According to the National Association of Realtors, refurbishing your front door is one of the top ways to boost your home’s curb appeal.
If a simple coat of paint can have a major effect on the appeal of your home to prospective buyers, imagine what a custom-designed door can do?
Here’s what you need to know about custom doors and how to choose the right ones for your home.
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Why Choose Custom Doors?
Curb appeal’s the number one reason to upgrade your front door. Yet, there are a few more reasons to opt for a customized door while refurbishing your home.
These are the benefits that custom-designed doors bring to your home:
Lasting Beauty
When you opt for a custom door, you get to choose the materials and design yourself. That means you can choose the best quality of wood, steel, fiberglass, or aluminum according to your needs.
You’ll get to work closely with the designer to ensure your door’s built to the highest standards using the latest techniques. All this adds up to a long-lasting, attractive feature that adds value and security to your home.
Energy Savings
When choosing the material for your door, you can also work with your supplier to find the material that conducts the least heat. In this way, you can add to your home’s insulation, and ensure comfortable interior temperatures.
When it comes to insulating your home, every little thing counts towards taking a load off your HVAC system and reducing your energy bills.
Improved Safety and Security
When you install custom-made doors, you can also select the desired level of security you’d like for your front entryway. Some materials like fiberglass offer greater protection from the elements.
Others, like steel, are impervious to break-ins or forced entry. You can also install advanced locking systems to increase your home’s security.
Cost-Savings
The upfront costs for a custom-made door are higher than what you’ll pay for a standard door. Yet, you’ll save in the long run thanks to the long lifespan of these doors.
Energy savings due to improved insulation are another way custom doors save you money. If you install a weather-resistant door, or hurricane-resistant one, you’ll also pay less on your insurance premiums.
Convenience
Installing a custom-made door’s a one-stop experience. You don’t need to shop around comparing prices, sizes, and designs. If you need extra length doors, like these custom doors, slightly wider ones, or a unique profile, you can discuss it all with your designer at the outset.
You always get exactly what you want with a custom door, and you can make adjustments as need throughout the design process.
Things to Consider When Installing Custom Doors
It’s true there are several things to consider when designing a custom-made door. However, you can break the entire process down into four simple steps. These are:
1. Choosing a Supplier
Of course, you want only the best craftsmen to work on your custom-made door. Ask other homeowners in your area, enquire at your local home improvement store, or get in touch with an interior designer for references.
You can also lookup online reviews on various companies offering custom door services. Once you’ve made your choice, you’ll need to fill these professionals in on the basic information regarding your project.
The main information they’ll need is the exact dimensions of the space you’ll need to fill. If you aren’t confident enough to measure these dimensions yourself, you can ask a carpenter or contractor to measure it for you.
2. Selecting a Design
While you may have an idea of what you want your new door to look like, it’s best to find an example to show your designer before they start work.
Take a look around your neighborhood to see if you can find any doors that match your expectations and ask the homeowner if you can take a photograph of it. Alternatively, you can select a design from a home magazine or website.
If you want something totally unique, you can draw a sketch of your design to show them.
At this stage of the design process, you’ll also need to consider what type of door you’d like. You can choose from sliding glass doors, french doors with screens, glass-paned doors, panel doors, or flush doors.
3. Door Hardware Selection
The last aspect you should consider before approaching a designer is the hardware you want to include in your door. These include the following:
- Door hardware like handles
- Locksets
- Lighting
You could also consider things like remote control access or locking mechanisms.
4. Speaking to Your Designer
Once you’ve accumulated all this information, you can start talking to your craftsman about prices. At this point, you can discuss materials, weatherproofing, and security aspects with them too.
They’ll be able to provide an accurate quotation and time frame for the work based on the information given.
If you have a few custom door designers in mind, now’s the time to compare prices before deciding on which one offers the best value for money.
Creating a Beautiful Home – Inside and Out
When it comes to home design, it’s the small details that count. Take time to tackle every improvement you do with as much information and expert help as you can afford.
You’ll reap the rewards by increasing both the comfort and value of your home. If you’d like to find out more about how to make the most of your home refurbishment projects, you’ve come to the right website.
We’ve got it all from the ins and outs of custom doors to top roof refurbishment tips. Keep reading our blog for more useful information about home improvements and interior decor.
