Garage Door Repair in Cambridge, MA
Springs, cables, openers and new doors for Cambridge houses, two-families and condo buildings with garages, from Huron Avenue and West Cambridge to North Cambridge and East Cambridge. Tell us what the door does and we book the soonest visit.
- Spring and cable repair
- Opener repair and installation
- Garage doors in two-families and condo buildings
- New garage doors
Garage door repair in Cambridge from Emil Garage Doors covers broken springs, snapped cables, worn rollers, openers, remotes and sensors, plus new door installation. We serve Cambridge from Alewife in the north to Memorial Drive along the Charles River in the south, and from Huron Avenue in the west to CambridgeSide Place in the east. Searching for garage door repair near me in Cambridge, ZIP 02138? Call (617) 644-5527 and we book the soonest visit. See also garage door repair near me.
Services in this city
Garage door repair
Doors that stick, shake, scrape, tilt or will not move. We find the failed part and fix it.
Learn moreSpring repair
Torsion and extension spring replacement, balanced and tested.
Learn moreCable repair
Lift cables, drums and brackets, with the door leveled.
Learn moreOpener repair and installation
Chain, belt and wall-mount openers, installed and safety tested.
Learn moreNew garage doors
Modern, glass, wood-look and carriage-house doors, installed and hauled away.
Learn moreRemotes and parts
Remotes, keypads, sensors, rollers and hinges.
Learn more
A city of apartments, with houses and garages tucked between them
Cambridge is not a garage-door suburb, and we will not pretend it is. According to the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey, about 55 percent of its 54,800 housing units are in buildings of five or more units, about 10 percent are detached houses, and about two thirds of households rent. The median home was built in 1950. Garage doors here belong to houses, two- and three-family buildings and a share of condo buildings.
Wikipedia lists 13 official neighborhoods, from East Cambridge, Cambridgeport and Mid-Cambridge to West Cambridge, Neighborhood Nine and North Cambridge. The Cambridge Historical Commission administers the Old Cambridge and Fort Washington historic districts and the Harvard Square, Avon Hill, Half Crown-Marsh and Mid Cambridge conservation districts. The commission page we read does not mention garage doors, so ask before you change a door in one of them.
Tell us your address and whether you own, rent or manage the building, and we book the soonest visit. We weigh and balance each door before choosing new springs.
- Garage doors under two- and three-family houses
- Condo and shared garages where the association decides
- Doors in conservation districts: ask first
Cambridge areas we serve
Areas are described by their landmarks, from local sources. Call if yours is not listed.
| Part of Cambridge | What is there | What we often see on garage doors |
|---|---|---|
| North Cambridge and Alewife | The north end along Alewife Brook Parkway and Cambridge Park Drive | Houses and condo buildings; check basement-level garages after storms |
| West Cambridge and Huron Avenue | The west side toward Belmont and Watertown, with Brattle Street and Huron Avenue | Larger houses with driveway garages |
| East Cambridge | The area by CambridgeSide Place and Cambridge Street near the Charles River | Two- and three-family buildings and condo garages |
| Cambridgeport and the Memorial Drive side | The south side along the Charles River | Older multi-family buildings with ground-level garages |
Cambridge's street ZIP codes are 02138, 02139, 02140, 02141 and 02142; 02238 is PO boxes only.
What customers say
Real reviews from our Google listing, copied as the customers wrote them.
