Thursday, October 8, 2015

The (New) Front Door


 Since first walking through the entrance of this house, I was in love with the original door hanging, complete with old wavy glass.  As with all old doors, the glass was single pane and on our particular door, nothing hung square.  As the years have passed, and we endured drafty cold air coming through winter after winter, Justus begged me to let us get a new front door.  I stubbornly refused to even entertain the idea, asking him instead to try as best he could to insulate the area around the door.  (I'm sorry to admit to this, but sometimes this meant stuffing dish rags and socks in the door when nothing else would help.) 

 

 I found this old picture of our original door.  :-)  Unfortunately, to help mitigate the draft and to protect the original glass, a storm door needed to be hung.  The concrete porch floor is not level, and in order for the storm door to open, the storm door had to be hung a couple inches off the ground, thus still letting in an unfortunate draft.

After four years of feeling a constant cold draft every time we stepped foot in our living room, I finally relented about replacing our old door with a more efficient one.  I suppose I should mention at this point that we also decided to invest in a new, more efficient HVAC unit as our heating bill was steadily climbing! 

My poor husband - although I agreed to replace the front door, I absolutely insisted on placing a special order for a door that looked as close to the original as possible.  We paid way too much for this special order door (it seemed like to us, anyway) and waited three months for it to come in (and it was even made in our home state!), but I was so happy with it when it arrived. 

 

 Justus tore off the trim on a Friday night and got everything ready to go for the next day. 

 

Now, typically I don't feel like I help a lot with projects like this, but on this particular day, my mom kept our girls and I was on hand to assist Justus.  It's a good thing too, because putting in a door, and getting it perfectly square, required a lot of effort.  It was a freezing day, and I remember wearing a big jacket and gloves the entire time.  It took us EIGHT hours working together to get this door in perfectly square and level!  I cannot tell you how many times we had to take it down and move it around.  And I cannot tell you how many necks were craned as cars drove by... likely thinking, what are these crazy people up to now?  Putting in a door on a freezing cold February day?  (At least the sun was shining!) 

 

 Replacing the front door, and replacing our HVAC unit, were both considerable expenses, but we haven't regretted either purchase.  It has made our home much more comfortable, and much more efficient.  I'm happy to report that our heating bill went drastically down and we were able to enjoy sitting in our living room the rest of the winter.  :-)

Every time I open and close the door, the sound of the seals tightly closing is music to my ears.


 I also spent way too long searching... and searching... for the perfect door hardware.  I wanted something that complemented the year of our house and the style of the door.  One day I'll replace the light fixtures to match.  (Again!)  ;-)


 

 Justus felt like I should type, "Currently hanging from our front door, is a basket full of blonde hair."  He's too much!  I happen to love the wheat!  (Laughing out loud...)


One day soon (maybe in the next three years - ha!), we hope to pour new concrete steps and spend some more time working on the exterior.  We've been gone so much the past several weeks, but this next week we're tearing out the downstairs bathroom floor and getting back to indoor house projects.  


 Here's the interior view of the new door.  I left the door its primed yellow color for a long time, waiting for inspiration to strike on the perfect color to paint.  First I painted it the darker gray on the exterior (too dark), then white (too light), before deciding this light gray was just right.  

And that's the story behind the new front door... just another project to cross off the list.  ;-)

Hope you are having wonderful Fall days! 

Sources:
Exterior Door Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray
Interior Door Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Titanium
Door Hardware: Weslock Molten Bronze Tramore Sideplate Lock with Wexford Knob; Single Cylinder with Keylock Knob/Lever in Oil Rubbed Bronze.  Purchased from here:  http://www.directdoorhardware.com/Weslock_Tramore_Sideplate.htm



41 comments:

  1. Oh Wow, That was worth the wait and cost. It is beautiful! I love the paint color.

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  2. Wow! I love how it turned out. I love the warm color. It's very welcoming.

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  3. Beautiful story. I have 2 doors like yours on our 1740 farmhouse and standing firm to keep them but now I see a replacement isn't so bad!

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  4. It is a lovely front door! I like following your projects and the entertaining little side notes (basket full of blonde hair is too funny)! Happy Autumn to you and yours!

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  5. The blonde haired basket looks adorable there! Love your color choice for the front door and that you were able to keep it period to the home.:) It looks great!

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  6. Love your new door and your journey to get it! And after 20+ years in our home, I've come to accept it's simply a work in progress and I'm lucky to enjoy that journey. It's always such a treat to read your posts!

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  7. Looks lovely. In fact, a new front door has been on our list of things to update in our old house, too. I know we'll have the same struggle to get the right fit. I love the basket of wheat you hung for autumn. Regarding your front steps, I think brick would look very nice there, to go with the brick columns on your porch.
    Claudia

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    1. I completely agree about the brick and hope to incorporate the material somehow!

