Choosing a new front door can seem like a simple task until you see the offering of styles, types, colours, and sizes! There’s so much choice nowadays that it can be hard to know where to start let alone what to pick or what’s best for you. We’ve put together a guide on where to begin when choosing what you want, including considerations for things you may not have thought about. If you’re unsure what you need or what you want after reading, give us a call on 01752 422 501 and we can help figure it out.


 

 

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Why get a new front door?

There are many reasons why people decide to get a new front door. The front door is one of the first things people see when they come to your home so it adds to their first impression. A new front door can revitalise the outside of an otherwise tired-looking home for fairly little. Other reasons to get a new front door are below.

The existing front door is dated

If your existing front door is a 90s uPVC door that’s seen better days, there’s only so much you can try before it’s worth investing in something new. Older doors can have a dated style as well as having had the chance to gather dirt, grime and mould which is nigh on impossible to remove. It’s not wise to try pressure washing a uPVC door, especially if it’s older, in part because the seals are older so could leak under the pressure and things like mailboxes aren’t waterproof to that level.

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The front of the property has changed

Changes like installing new windows, changing the guttering or even painting the outside of your home can mean the front door no longer matches. This can be obvious in some cases so it’s wise to opt for a new front door. This could be a simple colour change or it could be a change in the amount of glazing so the home looks open and flooded with light.

The front door doesn’t match your lifestyle

You may be looking for more light in your home, so a solid front door with no glazing just doesn’t suit your design ideas anymore. Opting for a glazed front door will let light flood into the hallway and staircase which is much more agreeable for modern family homes. On a similar track, if the letterbox of your current front door is close to the floor you may be unable to put a mail catcher in place. If you’ve got a brand-new puppy, this style may no longer suit you!

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How do you know which type of door to choose?

There are a couple of things to consider when choosing the type of door that you’d like. If, for example, you have a sidelight on either side of your front door that you no longer want, the existing hole where the front door is may be wide enough to accommodate double doors for lashings of luxury. Here are a couple of things to consider:

Style of your property

Is your home older or modern? Answering this simple question will put you on track to picking the right style of door. Older properties can benefit from traditional and authentic styles like cottage doors, whereas modern homes would look best with a front door with multiple panels.

Security of your front door

Solid engineered doors and hardwood doors tend to be more secure than standard uPVC doors and doors with large glazing panels. Glazing panels make it easier for criminals to smash to gain access to the lock internally so by this theory doors without glazing are more secure. However, if glazing is a must-have then choose a door with many smaller glazing panels.

Where you live

Living on a busy road can be a nightmare with road traffic so opting for a solid hardwood door with triple glazing can seriously reduce the amount of noise coming through the front door. Consider your location and decide on what materials or glazing might be best for you based on this. If you’re undeterred by noise transfer, or you live in a quiet residential street, it’s still wise to pick doors with double glazing or higher as they prevent loss of heat.


How do you know which material to choose?

Wooden doors are classic, traditional and difficult to break into. As well as being a natural insulator, wooden doors offer unique grain patterns on each front door meaning that no two doors are the same. Imitation wood doors, like composite doors, can be designed to look like wooden doors but on further inspection, it’s fairly obvious that they’re not real wood. uPVC doors are the most common material for front doors in the UK as it’s very resilient to damage, it’s waterproof and very low-cost.

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What else might you need to choose from?

Once you’ve chosen your front door there’s a variety of external door handles to decide between. You can match the style of the handle to the front door or go totally off-script and pick a classic antique iron handle for installation on a modern, white door. When your front door is chosen you can also select new door numbers, door letters and letter plates to complete the look exactly how you want it.


Contact us on 01752 422 501 for questions, queries and concerns on all things doors, whether it’s internal doors or a new front door. You could use our chat in the bottom right corner to speak to us directly. 

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