Front doors not only improve the overall value and curb appeal of your home, but also enhance security while protecting your indoor living space from external elements. As the years pass, these functional and decorative pieces can wear down or become outdated, lowering the aesthetic appeal of your property. By looking for these 10 signs, you can tell when it’s time to replace your front door.
An Outdated Door
A front door serves as your home’s exterior focal point and creates the initial impression on potential homebuyers or guests. Replacing your outdated door with an attractive and energy-efficient option can add character and value to your property. It’s also a perfect way to give your home a brand-new look, as you will get new door material, design, and color. You can consult experts at Doors Plus to get a perfect entry door replacement for your home.
Lack of Functionality
If you are having trouble locking, opening, or closing the door, it might be time to replace it. While you can resolve some closing and opening issues without the need for a door replacement, severe cases may lead to costly maintenance. The only logical and cost-effective solution would be to replace the door.
Security Concerns
A front door must be strong enough to protect your property against exterior drafts and home invasion. A weakened and broken door can make it easy for intruders to get inside the property when there is no one around. It will be best to upgrade to modern doors with sturdy and weather-resistant materials like steel, fiberglass, and vinyl.
The good thing is that such doors come with multiple locking mechanisms, such as durable lock-and-key bolts and keyless entry, to enhance property security. Consider installing security cameras and updating your entryway lighting for extra assurance and peace of mind.
Moisture Damage
Older front doors often have double-paned glass and a wood frame or core. If the seal between the glass panes fails, moisture accumulates between these frames, causing rot. You can avoid further damage by replacing the entry door immediately after you spot water between the glass panes. Energyexteriorsnw.com can help you to find the best door replacement services with durable materials like fiberglass or steel.
Escalating Energy Bills
While doors may not be the main cause of high energy bills, they may contribute to it. Gaps may form between the doors and frames, causing leaks. Controlled air from inside may escape to the outside during summer, while winters may feed chilly air into your home through the drafts.
A properly installed and insulated door will prevent these leakages, making your custom home more energy efficient. The good thing with energy-efficient doors is that they radiate heat during winter and effectively keep cool air inside in the summer. As a result, you utilize less energy while maintaining comfortable temperatures within your home.
A Cracked, Warped, or Weathered Door
Your front door is often exposed to numerous conditions over its lifetime. Most solid wood doors undergo expansion and contraction with the changes in temperatures and other weather conditions. This leads to cracks, warping, and weathering.
Try checking your wooden door while inside to see if the light is coming into the room. You may notice some stress fractures and gaps in the door grains that allow the external elements to get inside. If that’s the case, buy a new door.
Single Glazed Door
A single-glazed door can threaten your home security and yield issues to do with condensation, noise, and heating. You should replace your single-glazed door with a double-glazed one to avoid such problems and boost the appearance of your home. Besides, double-glazed doors open up the space while regulating the temperatures inside and keeping draughts at bay.
Presence of Rust, Corrosion, and Dents
The presence of rust, corrosion, and dings on your front door, especially metal doors, can compromise its structural integrity. Mostly, rust on the door results from constant exposure to moisture from the interior wood frame. On the other hand, dents develop due to extreme banging and kicking of the door. If the rust and dents worsen over time, consider replacing your door before everything becomes costly.
Pests
Termites and other insects can wreak havoc on wooden front doors, destroying them gradually. If that’s your case, you need to establish pest control measures and replace the damaged door at once.
General Damage
Vandalism and storms can cause insurmountable damage to your door, posing a security threat. The best thing to do in such a case is to buy a new door and get a professional to install it.
A new front door is an investment that will not only increase your home value but also make it more secure. Just ensure you leave the job to experts to get long-lasting results.
