The front door, with its stained glass fanlight, was one of the few genuinely original features we inherited. Unfortunately it was also badly damaged, and couldn’t be trusted keep us safe and warm. When the Beast from the East arrived on top of six months’ construction wear and tear, we knew it had to be replaced.
The challenge was to be faithful to the original while improving insulation and security. To complicate things further my husband was worried that the door panels were too small to light the hallway.
We needed a bespoke solution and a shout out on Facebook came up with a joiner. Roy carefully measured up to make a new frame and door offsite, leaving the original in place but removing the light and door panels. The panels went off to a glazier, to implement Mark’s inspired idea of adding an extra strip of glass round the outside.
A few weeks later Roy was back to fit a new front door for the New Year. Made in hardwood it incorporated various safety and draught-proofing features, plus secondary glazing to strengthen and support the stained glass.
Replacing the door also gave us the opportunity to fix another nagging problem: you’ll note the absence of doormat in the interior shot. While I’m not above shifting things about to get a better shot there’s no fakery here. Instead we remade the porch to incorporate a large piece of coir, cut to fit, which can easily be lifted out and replaced when it starts to get tired (which is probably around now, looking at this pic!).
Last House But One 