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  8. What a difference changing out the old a/c ( heating? ) unit and the front door. Beautiful door and I always love wheat as a Fall accent. Kathleen in Az

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  9. Love the new door! Your basket of wheat looks great too! I have been looking for some wheat for my fall decor but no luck yet.

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    1. Thank you so much! I found the wheat by chance at a wholesale florist, if that helps you any. :-)

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  10. being insulated is important and why not do it with a gorgeous door. Love that color against that blonde spiky hair ! ha.

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  11. Love your door and the color is perfect. Do you mine sharing your sources for the door and the paint color. I hope to replace our front door soon, also. Thanks Martha Thompson mst23@bellsouth.net

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    1. Thanks, Martha. The paint color is Amherst Gray by Benjamin Moore. We ordered the door through a local store... I couldn't find what I was looking for at any of the big name stores. :-)

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  12. Stunning!!! I love the door, the lights, the colour of the door. Great job!

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  13. I love the new door! Can you share where you got the door knob? It is fantastic!

    Your home is beautiful. It is nice to see the love and care your family is putting into renovating it.
    Cindy

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    1. Thank you, Cindy. Yes, the door hardware is the Weslock Molten Bronze Tramore Sideplate Lock with the Wexford Knob. It's a single cylinder with Keylock Knob/Lever in Oil Rubbed Bronze. I ordered it from here: http://www.directdoorhardware.com/Weslock_Tramore_Sideplate.htm

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    2. You are so kind! Thank you! I love it.

      Cindy

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  14. Gorgeous! I loooove that color. Do you mind sharing?
    Blessings,
    Leslie

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    1. Thanks, Leslie! The exterior color is Amherst Gray and the interior is Titanium, both Benjamin Moore.

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  15. I agree, it is hard letting go of the beautiful old home charm, but your chosen door looks like it has always been there. Well done. Where are you going to put the old door? You are so crafty you most likely have a plan or will have soon! Take care. Donna

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    1. Thank you, Donna! I'm not sure where we are going to put the old door, but it's in safe keeping. Perhaps a potting shed down the road?

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  16. That new front door was well worth the wait and expense. If you are like me, you will soon forget how expensive the door was, and you will just be happy that you have quality. Your husband is lucky to have a faithful helper, and you are lucky that he is a skilled carpenter.

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    1. Thank you, Brenda, and I so agree! I am lucky to have such a handy, hard-working husband!

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  17. It is wonderful ! I too have refused to have our old windows replaced because of the wonderful wavy old glass. It is a bit drafty and I know new would be better but I guess I haven't gotten cold enough yet !

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  18. Your door and hardware are absolutely perfect (along with the basket of blond hair!) linda r (phila burbs)

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  19. Love the new front door with the beautiful gray color and the basket of wheat! So perfect! Where did you get the lights. I would love something like that on my porch.

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    1. Thank you, Lisa! The lights came from here: http://www.lampsplus.com/products/kichler-nickel-energy-star-12-inch-high-outdoor-wall-sconce__k8855.html

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  20. That new door is gorgeous! You certainly did get a really good match and it complements your home beautifully.

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  21. Lovely front door! Looking great. Your home is beautiful. I would love something like that on my porch. Thanks for sharing!

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  22. What a difference! Looks great. I've been looking for a similar door to replace our drafty old French door. Can you share the local business name? Also, I had another question about your Farm Fresh labels. Hoping to visit with you and Dori soon. Have a good weekend.

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  23. The blonde hair thing cracked me up!! Sounds like something my hubby would have said, lol! :D

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  24. I love the door, I love the color...everything is perfect. :)
    Joanna in Ca.

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  25. I'm sure I'd love the look of your old and new beautiful doors when driving onto your property, but I grew up in Kansas and rarely, if any time, can I remember entering a farmhouse through the front door as a guest. It was always the kitchen door that welcomed us in. Rosemary in South Carolina.

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  26. I love the new door! It looks great! What a difference. Everything is perfect. Thanks for sharing!

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  27. I love the new door and the hardware! Great job!

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  28. Hello, a late reply here but I found your blog while searching for door on Pinterest. I LOVE your door and the hardware! Thanks for that link. Are you willing to share ballpark costs for a custom door like that? I have NO idea what is reasonable as we look for a 12 lite custom-sized door. Thank you! Jen

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  29. Hello,
    I know this was posted a while ago but I wondered what color the white exterior paint was on the house.

    Thank you!

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  30. Hello,
    I know this was posted a while ago but I wondered what color the white exterior paint was on the house.

    Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Carly - our house just has siding, no paint. :-)

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