I need a new front door

ChasingtheWelshdream

On wood vs composite for period properties. 

Our house is Edwardian and had  a hideous white pvc double front door. We are not in a conservation area.

Next door has the original - central wide door with stained glass sidelights and large top panels. It is beautiful and  I always planned to replicate this when we had the funds and just assumed timber would be the default.

Then I got quotes. Ouch.

I couldn’t use a reclaimed door as it needed to BC sign-off and there was too much single paned glass to meet thermal regs.

A new bespoke wooden reproduction was eye-watering. £5-7k before even looking at stained glass. Out of the question.

Instead we went down the composite route and designed it to resemble next door as best we could instead. 

Wide central door; half glazed side panels; multiple glazed top panels (above the door, I forget the term); non standard colour (blue-grey); all frames and beading are colour matched with subtle wood grain texture; different internal colour and again everything matching with wood grain. And instead of the standard door furniture, we really splurged on period-style ironmongery. Reeded-bronze so nothing like the default chrome option.

We didn’t like any of the glazing options so went with plain glass. I then had window film made to measure - etched glass with a subtle border for all the panels, and our house name for the central top panels. Easy to apply.  Not my dream stained glass, but very elegant nonetheless.

We are so, so pleased with it and have had many people assume it is a timber door.  It echos local original doors rather than copying exactly, and by paying a little bit more to upgrade the spec, it doesn’t stick out as an inappropriate modern replacement. 

Total cost was circa £3k, but it is a big entrance. But half the price of a timber version.

So what I’m getting at, is that there are ways to use modern materials in a sympathetic manner on older properties. It won’t always work but don’t dismiss out-of-hand. 

twopenny

Have you asked neighbours?
Certainly using man .made will probably give you draught/maintenance free future. But for a traditional look wood is good and its important to get that feel good as you come in.
A lot depends on if cost is important right now and for the foreseeable or if you can bite the bullet and go for whatever makes you feel good longterm. You can recover from the cost.
I'd look at local reclamation yards, needs stripping , glazing /painting and installation - not cheap but you get what your vision is.
Then builders merchants sites for new period doors, installation and painting. 

Then compare with man-made, ready finished plus installation.
The comparison of all 3 plus price may make the decision for you.

Soot2006

I love my composite door that I had put in last winter. We got a woodgrain effect (in dark blue) cottage style. It doesn't look like wood, but it does look really nice. The acoustic and thermal insulation is so much better than before, but I'd hope that would be true of a new wooden door too.

If you have any local showrooms, it could be worth having a look around to see and touch the different materials in person.

dllive

Thanks all for your comments. 

@ChasingtheWelshdream : Ive got major door envy! 

From some research I am veering towards hardwood. My reasons are:
- Its cheaper - much more so, probably a 3rd of the price of a composite door (I may be mistaken)
- The existing door frame is sound, so the wooden door can fit in that. Rather than - with a composite door - having to replace the frame which could lead to structural issues as mentioned in this thread. (the property is cob). I presume this would mean the fitting cost would be cheaper too

The benefits of a composite door are:
- Stronger
- Longer lasting and lower ongoing maintenance

Im happy to be corrected if something above doesnt ring true.

I dont want to go to the hassle of stripping/painting the wooden door, so presumably there are places (will building merchants offer doors fully painted?) that I can just buy a door from and not need to do anything to it?

The new door obviously needs a deadlock, yale lock, letterbox and door knocker. Is it best to get the locks from the old door onto the new (so I dont have to get new keys cut!). Would a locksmith do that or can a door fitter do that?

Sorry - so many questions!

FreeBear

dllive said: From some research I am veering towards hardwood.

Downside of a new hardwood door - Already mentioned that modern sizes may limit how much can be trimmed off to suit the existing frame. But there are companies out there that can produce custom sizes for a price.

Be careful with cheaper solid wood doors - They can twist & bend out of shape once fitted if the timber hasn't been properly seasoned... And if not painted & maintained properly, they can swell and shrink due to rain & sunshine.

greenface2

ChasingtheWelshdream said:

On wood vs composite for period properties. 

Our house is Edwardian and had  a hideous white pvc double front door. We are not in a conservation area.

