Your front door is the main feature a visitor will see when they come to your home and form the basis of their first impression. As well as conveying your personal style through the front of your home, you can use a replacement door to improve your security, energy conservation, amount of natural light, and reduce external noise.
Planning your new front door
When considering your new front door entrance, you have the choice of whether to complement the style of your home or create contrast. Materials, door design, fixtures, fittings, glazing and finish will all have a role in your decision. Typically, it is advantageous to match the style of the existing property. For example, a grand Victorian style front door, finished in a bold colour might look amazing in a 19th or early 20th century home, but the same door would likely not look as good when fitted on a building built in the 1960s or 70s.
Opting to contrast instead of complement is a more difficult and riskier move, but when it is done carefully and right, it can look stunning. Using the experienced team of door fitters in Scotland at Clydebuilt will help you achieve the perfect balance and bring your ideas to life.
Making an entrance
There is a lot to consider. Not just concerning your choice of front door but also the entire entrance to your home. Where a door is recessed, by bringing it forward, flush with the front of the house can create a bigger hallway space and the opportunity to plan flooring, levels, and the front doorstep. Consider whether the way that the door opens is important and right for you, left or right, do you need to swap to a left-handed or right-handed door?
The latest front doors offer a variety of materials, styles, and colours that can blend with period and modern homes as well as achieving low maintenance, better security, improved insulation, and reduced energy bills. Replacing your front door won’t require planning permission unless you are in a listed building or a conservation area. If your property is leasehold, you might need to check with the freeholder or management company prior to starting the upgrade.
Glazing
If the design of your front door is going to include glass, your choice of glazing can completely change the entire look and feel of your front door. There are a wide range of glass options available including clear, tinted, frosted, and patterned, which you can get in single, double, and triple glazed formats.
You should consider balancing factors like the natural light gained from clear glass with the look and privacy element of patterned or obscured glazing. If your door is north facing you have the opportunity to counter the lower natural light and include a larger glazing area in your design with double glazing for thermal efficiency.
With Clydebuilt you can be sure that your new front door meets the latest minimum British Standards in respect of all aspects of glass including the security, thermal ability, the safety qualities such as the characteristics of the force needed to break the glass, and the nature of how the glass breaks. Glazing can add a new dimension to your front door design, so it is an important part of the process.
Security
There have been significant advantages in door security in recent years, and it is a certainty that having a good quality front door will improve your home and your family’s sense of wellbeing. A top front door company in Scotland like us at Clydebuilt offers extra levels of security to give you a door which is as near to burglar-proof as possible. Keep in mind that even a strong door is only as good as the strength of the frame and the quality of the installation into your home.
Energy efficiency and conservation
A good front door will significantly contribute to the heat retention in your property. This is because the effectiveness of insulation around the rest of your home and double glazing can be compromised if the front door is draughty or not suitably insulated. Thermal efficiency is about more than just keeping your house warm in the winter, it will be cooler in the summer with a well-insulated, modern front door, saving you energy bills throughout the year. You might also find that a new door can reduce noise which is especially useful when surrounded by overly noisy road traffic.