WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DREAM HOUSE HAS AN UGLY FRONT DOOR

When you’re looking to buy a new home finding the right house can be a real challenge. Not only are there dozens of attractive options to choose from, but each one has a unique combination of appearance, function, and luxury. One house might be gorgeous but impractically designed. Another might have a pool and hot tub in the back yard, but the curb appeal leaves something to be desired. Renovate your Entrance way with this tool [Free Excel Template]

This is why, as a savvy home buyer, you know that there are some things you can fix about a house and some you can’t. You can, for example, always repaint the walls, so the current wall colour shouldn’t matter at all. Likewise, you could install new light fixtures, replant the garden, and even replace the plumbing. But most buyers don’t realise that they can also overcome the hurdle of an unattractive front door.

The House of Your Dreams Has an Ugly Door

So, you’ve found a beautiful house in your buyer hunt. It’s got the right number of rooms, new appliances, and it looks great from every angle… except for one. The only problem with this home of your dreams is that the front door is atrocious. Maybe it’s painted a terrible colour, maybe the glasswork is from 100 years ago– and not in a good way. Or perhaps it’s simply too old and worn out to properly serve your family for another decade.

The good news is that you don’t have to walk away from the house as a bad deal. An old or unattractively designed front door isn’t like a cracked foundation or leaking roof. It’s completely fixable. And what’s more, it’s easier to fix than replacing that old carpet with hardwood panels. Let’s take a look at some of the problems you might have with a home’s front door that are easy to solve with a new front door.

Worn and Scuffed

The most common appearance problem with any front door is simple use. Front doors are an incredibly active part of the house because — understandably — people are always coming and going through it. It gets nosed and pawed by pets. Kicked, nudged, bumped, and shoved. Propped open, run into, and used as a swing. So, there’s no surprise when a front door gets worn and scuffed. However, a scuffed up and worn-out front door is killing your curb appeal. And your enthusiasm about buying the house.

There are three possible solutions to a worn and scuffed door. You can use wood filler and re-stain the door for a natural look. You can repaint the door. Or, if the scuffs are more than surface-deep, you can fully replace the door.

Devastating Door Colour Choice

Another serious door problem is a devastating choice of colour. Not all home sellers have a great idea of what looks good on their home. They may have painted their door that horrible colour years ago and enjoyed it for a time. Or they may have repainted the door just for this sale, not realising how off-putting you, as a buyer, would find the colour. Or they may have even bought the house with the door that colour and it hasn’t been changed since.

No matter why the colour is atrocious, remember that the moment you finish the buyer paperwork, you are the owner. And you wield the paint roller.

Download Front Door Colour Guide [Free Colour Chart]

Worryingly Dented

Sometimes, a scuffed door is more than a little ‘scuffed’. There are things that can chip chunks out of a solid timber door and can leave horrifying dents in a metal door. No matter what type of door your dream house is sporting, there’s nothing so eerily worrying as a huge dent in the front door. You can’t help but wonder if there was an accident, a horror movie plot, or just over-enthusiastic furniture moving. But whatever the cause, that dented door has got to go. The only solution for a badly damaged front door is replaced with a new front door.

Hangs Unevenly

You might be surprised to discover just how many ways there are for a door to hang unevenly. The door or frame could warp. It could be the result of past damage. It could be indicative of a slowly shifting foundation problem. But if your front door hangs unevenly, it’s often best to restart ‘from scratch’ with a perfectly even door frame and a new front door to go along with it.

Sticks In the Frame

Maybe you don’t have a problem with the door’s appearance. Just that the age and condition of the door are making it nearly impossible to work with. If every time you go to visit your dream home, the door gets stuck in the frame, it’s time to think about your front-door plan. Once you take full ownership of the house, you gain the ability to permanently fix a sticking door once and for all.

This can be done by sanding the frame, sanding the door, or just installing a new door that already fits perfectly into its frame.

Garish Door Design

Or perhaps you were horrified by the door the moment you laid eyes on it. Despite the charm of the rest of the house. Many past homeowners have gone far overboard when it came to front doors and entryways. If your front door is filled with unattractive glass, has integral mini-blinds, or is flanked by overly decorative glass panels, we can help. The best cure for a garish door design is to simplify things with a beautifully sleek modern or traditional design instead.

A Million Years Old

You can’t imagine a world without that door in it… just not hanging on your dream house. Some doors have been around for longer than we have. And if you’re looking at a particularly gnarly ancient door, you may be wondering if it’s been around even longer than the house. Old doors suffer from all sorts of problems ranging from dry rot to moisture swelling.

If the door in question seems to be as old as time, you can still keep the ancient wood for a DIY reclamation project and install a practical new modern door in your entryway.

You Can Easily Replace a Front Door

Rebuilding your entryway and reinventing your curb appeal are easy when you realise that replacing your front door is a possibility. In fact, it’s quite easy. All you need to do is measure the space, order a door you like in the right size, and install it over a sunny afternoon. If you are looking to buy a new home, but hate the front door, then never forget that you have options. For more insights into finding the right front door for your new home, contact us today!