Draughty Front Door - Victorian house

adarynefoedd

Advice needed about our draughty, cold front door.

A plastic porch is out of the question because there is a long verandah at the front. The door itself has really nice stained glass and a pretty roof light above it. Unfortunately the door opens into a hall and immdiately on the right is another door to the front room. Because it is in a conservation area crude replacement with plastic dg windows is out.

I was thinking of a plastic double glazed screen about a foot inside the front door and moving the entrance to the back of the building. If the screen contained a door which opened inwards it could still be used occasionally, another option is to double glaze the verandah outside, another is to install secondary glazing on the stained glass and rooflight. The problem with using secondary glazing is that it could fall out if the door was slammed and double glazing the verandah sounds very expensive - large area approx 12 ft high and 18' wide.

Any thoughts?

Shrimp_Stu

How about putting up some heavy duty full length curtains - we have done this and it certainly helps keep the cold out.

adarynefoedd

Good idea but it would make the hall a bit dark?

Barneysmom

We had curtains up in front of the door for about 5 years till we could afford something more permanent.
It does work quite well, you don't have to put dark ones up, we used velour ones, as the velvet is so expensive in comparisn.

If you do decide on curtains, before you spend lots of money, have a good look around the charity shops first?

frugallass

adarynefoedd wrote: »

Good idea but it would make the hall a bit dark?

you could always put an energy saving lamp on if it's dark

heavy curtains are great for draughty doors

have you tried that sticky foam stuff to put around the inside of the door frame?

Norma_Desmond

How about a good old fashioned 'sausage' draught excluder?
It works well for us and we've got an inch gap under the front door where the stone step has worn down over the years; we can't change the door or double glaze because we're in a conservation area too!

Jonesya

To ask a silly question - where's the draught coming from?

[Edit]
There's various draught excluder devices around that you can buy - rubber sealing strips to seal the door to the frame, brush strips to seal to the floor and brushes to fit round letter boxes etc.

If the draught is blowing in around the stained glass does it need the putty/grout replacing?

Suzy_M

I've recently put temporary secondary glazing film on the inside of our glass panel. Can't believe how well it has worked keeping the draughts out so will be looking at a more permanent solution for next winter.

We could see daylight between the door and the frame. Used a V shape draught excluder strip around the inside edge of the door frame - not as per the instructions on the pack but so the strip is between the edge of the door and the frame. Again big difference. - And a brush type draught excluder along the bottom, backed up with a sausage draught excluder when the North wind blows.

If the door is panelled on the inside you could also try fixing a piece of hardboard over the timber section for added insulation where the wood is thinner.

never_enough

A curtain works a treat for us, plus gives us a bit more privacy at night. Ours is on a pole above the door so we open & close as we want, but tend to leave it open during the day. You can get those poles that fit on the back of the door that lift slightly as you open the door, a portiere rod I think they're called.

Another option which we're going to do when we can afford it is to have the stained glass taken out & reset into a double glazed unit. It will protect it & also add some insulation, but it's going to be expensive. It wont look any differant from the front & the conservation officer said it would be fine.

toffeegirl

I made a pair of curtains for our front door - and this makes a big difference in cutting down on draughts. (I went to a discount warehouse for the material and lining)

One point to be aware of is that the curtains - being so long - will be quite heavy so you you will need to ensure that any fixtures are very secure.