Next door has the original - central wide door with stained glass sidelights and large top panels. It is beautiful and  I always planned to replicate this when we had the funds and just assumed timber would be the default.

Then I got quotes. Ouch.

I couldn’t use a reclaimed door as it needed to BC sign-off and there was too much single paned glass to meet thermal regs.

A new bespoke wooden reproduction was eye-watering. £5-7k before even looking at stained glass. Out of the question.

Instead we went down the composite route and designed it to resemble next door as best we could instead. 

Wide central door; half glazed side panels; multiple glazed top panels (above the door, I forget the term); non standard colour (blue-grey); all frames and beading are colour matched with subtle wood grain texture; different internal colour and again everything matching with wood grain. And instead of the standard door furniture, we really splurged on period-style ironmongery. Reeded-bronze so nothing like the default chrome option.

We didn’t like any of the glazing options so went with plain glass. I then had window film made to measure - etched glass with a subtle border for all the panels, and our house name for the central top panels. Easy to apply.  Not my dream stained glass, but very elegant nonetheless.

We are so, so pleased with it and have had many people assume it is a timber door.  It echos local original doors rather than copying exactly, and by paying a little bit more to upgrade the spec, it doesn’t stick out as an inappropriate modern replacement. 

Total cost was circa £3k, but it is a big entrance. But half the price of a timber version.

So what I’m getting at, is that there are ways to use modern materials in a sympathetic manner on older properties. It won’t always work but don’t dismiss out-of-hand. 

I would have tried to keep and encapsulate the original leads if theyre in good condition . or replicated what others still had in the street . sound like you've thought hard about the appearance and well done for that 

GDB2222

I take it that the existing door can't be renovated?

katejo

dllive said:

Hi,

I need to buy a new front door. I know roughly the style I want. And I know I dont want uPVC (its to go on a terraced 1800's cottage). A few questions:

- I want it to look in keeping with the house, so I think composite or a wooden door is the way to go.What are the benefits of composite over wood? Is one easier to install than the other?
- Are there any preferred shops/websites to buy the door from?
- Because its a fairly minor job, I think it will be hard to find someone to fix it. Is it a job for a carpenter, or a handyman, or a builder?
- Has anyone used https://www.mybuilder.com/ before?

Any advice, guidance, tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

I am in the process of preparing for a new wood door (and frame) for a Victorian terrace. The guy brought round small samples of both door types. I held one in each hand. The solid wood was so much stronger/heavier than the composite/engineered one. I have gone for the wood one but it hasn't been done yet. 

ChasingtheWelshdream

greenface2 said:

I would have tried to keep and encapsulate the original leads if theyre in good condition . or replicated what others still had in the street . sound like you've thought hard about the appearance and well done for that 

Sadly there was nothing original left to save. Whoever got here in the 90s ripped everything out and replaced with UPVC and aluminium windows/door. If we hadn't had to have building control sign-off, we would have tried to get a reclaimed door to fit, but alas they said it was not a like-for-like replacement and needed to comply with current regs.

We're pleased with it nonetheless. 

dllive

Hi guys

I just thought Id re-ignite this post with an update.

Ive done a complete U-turn! Ive now decided to go with a composite door!

I went to look at some composite doors, and although they dont look/feel like a nice wooden door, they are certainly less tacky than uPVC (even the uPVC with the wood grain effect).

The composite door in the style I want will be about £850 (inc VAT, door knocker, letterbox, locks). Im not sure how much a wooden door will be, certainnly, but once I get the door furniture and treat it I presume there wont be much difference in price.

Yes, the installer will need to rip out the wooden frame/sill and install a new composite frame/sill.... but:

If I get a wooden door they'll need to install it AND THEN Ill need to treat/paint it. Also Ill need to buy the locks/knocker/letterbox separately and get those fitted. Plus the wooden door sill will probably need replacing in a few years anyway. Plus theres a chance the wooden door could swell/warp.

Ive had two guys come out and look at it, and they both said similar things (ie: they could install a wooden door, but once all the labour is factored into installing a wooden door, its probably cheaper to just install a composite door.)

So thats my current thoughts. If anyone thinks my thinking if a bit 'off' please say.

Thanks