There are some rather large piles of snow in my yard. Whether yours looks the same or has just the remnants of a snowman left to melt, April is the ideal time to begin shopping for a new exterior door system. In fact, you’d be ahead of the rest if you considered the door style, color and material that best suits your home now; rather than waiting until the week prior to Labor Day.
And wouldn’t it be fun to have a smart new front door to welcome back summer? I can see the big containers of red geraniums now…
As an added plus, the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC) is currently hosting their annual Parade of Homes; hundreds of homes sporting the latest in exterior (and interior) door trends.
So, take a drive around the neighborhood, stop into your local lumberyard and bring this list of tips with you.
- What are the dimensions of the door opening?
- Will you need one door or two?
- Most front doors are a single opening at approximately 36” wide with or without sidelights to the right and/or left.
- Is there a transom window above the door?
- When the door is shut, do you want natural light to stream in?
- What level of privacy will you need from the inside looking out?
- What style glass details would fit best with your (Spanish, Tudor, Craftsman, French Colonial, etc.) home?
- What color paint or stain would both compliment and offer a little punch to your home’s façade?
- Would a brass kick plate and door knocker be an attractive detail?
- What would contrast nicely with the trim on your windows?
In our harsh climate (this winter as one of the very best examples), a fiberglass door hung in one of our Acclimated Door Systems will provide the most long-term, cost-effective and low-maintenance solution. Hundreds of styles and thousands of finishes await you.
An architect once said to me, “the front door is like a handshake; it provides a lot of information about the owner.”
-Holly Bayer, ASID