertip pressure, like a shop blind. A key lock secures the bottom slat to the floor.
Made to measure for your opening
Every door is manufactured to the exact dimensions recorded during our free site survey: width, height, side clearances, depth under the lintel. The curtain is assembled from double-walled aluminium slats filled with insulating foam — the same profiles as on our electric doors — with a rigid bottom slat fitted with end stops and weather seals. The box comes in 250 or 300 mm depending on the door height, the guide rails are aluminium with brush seals, and there is a full colour chart: white, anthracite grey, beige, brown, green, even a golden oak finish for the character homes of Saint-Germain-en-Laye or Fontainebleau.
The fitting adapts to every configuration we meet across Île-de-France: under the lintel in a concrete box in Créteil or Ivry-sur-Seine, face-fixed inside a millstone house in Villemomble, face-fixed outside on a block-built garage in Éragny or Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône. We also handle unusual openings — very wide, very low, or anything in between.
Your made-to-measure manual door, fitted in half a day
Free site survey, quote within 24 hours, and a clean, quick installation anywhere in Île-de-France.
Security: a well-designed manual door is still a deterrent
There is a persistent myth that a door without a motor is easy to force. In reality, our manual doors incorporate a mechanical anti-lift device: automatic locks on the bottom slat, or rigid curtain straps, block the curtain the moment it closes and stop it being lifted from outside. As options we add a keyed lock with side bolts, anti-prise angle profiles and reinforced slats. For a parking box in a shared building in Levallois, Vincennes or Cergy, these fittings often make all the difference against unwanted visitors.
The stages of your installation
- Free site survey: measurements, lintel and side-clearance checks, choice of operating method and colour.
- Itemised quote within 24 hours: supply, fitting and security options, each line priced separately.
- Made-to-measure manufacture: generally allow two to three weeks depending on the finish.
- Removal of the old door if needed, with disposal of the debris and the old frame.
- Fitting and adjustment: fixing the box and guide rails, tensioning the compensation springs, balancing the curtain, testing the operation and the locks.
- Handover: full demonstration, maintenance advice and an invoice covered by our parts and labour guarantee.
In most cases a manual door installation is finished within half a day, without any masonry work.
Guide prices for a manual garage door, fitted
- Strap-operated door, standard size (up to 2.40 m wide): €1,100 to €1,500 fitted.
- Winch and crank handle door, made to measure: €1,400 to €2,000 depending on size and colour.
- Security options (side lock, reinforced bolts, angle profiles): €90 to €250.
- Removal and disposal of the old door: €150 to €300 depending on the model being taken out.
These ranges include fitting anywhere in Île-de-France; the free quote sets a firm, final figure. Worth knowing: if electricity ever reaches your garage, your door can be upgraded through our garage door automation service, without changing the curtain. And to keep it gliding smoothly year after year, one annual maintenance visit is all it takes. Should it ever jam, our emergency garage door team is reachable 24/7.
Frequently asked questions about manual garage doors
Is a manual door tiring to open every day?
No — provided it is properly balanced: the springs housed in the barrel counterbalance the weight of the curtain, so the effort is barely more than for a roller shutter. If you use the garage very intensively, we would steer you towards an electric version instead.
Can a manual door be fitted in a box with no electricity?
Yes — that is exactly where it shines: no wiring is needed at all. Strap, crank handle or direct pull all work without a single watt, sparing you costly electrical work in a shared basement car park.
How much cheaper is it than an electric door?
For the same dimensions, a manual door costs on average €400 to €800 less than an electric one, because it does without a motor, a receiver and remote controls. It can always be motorised later if your needs change.
Can a manual door be motorised later on?
Yes. Our manual doors use a barrel compatible with standard tubular motors: automation at a later date is done without changing the curtain, the box or the guide rails, in just a few hours on site.
How long between ordering and fitting?
Made-to-measure manufacture generally takes two to three weeks, after which the fitting itself takes half a day. We book the appointment when you order, so you can plan ahead.