Three Reasons You Should Replace Your Front Door

Most people don't really think about the front door to their homes until something goes wrong. Although there may not be anything mechanically wrong with your door, you may want to consider replacing it all the same. Here are three reasons you may want to change out your current front door for something better.

Improve Curb Appeal

If you're thinking about (or in the process of) selling your home, you should definitely consider replacing your front door if it's looking beat up or the style is outdated. How your home looks from the street—it's curb appeal—has a significant impact on whether potential buyers like the home or not, and doing something as simple as updating the front door can result in more offers. In fact, according to one survey, approximately 90 percent of real estate agents who responded said their ability to sell a home depending a lot on the buyer's impression of the front entryway.

When purchasing a front door, select something that matches the windows on the home and the garage door, if the front of the garage can be seen from the street. This will create a seamless design that's more aesthetically pleasing and inviting to potential buyers. Additionally, don't forget to invest in other things that can improve your home's curb appeal, such as landscaping and repairing the roof.

Increase Energy Efficiency

Another—and possibly more practical reason—to replace your front door is to improve your home's energy efficiency. Many people don't realize this, but homes settle over time. The ground underneath the house will often shift around, causing the home itself to move in undesirable ways. Additionally, your front door is subjected to environmental elements like rain, snow, and heat, causing it to expand and contract on a regular basis. All of these forces combine to create a situation where there are gaps in doorway because the front door is not sitting right in the frame.

As you can imagine, interior air will leak out and exterior air will find its way inside the home through these leaks, which typically results in higher energy bills as your HVAC system works overtime to compensate. While you can purchase weather stripping to help alleviate this problem, sometimes it's best to simply replace the front door and frame altogether.

When shopping for doors, look for ones that have built-in insulation or R-values of R-5 to R-6. This will help keep your home from losing or gaining heat in the winter or summer respectively. Be sure that any windows on the door have low-e coatings on them that help reflect the sun's rays and UV radiation, which is another source of heat gain in the summertime. Lastly, the door frame should be properly insulated to prevent energy losses through that route.

Better Security

A third reason to replace your front door is to improve your home's overall security. Because of the aforementioned settling issues, your home may become easier to break into. The gaps that form can provide a way for burglars and home invaders to get tools inside (e.g., crowbars) to force the door open or access the locking mechanisms. If the front door or frame on your home is really old, damaged, and/or thin, a reasonably strong person could simply kick it in.

Replacing the front door and frame with something stronger can minimize these risks. Heavy wood front doors and those made from fiberglass or steel tend to be strong enough to resist brute force. Additionally, when the door sits on the frame properly, it reduces the number of vulnerable points a burglar can use to get inside.

There are innumerable reasons to replace your front door. For help in selecting the right door for your home and needs, contact a local door company.


Share