Did you know replacing your front door provides an opportunity to improve home comfort, security, and curb appeal? You can also increase the value of your home, while helping to restore your pride of ownership. Here, we share what to look for in a new front door to help you create a welcoming entry that makes a grand first impression.
What To Look For In A New Front Door — Important Factors To Consider
We always advise our clients to consider four important factors when choosing a new front door:
- Energy efficiency: Energy Star certifications ensure you reduce energy consumption for year-round comfort. However, proper entrance door installation is also necessary to ensure a tight and secure seal to maintain the integrity and efficiency of Energy Star-certified products.
- Security: Choosing the highest quality security locks for the protection of your home is a must for your front door replacement. The right grip sets, deadbolts and knobs will keep your home secure. You can also consider digital smart lock handles for convenient entry and high security.
- ROI on home resale value: Your front door can increase your home’s resale value by improving energy efficiency, security, and curb appeal. According to the 2024 Cost vs. Value Report, new steel entry doors offer an average 188% return.
- Warranty: Most entry door replacements come with a manufacturer’s warranty but not a labour warranty. Choosing an installation company like Weaver with a lifetime labour warranty provides the most protection.
While there are also several aesthetic considerations, those details won’t impact the comfort and safety of your home.
What Is The Best Front Door Material?
Although wood doors offer a very high-end appearance, they are also very high in price. As a natural material, they are also more vulnerable to the elements and pose issues with shrinkage and contraction that can interfere with proper function. We recommend steel or fiberglass doors as they won’t bow, and the frame won’t warp. Also, they are very low maintenance, requiring zero upkeep thanks to the custom colours and finishes that won’t fade, peel, crack or need to be repainted.
How To Pick A Front Door Style
Customized entry doors come in a wide range of customizable elements, including:
Door Lites & Venting Units
Door lites are windows in your entry door that can be installed in custom shapes and sizes to bring in more natural light. You can also select venting units that open to improve air circulation and air quality in your home. One door feature that is making a style comeback is transoms that can be installed horizontally above the door, or executive panels that vertically adorn the sides of your door for added elegance and aesthetic appeal. The panels can be designed to match your door lites for a completely unified look.
Grilles
Door lites come in a selection of grille options similar to those found in windows. You can choose to match them to your home’s windows or go with something completely unique. You also have the option to install them between the glass panes for easy maintenance, or on the surface of the glass for a more traditional, high-end look.
Caming and Glass Finishes
Your door lites can also be customized with traditional caming that holds different styles of glass together, much like a stained-glass window. Caming comes in brass, satin nickel, black chrome, and patina, so you can coordinate the caming with your handset. You can then customize each piece of glass for an even more impressive effect while also helping to maintain privacy. There are over two dozen glass options available in a wide range of transparencies and textures.
Wrought Iron
Wrought iron can create a modern or traditional front door. The black metal is curved into stunning designs and then fitted into the window opening between two panes of glass. Framed with your choice of door colours, this is an impressive look for the most elegant of homes.
How To Choose A Front Door Colour
With a spectrum ranging from bright whites to rich darks, you’ll find a shade ideal to express your sense of style. Perfectly suited to any era of home, there are over 30 custom colours for fibreglass or steel entry doors. The paint quality won’t fade, providing a lifetime of beauty that matches your exterior colour palette. You can also go with a bold colour for contrast, creating a focal point that draws attention to your front door. Fibreglass doors can also be stained to mimic the rich look of wood without the maintenance.
What’s Involved In Front Door Installation
Front door installation services include the removal of your current entry door and framing. The new door is then installed, ensuring the door frame is square so your door hangs and functions properly. Everything is measured to ensure the frame and door are plumb before seals and caulking are added and new moulding is installed. Be sure to choose a team that uses their own installers and stands behind their work with a lifetime labour warranty. This will ensure that, should anything seem off with the installation, they will return and fix the issue free of charge.
What Are Some Good Front Door Ideas?
To help you design an aesthetically-pleasing front door, use these professional door design tips:
Architecture: Consider the architecture and era of your home and choose a door design that will complement your home. Otherwise, the door will feel out of place. If you are hoping to modernize your home, be sure to consider other elements that should also be updated, such as your windows, colour scheme and garage doors.
Contrast or monotone: You can choose contrast to draw more attention to your front door, or go with similar colours in your exterior palette for a monotone look. When considering contrast, it still pays to choose a colour that doesn’t appear to come out of left field, such as a red door with blue siding. The colour can certainly be impactful but should still create a sense of unity with the rest of your exterior, including the eavestroughs, windows, soffits/fascia, siding, garage doors and roof.
Door lites: When choosing door lites, consider other metal elements you like about your home. For example, if you have brass grilles in your windows, it makes sense to choose brass caming for your door lite, as well as brass hardware for your handset/locks.
If you’re considering a front door replacement for your home, Weaver Exterior Remodeling specializes in customized entry doors. Click here for a free quote or to set up a consultation.