When is the right time to get a new front door?

Your front door is one of the most important features of your entire home. It welcomes you upon returning home, is used multiple times a day and is a crucial element in defending your home against both the elements, and any unwanted intruders. It plays a key role both visually, and functionally in our everyday life. When looking at properties, it is often the first thing we notice, as we are naturally drawn to it. Over time, as your door ages more, it may begin to look more drab, or have faults that affect its performance.

So, when is the right time to change your front door? Would a repair (where possible) be a viable choice as well? In this post we will outline some of the key factors to look out for with your own front door and to consider. Being aware of these factors and knowing what to look for are crucial for keeping on top of the overall appearance, security, and performance of your home.

Performance and Efficiency

A key indicator on how your door is performing is in the overall energy and noise efficiency of your home. Over time, you may notice that you can feel a draught in the hallway, or you can hear more noise from the outside, or even that your energy and heating bills are increasing. These are all key indicators that your door may be failing and that gaps have appeared in the seal of the door. As a door ages, this can begin to happen, depending on the material and overall quality of the door in question. A door seal can be replaced in many instances, but a failure here may point to larger issues with the door overall that a quick replacement does not resolve.

A rise in bills and loss in efficiency is a key consideration for homeowners, more so now in today’s climate than ever before. While a new front door can be a significant investment, the benefits that come from it, including a reduction in your bills, help to offset this initial outlay. When a door begins to fail in these factors, they are very hard to repair, and are a key sign that the door is at the end of its life and needs to be replaced.

As our entire range is manufactured in Engineered Timber, and backed with industry leading guarantees, the naturally insulating timber, combined with high performance double glazing, gives homeowners assurances that the efficiency of their home will improve. We have visited many properties over the years where the homeowners have noted this exact change in how much warmer and efficient their home has become since our windows and doors were installed.

Security

The security of a home is one of the largest concerns a homeowner has, and this is one of the primary jobs of a front door. When you are out for the day, you want to feel assured that your home is safe from any unwanted intruders. When a door is damaged, or you have noticed that it gets stuck more and is harder to lock, these can raise serious security concerns. While making the door harder to function and operate as it should, it can also make it less secure overall. How many locking mechanisms does your current door have as well? If the door is closed and you push on it a bit from the outside, can you feel movement? While this ties in to the seal and efficiency outlined above, factors like this are also key from a security and peace of mind perspective.

New front doors, especially from our range, come with multi-point locking systems, which when combined with naturally strong, warp-resistant, engineered timber, will give you peace of mind that your home is secure.

Aesthetics

Over time, you may notice that the colour of your door has begun to fade, either in patches on the door panels, or overall. Hardware may become tarnished, and the glass doesn’t quite gleam like it did when the door was first installed. This creates a ‘tired’ look that reflects on the overall beauty and kerb appeal of your home.

Is your current door style the most suitable for your home? This can apply to both the look, and material of the door. If you take a traditional Victorian townhouse for example, certain materials such as uPVC are not the right fit for that style and age of property. It creates a jarring look, and this will also be seen by prospective buyers if or when the time comes where you are looking to sell your property. Kerb appeal and taking pride in your home should be a factor you take into account if you are considering a new front door, choosing the most suitable look and material for your home, that will enhance both its beauty, and value.

With the Timber Windows range of front doors, we have over 50 styles of front doors available, in addition to an almost unlimited combinations of colour, hardware and glass, allowing you to create a door that is the most authentic for your property and a beautiful entrance to you and visitors alike.

Cost of repairing/renovating vs Cost of replacing

Depending on the front door, and the material it was manufactured in, a repair or renovation can be a viable solution to elevating a front door that has seen better days. Sometimes, a simple repaint can completely transform a front door, and entrance to a home. However, this is not possible with certain materials, such as PVC and aluminium. If you have a timber or composite door, a repaint is possible, however, ensure you are using a suitable, microporous paint that will handle being exposed to the elements.

If your front door has some of the flaws/issues outlined above and you are considering repairing it over replacing, it is worth taking the time to consider the full costs of this, compared to going for a new front door. While a repair may be cheaper in the short term, if the door inherently has faults, or is near the end of its life, it will only require further repairs (and even repairs to the repairs) in time.

A new front door, with multi-point locking systems, lengthy guarantees, and manufactured from engineered timber, while being a larger investment initially, in the long term can both save you money (Through greater efficiency and insulation), and also add value to your home. Prospective buyers may be discouraged if they can see a front door will need replacing before they have purchased the house, as that will be another expense for them shortly after purchasing. The benefits of a new front door, as outlined above, on the other hand, are also selling points to a prospective buyer, in addition to being benefits to you as the homeowner, for your everyday living, if you are not looking to sell.

A new front door for your home

Changing your front door is in most cases, a straightforward process, and yet one of the most transformative changes you can make to your home, that will have an instant impact on its overall beauty, functionality, and security.

If you can spot any of the flaws outlined above with your front door, it may be time to consider replacing it. A new front door will be more secure, perform to a higher standard, improve kerb appeal, and add value to your home. With the Timber Windows range of front doors, which you can explore here, we have a door for every type and age of home, providing you with an authentic and strong, engineered timber front door.

Our network of local showrooms all display a selection of our front and stable door options, so you can test them out in person and feel the strength of engineered timber first hand, while exploring the various colour, glass and hardware options that can be partnered with a new door, to create a truly beautiful, authentic entrance to your home. You can find your local showroom here.