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The front door to your home is there to give more than just curb appeal (important though that might be); it is also there for security and hopefully to keep your expensive heat in in the colder months of the year. Choosing the right doors for your home is not something you do every day so it is important to get it right first time and so you need to shop around and make sure you have considered all the variables before making your final choice.

How old is your house?

If you live in an older property you will need to consider whether the door you like will fit well with the general look. If you have a rather elegant Regency property or something like a Victorian vicarage or similar home you would not, for example, want to fit a stable door as your main entry to the house. You would need a classic entrance door in this situation, which goes with the rest of the building. If you are set on a stable door – and they can be ideal if you have small children or pets which need to be kept under your eye whilst still needing ventilation – then they are acceptable as a back door in almost any property. Many older homes do not have standard size doors, but there are many manufacturers who will create a bespoke door for you.

Detached or terrace?

If you live in a terrace or a semi-detached house you don’t need to have exactly the same front door as all of your neighbors but it can look a bit strange if you go for a completely different look when all the rest are pretty much the same. If you want to stand out from the crowd a little, you could do it by choosing a different style door but keeping in the same general color palette (for example, natural wood or primaries) or go the other way and choose the same style but go for a wacky color to ring the changes. Using glass inserts can be a subtle way of exerting your personality. Check online for glass artists who will make a panel for you to your own specifications but be careful not to include your name or anything too personal because that could be a problem when you come to sell.

Security levels

Feeling secure in your own home is very important to most people and it doesn’t really matter these days where you live – you could still fall victim to a burglar. Classic entrance doors are available with very sophisticated lock systems which have bolts entering the frame at more than one point and these are the safest by far as they can’t be levered out of the frame. Additional features such as chains or spyholes can also be installed but a word of warning – make sure that the hole is at the right level; having to fetch a chair to peep out is rather counter-productive. The other thing to be careful of is not to put too much trust in peepholes and chains – take reasonable precautions before opening the door, even when these are installed.

Eco-friendly

A new door needs to take into account drought-proofing and also temperature exchange. It is no good choosing a new door which does not have the basic requirements of a well-insulated core and also a letterbox and keyhole which prevents heat loss. One fact that is a certainty is that energy prices will continue to rise and a lot of heat can be lost through a traditional keyhole and letterbox so thought given to minimizing droughts through these two places alone can save a heap of money.

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John Hinds writes for Lojix. His interests include blogging, reading, playing tennis, listening to music and traveling.

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