Home, pad, abode, casa. Whatever you call the place where you dwell, one thing is for sure: you want it to reflect your personal tastes, meet your unique needs, and be inviting to everyone who visits. But welcoming someone into your home doesn’t just happen as they cross the threshold and walk into the foyer. Guests can feel welcomed even as they approach your steps to knock on the front door.
The style, shape, color, design and texture of your front door has the potential to say a lot about what lies beyond its frame and within its space. A front door is like the smile you put on the body of your house — it can either welcome warmly, intimidate coldly, or put-off completely.
Thankfully, the process of choosing the right front door for your home is full of options, potential, and excitement. Here, we’ve laid out several things to consider as you think about the right front door for your custom home.
Wood
Curb appeal plus sturdy toughness is the name of the game when it comes to picking out a front door. For an entryway that draws the eye, and also withstands all types of weather, you likely won’t want to look any further than wood.
Wood is also quite versatile. If you’re going for a classic and traditional look, you might want to explore woods like walnut, maple, mahogany, pine or cherry. They are generally durable, difficult to damage, and feature beautiful, natural finishes.
Picking out the right wood for your front door will likely boil down to your style preference as well as your budget needs.
Thinking of saving money on this part of your custom home? Not a problem. You can still achieve classic, timeless looks with materials like alder or fiberglass-composite. Though less durable than hardwoods, alder and similar softwoods are more budget-friendly, and they can easily be customized to fit your home.
If the front door is an item you want to splurge on, then a wood like cherry provides a lasting, yet beautiful finish to your custom home.
Style
The options are endless when picking out a stylish front door. Everything involved in the design of your door (archways, frames, sidelights, etc.) is up for customization to fit your personal style and needs.
Do you want an intricate design with ironwork, or decorative glass inserts? You can do that! Keep in mind your doorframe measurements while browsing through the custom door style options.
Glass
An easy way to liven up the look of a front door is by adding glass inserts. Not only does this enhance the beauty and design of the front door, but it also provides the warmth and joy of natural sunlight streaming into your home.
Glass panels and inserts come in many styles. Do you want a glacier or a waterfall look? Do you prefer the look of clear, stained or frosted glass? There’s a lot to consider, so you’ll want to take some time deciding what style of glass inserts works best for your design and taste.
Steel
It should come as no surprise that a steel door offers not only the most security, but also the most modern and minimalist style for a custom front door. You might even consider a purely steel and glass insert door for an ultra-sleek-yet-sturdy feel for your home’s entrance. A low-cost option compared to most others, the steel door has become increasingly popular, especially when set against a farmhouse-style home.
Color
Whether you opt for the natural finishes of a wood door, or the sleek and modern look of a steel door, you’ll want to think about color just as much as any other feature.
We think that this can be one of the most fun components of picking your front door, especially when you consider how the color might match with any potential shutters or trimming you have on the exterior of your home.
The front door of your custom home has the potential to say a lot about you. Whether you care much about first impressions or not, your front door is the entryway to some of the most beautiful parts of your life. Take some time to consider how you can customize your front door to make it sturdy, safe, attractive, and long lasting.
Whether you want a new front door or an entire home built for you, Parker Built Homes can help. Click here to learn more about our custom home building in Oklahoma and Arkansas.