Selecting a new front door entails more than just picking out the color.
Your front door serves several purposes. It lets in sunlight and guests, and keeps out the cold. It's the backdrop for your holiday wreath and your first line of home defense. It contributes to overall curb appeal. Because your front door does all this and more in the face of constant outdoor exposure and daily use, it may be well past its prime and within a few slams of needing a replacement. Here are five tips to help you select the best door for your home and lifestyle.
1. Find the perfect fit
Like a recruiter, you're looking to fill a specific opening so eliminate candidates that aren't the right fit.
"The first question I ask customers is, 'What size is the current entry?' We replace like with like," says Donna Cahoon, co-owner of Today's Entry Doors in Orange, California. That's because to do otherwise would mean redoing the door framing -- a far too costly and complicated job unless you happen to be remodeling. Sticking with the same measurements does not limit your options to the same type of door. For example, "you can, in many cases, go from a double door to a door with two sidelites (glass panels on each side) without any problems or major modifications to the opening, or to an oversize single door with one sidelite," says Ryan Hampton, vice president of the Front Door Co., San Antonio, Texas. homeowners must decide whether they want glass inserts in their door, and how much.
2. Consider the architecture
The new door needs to fit more than just the opening.
1. Find the perfect fit
Like a recruiter, you're looking to fill a specific opening so eliminate candidates that aren't the right fit.
"The first question I ask customers is, 'What size is the current entry?' We replace like with like," says Donna Cahoon, co-owner of Today's Entry Doors in Orange, California. That's because to do otherwise would mean redoing the door framing -- a far too costly and complicated job unless you happen to be remodeling. Sticking with the same measurements does not limit your options to the same type of door. For example, "you can, in many cases, go from a double door to a door with two sidelites (glass panels on each side) without any problems or major modifications to the opening, or to an oversize single door with one sidelite," says Ryan Hampton, vice president of the Front Door Co., San Antonio, Texas. homeowners must decide whether they want glass inserts in their door, and how much.
2. Consider the architecture
The new door needs to fit more than just the opening.
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