News

Creating a Front Door With Kerb Appeal

Creating a Front Door With Kerb Appeal

More often than not, people will form an impression about the inside of a property from the way it looks on the outside, this is often referred to as ‘kerb appeal’.

A house with a welcoming exterior that looks well maintained, will always create a positive first impression with visitors. On the other hand, a house that looks unkempt and in need of repair on the outside, can often be considered as being in the same condition inside.

As one of the first things that people notice when approaching a property, it is really important to get your front door right in terms of style, colour and maintenance. A stylish door that is well maintained will not only look good but will add value to your property, whilst a weathered door, with old or poorly functioning hardware, will be most unappealing. That’s why it’s so important to take into consideration whether your entrance door has ‘kerb appeal’ and if not, whether it should be replaced.

So, if you have trouble closing or latching your front door, or it is slightly warped, or just sticking – a common issue with timber doors and frames – it might just be a sign that you’re ready for replacing it with a sleek, low maintenance composite doorset!

Replacing your front door is one of the best ways of adding kerb appeal and therefore value to a home. Here are some of the factors you may wish to consider:

Material

Opting for a composite door, which is made from tough materials throughout, ensures greater strength, durability and looks compared to uPVC and traditional timber. These are available with either a woodgrain finish, making it indistinguishable to real wood but without the cracking, warping and maintenance, or a smooth finish for a contemporary aesthetic.

Door thickness

There are two options available in terms of composite door thickness: either a 44mm single rebated or 68mm double rebated composite door. While both are hard wearing, the 68mm double rebate doors are optimally sealed, ensuring they have better protection against strong rain and wind as well as achieving better acoustic performance. Our 68mm composite doors can also be specified as a FloodShield PAS1188 flood defence door, which is an excellent choice for houses in low lying and flood risk areas.

Style and colour

When it comes to choosing the style of door, you should take into account the age of your property and aim for a design that is sympathetic with the era in which it was built. You should also consider whether the door and frame complements your window frame styles as a coordinated look across the front of your home always looks neater.

For the colour, you should decide whether you want a warm and welcoming shade or something bold and bright that will really stand out.

Security and Safety

As more intruders are becoming experts at ‘lock bumping’ some modern cylinder locks, you should choose a door with a proven locking system. Our range features safer and secure anti-bump locks that are linked and backed up by an array of multipoint hooklocks.

It would also be beneficial to opt for a door with a Secured by Design accreditation, which is given to all police approved doors that meet the national standard for safer homes. The accreditation is recognised by many insurance companies, so as well as enjoying an added sense of security, you may get a discount on your home insurance.

Insulation

Taking into account the U-values of a door, which are a measurement of a materials effectiveness as an insulator, is important. The lower the U-value is, the better it is at conserving heat. Make sure you look out for a value below 1.0 W/m2K, such as our single and double rebate composite doors, which are 0.8 W/m2K or better, to keep your home warm throughout winter.

Our range of composite doors deliver some of the lowest U-values in the industry as the inner core is made up of 100% CFC free Polyurethane foam, which also acts as a superior sound proofing agent.

In terms of weather protection, both our standard and double rebated composite doors offer better thermal efficiency and better acoustic performance in comparison to timber doors as well as being low maintenance.

There are lots of factors including style, colour, material, security and thermal properties, to take into consideration when choosing a front door. Our 52-page brochure can help make the decision easier, click here to download your copy. Alternatively, our handy online door designer makes it really easy to create your perfect entrance and see all our styles, colours and hardware options from the comfort of your home!. Click here to start designing your ideal door.