Boost kerb appeal with a new front door

When you look at a house, the front door is often, and instinctively, the first thing we notice and are drawn to. A front door plays a crucial role in the overall look and beauty of the home, and as a feature that is used multiple times a day, it is important to get the right one for you, that is secure, functional, practical, and also aesthetically pleasing.

In this article we will delve into the different ways a front door can entirely transform the overall look of your home, and outline the different factors you should consider if and when you decide to change your own door.

One simple change can completely transform the look of a home

Over the years, we have visited many of our customer’s homes following the installation of their new windows and/or doors. Often, we are shown a ‘before’ photo of how the property looked prior to the installation. It can be underestimated just how transformative a simple change such as a new front door can make to the overall look and style of a home, often bringing new life, and bringing the style to the home that was originally envisaged when it was built.

Over time, many homes have suffered due to poor changes by previous homeowners/builders/developers etc. While this is understandably often due to cost/budgets, it does come at the expense of both the look, and performance of the windows and doors that were installed at the time. Poorer performing materials, shoddy installation, and even just poor selection of style, colour etc can mean some homeowners are forced to change their products, even if they do not want to, or when the products are not even that old; an unfortunate consequence that can be avoided if better decisions were made initially.

The image below is of a property in Yorkshire we visited a few years ago with one of our front doors installed. The stark contrast is almost shocking in how much better the entrance to the home looks, not to mention the improvements in energy insulation, noise reduction, and security that the homeowners are benefitting from now. If of interest, you can read this customer’s journey here.

Greater customisation options available allow you to show your personality

Your home is your pride and joy, and what makes a house a home is your personality and taste being applied to it. With timber doors, there are greater customisations options available to you over composite doors and PVC for example. The list below outlines some of the various options you can adapt, to create a truly one-of-a-kind front door that both suits your home, and shows your individuality:

Style – Whether you are looking for a traditional look or a more contemporary style, we have multiple door styles to suit.

Locking Mechanisms – Do you prefer a traditional door handle, or a townhouse style door with an escutcheon that you put your key into? All of our doors are available with either option, allowing you to choose your preference, or perhaps what matches neighbouring doors in your area.

Colour – Timber has greater colour customisation options than uPVC, aluminium or composite doors. You can specify your new door in any RAL colour, as well as complementary colours from popular ranges such as Farrow & Ball and Fired Earth. Your new door can also be dual coloured, allowing the internal face to suit your internal colour scheme. Gone are the days when you would be limited to a handful of colours and be stuck with just a plain white or black door for example. Typically speaking, new windows are often safe colours such as White, Off-White, Black etc. However, with a new front door, this is less so the case. You can give your home more personality and kerb appeal, with colours across the spectrum being a workable option. Over the years we have visited and photographed pinks, yellows, purples etc, where the colour works well in the setting and was an appropriate, and personal choice from the homeowner.

Ironmongery – Our door hardware options include a variety of styles, from traditional doctor’s and art deco knockers, to sleek, stainless steel Barbican knockers designed for contemporary doors. Additionally, most are available in a suite of finishes, such as Black, Pewter, Satin Brass, Polished Chrome etc. So regardless of the colour of your new door (and however bold it may be), we can partner it with complementary ironmongery that will enhance the overall look of your new entrance door even further.

Size – A further benefit to our range is that it is entirely made to order. Regardless of the size required for your new front door, we can accommodate. For larger openings, sidelights can be added, or French doors can be adopted in a front door style. We go into this further in a previous article, which you can find here. If you require an arched toplight, or arched door itself, we can also provide a solution for this which you may not find is possible from alternative materials such as composite doors, or PVC for example.

Glass – Patterned, etched or stained glass increase privacy, while also elevating the character of a new door substantially, without compromising the levels of natural light flowing into the home. Bespoke stained-glass patterns allow your creativity to shine, and can pay respect to the history of the home, its period, and the local area it was built in. If you have existing stained glass on a tired, old door, it can sometimes be possible to encapsulate this in a new one, retaining the original, intended look and character of the door, but in a higher performing, new door that will last for years to come.

How should you choose your new front door?

Greater customisation options provide you with a fantastic opportunity to really put your stamp on your new door and transform the entrance into your home. However, how do you choose from the wonderful range of options available to you? Where should you start?

We highly recommend local research as a starting point, do neighbouring properties have a look or style that you prefer to your own? Speak to your neighbours and friends and see what they recommend and how they decided on their style. Find inspiration online to get an idea of the styles you do and don’t like, to help narrow things down initially.

If you visit one of our showrooms, not only do they have full sized door samples for you to see and try in person, but our literature is full of examples of doors we have manufactured for our customers across the country. Our door portfolio contains 255 doors of varying styles and formations that we have visited over the years; A perfect brochure to flick through and highlight things you do and don’t like for when it comes to building your new front door.

Our Choices brochure contains all hardware, glass and colour options available for our range, and is a great tool for comparing different finishes and styles. Additionally our Complete Guide brochure, and Inspirations Magazine are packed full of imagery and customer stories, to give further insight and helpful visual aids to help you find your perfect new door. Local experts work in each of our showrooms as well, and their knowledge and experience can help narrow down these options and recommend the right fit that will boost the kerb appeal and enhance the value of your home.