My garage door and opener were pretty banged up and not working properly. Emil Garage Doors came out, did a thorough evaluation of door and all it's parts. Even though the previous home owner rigged up the garage door opener with the wrong springs and parts, Emil repaired the door and saved us money by using some of the old parts. That kind of honesty will get 5 stars all day long. Thank you Emil Garage Doors for your great service.Bradford · Google review
I woke up to a loud crash when a tree in my front yard fell over and hit my garage door. Emil Garage Doors was able to give be a really good price on a new garage door. They uninstalled the old, damaged door and realigned the tracks the garage door connects to which had been damaged as well. The new door looks great and most importantly functions well. Thank you for going above and beyond in my time of need!Stuart · Google review
They were able to come within a few hours of my call. Another company could only give me a 4 hour window of arrival time the next day, but these guys was able to give me a 2 hour window the same day. One the guys called before arriving. He was friendly and competent in explaining the problem and our options. I was so grateful he had replacement springs and was able to fix our garage door in less than an hour.David · Google review
Not paying attention I closed the garage door on a pipe laying in the track. Needless to say it did some damage even though the automatic reverse opened the door back up. Emailed what happened on Sunday evening. Appointment with quote provided in just a few minutes and appointment confirmed. Once again they arrived on time. Completed repairs quickly and for less then the quote. Cleaned up like they were never there. I highly recommend them and will continue to use them for my garage door repairs.Carroll · Google review
Technician showed up on time, assessed our issue & presented replacement options. He proceeded to install new equipment during the same visit and everything was finished in less than two hours. We were impressed with the performance of our tech. It’s easy for us to recommend this company.Kathleen · Google review
The replacement of my broken spring was done quickly and professionaly. I was also provided an explanation on why the tension was set as it was. I was called in advance to be informed of the arrival time. Great job as it has been in the pastFrancine · Google review
5-Star Rated on Google · All customer reviews
What Cambridge weather does to a garage door
Wikipedia's Cambridge weather box, built from 1991-2020 simulated normals, gives a July mean daily high of 82.6 degrees, a January mean daily low of 20.5 and about 49 inches of precipitation a year. Boston Logan Airport, a few miles away, averages about 49 inches of snow. Cold stiffens springs, cables and seals, and road salt corrodes tracks and hardware.
Parts of North Cambridge near Alewife Brook flood in hard rain; a watershed group says 8.9 inches fell in Cambridge in October 1996, and the National Weather Service has issued flash flood warnings covering Cambridge, Somerville and Medford in recent summers. A garage at basement level can take water, so keep the opener off until the door, motor and wiring are dry and checked.
Before winter, wipe the tracks, lubricate the rollers and hinges, and test the safety reverse. After a snowfall, clear the ice from the bottom of the door before you run the opener.
- Lubricate rollers and hinges before winter
- Check basement-level garages after heavy rain
- Know where the manual release is
Garage doors we service in and near Cambridge
Home styles from the neighborhood and the communities next door. Click a photo to enlarge.
Four steps from call to done
You call or send the form
Give us your street or neighborhood and describe the problem.
We look at the door
We check the part that failed and the parts that carry load around it.
We agree on the work
You hear the options and the price, and nothing starts until you say yes.
We fix it and test it
We run the door through full cycles and test the safety sensors and the reverse.
Opener safety, permits and design rules in Cambridge
Opener safety. The federal standard for residential garage door operators (Consumer Product Safety Commission, 16 CFR part 1211) calls for automatic reversing and entrapment protection such as photo-eye sensors. If yours stopped working, we test the reverse and the sensors and repair or replace what failed. See opener installation.
Design rules. Planned communities and historic districts can limit door style and color. Ask before you choose a new door: new garage doors.
City permits. Cambridge has an Inspectional Services Department at 831 Massachusetts Avenue (617-349-6100), and permits are filed in the city's online permitting system. The department's page does not say when a building permit is required or mention doors, so we could not confirm whether a garage door replacement or an opener swap needs one. Ask the department before the work at cambridgema.gov/inspection.
State rules. Massachusetts General Laws chapter 142A covers residential contracting (repair, alteration, renovation and improvement) on existing owner-occupied buildings of one to four units and bars contractors from working without a registration certificate. The state building code lists work that needs no building permit but does not mention garage doors. In the Cambridge Historical Commission's districts, a certificate may be needed before a building permit for visible exterior changes; the commission page we read reviews new construction, demolition and certain facade alterations and never names doors, so ask staff at 617-349-4683 if you live in one.
