How To Choose The Right Front Door For Your Home

The curb appeal of your home is one of 5 key factors in selling your home. This one element done right can get you an extra 10% added on to the sale price.

Improving the curb appeal of your home means looking at 3 main elements: the door, the paint, and the yard. The door is so important because it’s a sign of things to come for those entering. If your door is old and busted looking, people will assume the rest of the home follows suit. If your front door is bright, fresh, and modern looking, it’s a more inviting experience. Ready to give your front doors a facelift? Let’s get started with how to select your new doors. After all, you’ll want to pick the right door to improve your curb appeal.

Your Budget

The first thing you need to think about is your budget. If you are planning to update other elements on your home such as the windows, your budget may be more limited. If you are only replacing the door, your budget could be larger. The size of your budget will dictate the materials that get used in the door. For instance, steel doors tend to be the cheapest option. However, fiberglass doors tend to come with the best warranties, which could save you money later on.

Installation

You also need to budget for the installation of the door. You could save money here by attempting to install the door yourself. However, it is best to hire a professional. The professionals will make sure that it is hung correctly in the frame. This will eliminate gaps, which will help with energy efficiency. You also want a professional to install the lock hardware. The hardware is vital to your safety.

The Materials

The most popular materials for front doors are steel, wood, and fiberglass. Many people opt for the fiberglass because it can look like wood, but is a lot more durable.

Wood Front Door

For a traditional option, wood doors are the way to go. They are fully customizable, but the more customizing and detail, the more expensive they get. For a standard engineered door, expect to pay a few hundred dollars. You can also go with a more customized and elegant option with a decorative solid door. This can run you up to a few thousand dollars. Wood doors won’t rust, but they do require painting and regular maintenance. If neglected, you risk the door rotting or warping. Wood doors these days are built from a wood core with a veneer layered over the front and back of the door. These styles help reduce the chance of warping.

Fiberglass Front Door

Fiberglass doors are the most versatile options for homeowners. They range from basic at a few hundred dollars to ornate at a few thousand dollars. A basic fiberglass door is going to have little decorative elements, and most likely no glass elements. They won’t really enhance your home’s curb appeal. The advantage of fiberglass doors is that they are inexpensive, won’t rust, and don’t require you to paint them. Investing in a more decorative option will give you these benefits plus curb appeal with glasswork and finer details.

Steel Front Door

While you’ll save money with a steel door, you will sacrifice a lot with the harsh industrial metallic look. Expect to pay as little as $150 and up to a couple thousand dollars. There are three main categories of steel doors: basic, fire rated, and decorative. Basic doors are plain and well insulated. There won’t be decoration and it will be unpainted. Fire rated doors are code compliant for resisting fire for up to 3 hours. These doors will not have glass, can rust, and will need regular maintenance and repainting. These are not the doors people typically buy for your front door. A decorative steel door will be the more expensive of the steel doors. These doors can add a bit of curb appeal with some glasswork options. You will need to maintain these doors too with regular painting and maintenance. If not, you risk the door rusting.

Glass

You probably won’t have a door that is 100% completely glass. However, you do have a ton of options when it comes to having a glass element as a part of your door. There are a few terms you need to learn when shopping for doors with glass options. If you see the term “full view” this means that there could be 1 to 7 panes of glass that cover the entire area of the door. A “mid view” will be an oval or rectangle in the center of the door. A “high view” will have the glass in the top half of the door. This is the most popular option for front doors.

Seal Types

The most common type of seal for front doors is a flexible PVC gasket. It will fit around the edge of the door in the frame. When you close the door, the gasket compresses down. This creates a tight seal so that air does not seep in or out of the home. Another option is to go with a magnetically sealed door. The door is either metal, or there is a metal seal around the outside of the door. It works a lot like the magnetic seal that is on your refrigerator door. This kind of seal is more expensive, but it is the most energy efficient.

Size

Before you buy any door, you need to measure your current door to ensure you buy the right size. The standard size of a front door is 36 inches wide, 80 inches tall, and 2 inches thick. Don’t assume that your front door is a standard size. You need to measure the actual door size. This is the height and width of the door. Next measure the jam width. This is the distance between the backside of the interior and exterior trim. Finally, measure the exterior opening. This is sometimes referred to as the masonry opening. It will be the measurement of the entire space you have to work with within the brick or stonework around the outside of the door opening. Having a professional help you with these measurements will make sure you get them right. This will save you time and frustration later on when you go to install your new door.

Style

The style of your front door needs to fit the style of the rest of the home. Don’t pick a super modern steel and glass door if you have a traditional ranch house. Traditional A staunchly traditional looking home will do well with a wood paneled door. If your home is a bit quirky, you could opt for more decorative glass elements. A traditional panel door is going to have raised panel sections that number from 2 to 12. Sometimes they will have glass, scrollwork, or colored panes.

Modern

Modern doors have sleek lines and are minimalistic in their decoration. The elements tend to have an oversized look such as large panes of frosted glass.

Craftsman

Craftsman doors will have more intricate of details. These doors appear on cottages or a mountain retreat lodge. They mimic a shaker style of look. They will feature large windows for a view of the outside. You will also find that the glasswork will be more intricate and sometimes be stained glass.

Rustic

If the exterior of your home features natural materials such as wood, brick, or stone then a rustic door will match. These doors have a heavier and heartier feel to them. They could have raised panels or glass in them.

Arched

If you have arched front doors, you will need to buy custom doors. While they add a ton of charm to your home, they are not standard. The exact curve will need measuring and your doors will have to be built to fit.

Front Door Color

One of the easiest ways to make a statement with your front door is to make it a bold color. The easiest way to do this is to paint your door. You want to improve the curb appeal of your home, so while going bold, choose a color that will compliment the other colors of your home. The most common colors people choose are a primary red or blue. If going bold isn’t your style, you can always choose a more subtle tan, grey, or white. These will compliment almost any color you have chosen to paint the rest of your home. Your final option is to not paint the door at all. This is a great choice if you have chosen a wood door. Just finish the wood with a clear or tinted stain. The natural beauty of the wood will star with this method.

What’s Your New Front Door?

Choosing the right front door can change the entire look of the front of your home. It is one of the easiest ways to boost the overall curb appeal. You need to choose the right front door though. You have the option of three different materials: steel, wood, and fiberglass. Once you choose the main material, you need to decide on decorative options such as glass and detail work. Choosing these elements will depend on the style of your home. Your final step is to choose the finish for the door. Will you paint it a bold color or feature the natural beauty of wood? Ready to boost your home’s curb appeal with a new door? We can help; contact us today to get started!