With the right planning, your front door can be warm and inviting.
Story by Tracy Dickinson
Featured in November/December 2020
Nothing says “welcome” like a pleasant front entry. And nothing is more important to that welcome than the door through which your guests will enter.
Here we share a few items to consider when choosing the perfect door for your home no matter what your own style may be.
Location, location, location
The first factor in selecting an exterior door is its location on the house—and the location of your house, too. “With our Iowa climate, you want to choose a door that can handle the extremes,” says Dirk Westerly of Moehl Millwork. “Products that are suitable in other areas of the country may not hold up as well here.”
In addition, the direction the door will face can play a role in its suitability. “If the site doesn’t have an overhang, its exposure to sun and weather will be greater,” Westerly says. “And, depending on the direction it faces, that could also have a bigger effect. West- and south-facing doors will experience a lot of heat and sun damage, and north-facing doors will get the weather extremes.”
Durability
The different door materials available all have pros and cons, according to Westerly. Wood offers greater flexibility for customizing design and finish, but it requires more maintenance. “Wood doors are beautiful and are still seen as the ideal choice for a lot of homeowners,” Westerly says. “But they aren’t the greatest choice in our climate, especially if the front entry doesn’t have a porch or some type of overhang to protect the door from sun and weather.”
The most popular material by far is fiberglass. Like wood, it can be painted, even finished to mimic wood by some manufacturers. “One of our suppliers has a staining system that involves a multistep process. It requires extensive training and certification,” says Westerly. “And it comes with a 10-year warranty.”
“The modern look is by far the hottest look out there. Any look with lots of glass and clean lines, whether it’s wood or fiberglass, is hot. And black is as popular for doors as it is for windows.”
Dirk Westerly, Moehl Millwork
Unlike wood, fiberglass can handle the extremes of weather, requires less maintenance, and is less expensive than wood or steel.
Like fiberglass doors, steel doors can handle any weather and are more secure, but they can rust over time and ding more easily. They can be pricey as well.
Style
Whichever material a homeowner chooses, the design selections are nearly limitless.
“The modern look is by far the hottest look out there,” says Westerly. “Any look with lots of glass and clean lines, whether it’s wood or fiberglass, is hot. And black is as popular for doors as it is for windows.”
One modern door style that’s becoming more popular is the pivot door, which operates on hidden pivot hinges. “It’s especially popular for modern-style homes because the door doesn’t need any hardware to break up that clean look,” Westerly says. “They don’t always seal out the elements as well as traditionally hinged doors, so there are other factors to consider if a homeowner is interested in this style.”
Sometimes, he says, homeowners will add a storm door in hopes of protecting their exterior door, but this can actually cause additional problems. “If they aren’t designed and installed properly, storm doors can hold in the heat from the sun and create warping or cracking. But if a homeowner really wants the option of a storm door, you just have to plan for ventilation so you don’t create more problems,” he explains.
Westerly says paint color used to be a greater factor in design because some colors would not withstand the sun and weather as well as other colors. That’s no longer true. “Technology has improved so that it’s less of an issue than it used to be,” he says.
The paints and the application processes manufacturers use provide a longer- lasting finish that holds up in all sorts of climates and exposures. This makes it possible for the door to be an eye-popping statement in bold color or a subtle accent for the rest of the home’s exterior.
Your home’s front door sets the tone for everything else. It should reflect not just the architectural style but your personal style as well. And it should offer a warm welcome to everyone who knocks. •
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- Dirk Westerly Moehl Millwork
