A Cheltenham Resident living in an end-terrace home constructed in 2005 has replaced his composite material front door with an aluminium front door. All the 2, 3 and 4 bedroom houses on this high quality development of 90 houses built by Crest Nicholson have virtually identical style front doors.
Before. The original front door had two tiny vision panels that let in virtually no light.
The new front door was installed and is a dramatic departure from the solid composite doors on the rest of the development. But why did this homeowner change his front door?
Lack of light is a problem in many new build homes.
Typical of many new build homes, the original door was one of the modern composite material doors that are fitted by developers all over the country. If you have ever purchased a new build home you will know that you have some flexibility when you choose options for the inside of the home such as your choice of flooring, tiling, kitchen and so on. However when it comes to the windows and doors, developers decide on the type and most purchasers of new build homes simply accept what the developer chooses.
New build homes are often criticised for lack of light as highlighted recently by the Royal Institute of British Architects. The homeowner whilst always being happy with his choice of home was frustrated with the lack of light. He says:
I bought the property knowing it would have little natural light because of the small windows. I asked the developers if I could have more glass in my original door and they said no. It seems to me, the cheaper the house the less light you are given. The downstairs of the house originally consisted of the front door opening into to a small hallway with the downstairs WC and kitchen at the front and the sitting room at the back of the house that only had French doors and no windows in the room.
I decided to remove all the internal walls to create a completely open plan kitchen/living area downstairs and added a PVCu conservatory to the back of the house to give me an extra room. I was frustrated with the lack of light still coming into the home and added a further window in the lounge knocking through the side wall. But developers use such small windows in modern homes and the kitchen window I have at the front of the house was simply not letting in enough light. The original front door made it even worse with two tiny obscure vision panels at the top.
Changing the dim lit front door was the answer.
Grey powder coated aluminium front door with controllable integral blind.
With the front door now opening into a completely open plan home, it became apparent that a new door was needed in a style that would allow much needed extra light into the home. The homeowner had already decided he didn’t like the upvc French Doors at the back as they were too chunky in appearance and he didn’t want another white plastic door like the rest of his house. Nor did he want a new composite door in a different design. He added:
I looked at composite doors but knew that I wanted a contemporary looking door with as much glass area as possible. The doors on offer didn’t provide me with this option even in their contemporary styles and I definitely didn’t want what many window companies were offering me which was another panelled door with more glass. But it wasn’t just the light issue. I just thought a slim fully glazed front door would look so much better than what I had before.
Aluminium Trade Supply provided him with advice and a solution.
The new aluminium door now benefits from a large glass area and an integral blind for controlled privacy and light.
A powder coated grey aluminium door with integral blind was the solution. Not only would this give the homeowner the contemporary door style he wanted, but with an integrated controllable blind within the toughened double glazed unit, he would have total flexibility in controlling the light and privacy coming into his home.
The new door features safety glass, a multi point locking system with security cylinder, discreet door hinges and a door handle in polished chrome. There were no security concerns in choosing a fully glazed door either as the safety glass and high security locking was sufficient and no different to any other door. The lack of letterbox was not an issue either the option of a letterbox in the bottom rail of the door was always there but the customer was happy to add a letter box to the adjacent wall. He concludes:
Since I had the door installed, my neighbours have all come round to see the difference it has made and they love it. Other residents on the estate have stopped by and asked me where did I get it, how much it cost and how fantastic it looks compared to their own doors.
When I started looking for a front door, every company I contacted tried to sell me a composite door. Others, when I told them exactly what I wanted were not interested. The window company who I eventually bought it from was also sceptical at my choice and the advice of the Aluminium Trade Supply website. They again tried to steer me towards a typical panelled door, but I persisted. They now agree that it offers me the solution I wanted for a contemporary door that controls light into my home. The installers themselves also commented that this was the first time they had ever fitted an aluminium door in this design as a front door to a house.
The door cost about £300 more than the price of a new glazed panelled door and the extra money was well worth it.
This is one of the many solutions aluminium doors can provide to all types of homes. If you would like further information on where to buy, please contact us.
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