Prices in Cambridge
| Service | Price | What affects it |
|---|---|---|
| 12-point safety inspection | $89 | Springs, cables, rollers, tracks, sensors and opener checked |
| Torsion spring pair, standard two-car door (10,000 cycle) | $250 to $450 | Door weight and size |
| Heavy-duty torsion springs (25,000+ cycle, heavy, wood or oversized doors) | $350 to $900 | Door weight, spring wire size and cycle rating |
| Lift cable replacement, pair | $175 to $350 | Door weight and cable length |
| Belt-drive opener with battery backup, installed | $550 to $900 | Horsepower, smart features, door size |
| Wall-mount (jackshaft) opener, installed | $900 to $1,400 | Door size, headroom and wiring |
| Insulated steel garage door, 16x7, installed | $1,800 to $3,600 | Short or long panel, windows and color |
| Full-view aluminum and glass door, 16x7, installed | $4,500 to $9,000 | Glass type and frame color |
Prices reviewed November 2026. Final price is confirmed after we see the problem.
Also serving near Cambridge
Cambridge borders Somerville, Arlington, Belmont and Watertown, and faces Boston across the Charles River. The cities and neighborhoods below are our closest pages.
Cambridge garage door repair: questions we hear
Is there garage door repair near me in Cambridge?
Yes. Emil Garage Doors repairs garage doors in Cambridge (ZIP 02138) and the neighborhoods next door. Call (617) 644-5527, tell us your street or neighborhood and what the door does, and we book the soonest visit. See garage door repair near me.
What is the average price to repair a garage door in Cambridge?
Typical prices: a 12-point safety inspection is $89, a torsion spring pair for a standard two-car door is $250 to $450 (heavy-duty springs $350 to $900), a cable pair is $175 to $350, and a belt-drive opener installed with battery backup is $550 to $900. The final price is confirmed after we see the door.
What is the most common garage door repair in Cambridge?
Broken torsion springs are among the most common garage door repairs, because springs wear out after a set number of open-and-close cycles. Cables, rollers, safety sensors and off-track doors follow. See garage door spring repair.
How much is a service call for a garage door?
Our 12-point safety inspection is $89. It covers the springs, cables, rollers, tracks, sensors and opener, and we explain what we find before any repair starts.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a garage door?
A repair is usually cheaper when the door itself is sound and only a spring, cable, roller or sensor failed. Replacement makes sense when panels are bent or rotted, the door is very old or the opening needs a different size. We tell you which one fits before we start.
Which ZIP codes do you serve in Cambridge?
Cambridge's street ZIP codes are 02138, 02139, 02140, 02141 and 02142; 02238 is PO boxes only. Call us if you are not sure we reach your address.
Can a tenant or condo owner book a garage door repair in Cambridge?
Yes. Call with the address and tell us what the door does. A repair is easy to book, but a new door or opener is usually the owner's or the condo association's decision, so check with your landlord or property manager first.
Does Cambridge require a permit to replace a garage door?
We could not confirm it. The Inspectional Services Department page does not mention doors, so call 617-349-6100 before a replacement. If your house is in one of the Historical Commission's districts, ask the commission as well.
Can a handyman fix a garage door?
A handyman can handle a sensor or a roller. Springs and cables are under high tension and need a trained technician, so we do not recommend fixing them yourself.
How do I test my garage door's safety reverse and sensors?
Close the door with the opener, then lay a 2x4 flat on the floor in the door's path. The door should touch it and reverse. For the sensors, start the door closing and pass a broom handle through the beam near the floor. The door should stop and go back up. If either test fails, stop using the automatic close and call us for a repair.
Helpful garage door guides for Cambridge homeowners
- Ice on the Garage Door Bottom Seal: Free It and Prevent It Garage door frozen to the floor? Stop pressing the button, free the bottom seal without tearing it, then keep ice from bonding to it again. Steps inside.
- Garage Doors in Boston and the Inner Suburbs A Boston-area garage door guide: winter snow and storm facts from NWS and NOAA, what to check each season, common jobs and how to choose a repair company.
- Insulated Garage Door for Massachusetts Winters: Worth It? Is an insulated garage door worth it where winters are cold? Compare insulated and non-insulated doors, read R-value the right way and see approved prices.
Garage door acting up in Cambridge?
Call now or send your details. We book the soonest visit for your neighborhood.