After a vehicle damages a garage or building, the repair typically involves three separate scopes: emergency securing, structural framing repair, and door or operator replacement. The instinct is often to call each trade separately, a restoration company for the structure, a garage door company for the door, and handle the ICBC claim independently.
That approach can work. In practice, it regularly creates delays, ownership gaps, and ICBC estimate problems that cost property owners money.
What Goes Wrong When You Split the Job
No one owns the full scope
When the structural contractor finishes their framing work and the door installer arrives, they sometimes find the opening dimensions are slightly off, the framing was repaired to the old rough opening, not to the spec of the new door. Reframing costs fall between the two contractors, and each points to the other. In most cases, the property owner absorbs the cost.
The ICBC estimate has gaps
ICBC adjusters want one comprehensive estimate covering the full scope of damage. When three contractors each submit separate estimates for their portion, the adjuster may apply a single depreciation calculation to the total that creates gaps, or dispute line items that don’t align across the three submissions. A single integrated estimate from one source is cleaner, faster to approve, and harder for an adjuster to selectively discount.
Scheduling delays compound
The door can’t be installed until the structural work is done and the opening is certified. If the structural contractor is backed up by two weeks, the door installer reschedules. Every delay means a boarded-up opening, a security and liability issue for the property. When one team manages both scopes, scheduling is internal and there’s a single person accountable for the timeline.
Large restoration franchises may not include the door
Full-service restoration companies handle drywall, framing, and fire damage well. Most don’t supply or install commercial-grade garage doors and operators. You end up coordinating them for the structural scope and a separate door company for the reinstall, which puts you right back to the split-scope problem.
How CCGDS Handles the Full Scope
We perform door and operator work in-house. For structural framing and header repairs, we engage a licensed contractor and manage their scope directly. The result:
- One point of contact from emergency call to completed reinstall
- One integrated estimate covering door, structure, and operator, formatted for ICBC from the start
- Structural work scheduled and supervised in sequence with the door reinstall, so there’s no gap between trades
- Depreciation gap documentation included as a standard line item in every ICBC estimate
- Warranty on the door and operator backed by CCGDS, not contingent on what a separate contractor did to the framing
This is the same model used by general contractors on larger restoration jobs: one entity coordinates all trades under a unified scope and schedule. We apply it specifically to garage door and structural opening repair, with the ICBC claim layer built in from the first site visit.
See the full scope on the vehicle impact repair hub, or call (604) 206-5727 for a same-day estimate anywhere in Metro Vancouver.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does it matter to use one contractor for both the structural repair and the garage door after a crash?
When you split the job, no one owns the full scope. Dimension mismatches between the structural repair and the door opening are common, and each contractor points to the other when something doesn’t fit. One team means one estimate, one schedule, and one warranty.
Will ICBC accept a single estimate covering both the structural and door repairs?
ICBC adjusters actually prefer it. A single integrated estimate is cleaner to review, faster to approve, and harder to selectively discount than three separate submissions from three different contractors covering portions of the same damage.
Do restoration companies also replace garage doors?
Most large restoration franchises handle framing, drywall, and fire damage, but don’t supply or install commercial-grade garage doors and operators. You often end up needing a separate door company anyway, which is exactly the split-scope problem that causes delays and cost disputes.
What if I need both structural and door work in Vancouver — who do I call?
Call CCGDS at (604) 206-5727. We handle the door and operator work in-house and manage a licensed structural contractor for the framing. One call covers the full scope across Metro Vancouver.