Entry doors - need suggestions

[Lainey]

It's finally time to replace my builder grade front door. I'd welcome recommendations on what worked best for you: steel, fiberglass, wood? with windows or without? Suggestions or warnings about installation issues? Use Lowes, Home Depot, or other store?

This is a standard 36" wide, 80" high. No side transoms. I'm leaning towards a half-lite (built-in window on top half) steel door because the front room has only one window and so is otherwise kind of dark.
I'm interested in the energy efficiency aspect too.

Budget-wise I'm thinking $600 - $800, maybe up to $1,000, including all hardware and installation.

[SteveinMN]

We went with fiberglass. It is dimensionally stable in all kinds of weather and is maintenance-free. We wanted to open up the room it's in, so ours is mostly window and, frankly, a bit fancier than I prefer, but I don't get to make those decisions alone anymore. :) Fiberglass, however, probably is the most expensive material choice if you don't count the ongoing maintenance of painting.

We also went with a place that sells windows and doors for a living, not a big-box store, for two reasons:

One, a lot of the stuff in the big-box store is designed to a price and you kind of pay for that later. We saw a door at Menard's not much different from ours in style for maybe 40% of the price. But Web research indicated that getting a square door from that manufacturer was a celebratory occasion, and many doors either had to be returned or shimmed into place. Even the name-brand items at the big-box stores often are built to the store's specifications to keep the prices down. You're not getting quite what the brand name implies.

Two, the installers at the big-box stores typically are not the best -- the stores just don't pay enough to keep the good ones. So you may luck out and get someone talented before they leave for greener pastures. But you also may end up with someone who just barely earns what the big box pays them. You're going to live with that door for some time; you want it done right.

One more tip (I know I've written a novel already). We had security film applied to the window. 3M sells it; some other companies do. What it does is make it very difficult for someone to break into the house through the window. The film holds the glass together and most robbers will give up and move on well before the glass gives way enough to get inside. It ran about $90 to do that, but that was way cheaper than buying the similar option from the door company.

[redfox]

Our house has steel doors on front & back. I do not like them! The back door especially, before we planted a vine to trellis over the back porch, heated the house up 10+ degrees when the afternoon sun hit it. I would love to replace these doors with something more beautiful. Until then, the front is painted a gorgeous, saturated peacock blue & the back is eggplant purple. The house is soft grey & trim is moss green. The doors positively pop out and look great, IMHO. If we ever have the $$, we'll get gorgeous wood doors with windows.

[Merski]

We went with Feather River Fiberglass doors. I got a full glass panel done in textured clear glass that looks sort of art deco, called the preston collection. It lets light into the hall, when it's dark it brings the warm welcoming light of the inside out but is security glass/privacy. We just love it. Ordered through home depot or lowes and we were lucky enough to have our builder install it. Down side of fiberglass is that we needed special primer to get paint on it. Our front door is part of the porch so it is protected. Never regretted for one second our selection.

[Gregg]

We just picked out the door for a house we are renovating and going to move into. It is fiberglass with a full height, but narrow textured glass panel running down the right side, near the lock set. Like Steve said, the fiberglass is dimensionally stable regardless of the weather. We went back and forth on a storm door. We like the function, but don't really like the look. We finally found one that is very well built, looks good and has hardware options in something other than bright brass so we're going for that as well. It will help mitigate the heat loss or gain and will give us the full light and ventilation on nice days. We haven't actually ordered either yet so could change our minds, but we both seem pretty happy with this combination.

[Rosemary]

Replaced our front door a few years ago. Caution: Not as easily done as instructions would lead one to believe, unless you miraculously live in a perfectly square and plumb house. We went with fiberglass, door has a craftsman-style glass insert in the top. We installed a double-barrel deadbolt (keyed from both sides) to prevent break-ins. Can't recall the exact cost, but I think the door itself was in the $500 range. We replaced the storm door at the same time. Both doors qualified for an energy tax rebate that year.

[Lainey]

Thanks for the input. I was wondering about the glass insert for security reasons, but it sounds like it's safe.
Good reminder about the energy tax credit - I'll ask my accountant when I do taxes in the Spring.

[jennipurrr]

I had a question about a door I was considering buying earlier this year - http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?3700-Wood-Front-Door-setting-myself-up-for-work

I think I took the pic offline, but I am really happy with the door and glad I went with the wooden door that I really liked the look of. I love the way it looks and smile when I see it!

[Zoebird]

custom-made dutch door! woot woot!

I haven't been able to find any dutch doors in NZ. I talked to my landlady about getting a new door, and showed her what a dutch door is. We'll need a new frame, too. I found a local carpenter who can make one, and it would be *really nice* and solid and beautiful and functional! yay!

Of course, landlady said "no" due to budget, but I suggest we go in halves down the track. She liked the look of it, and it would make our place much nicer in terms of air flow too.