Get Your House Right by Marianne Cusato

Author:Marianne Cusato
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Sterling
Published: 2011-02-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

EXTERIOR DOORS

Exterior doors are an important area in the house—both in terms of hierarchy and in terms of use. A beautiful door is something that can be enjoyed by everyone coming in and out of the house every day. But too often, the details of doors go wrong. This chapter explains the rules for good door design and how to get them right.

WOOD PANELED DOORS

GLAZED DOORS

DOORS WITH SIDELIGHTS AND TRANSOMS

DOORS WITH SIDELIGHTS AND ELLIPTICAL TRANSOMS

GARAGE DOORS

EXTERIOR DOORS

THE FRONT DOOR IS HIERARCHICALLY the most important element of a building, the point through which we enter and leave, and therefore something we notice every day. The design of the front door and entrance should recognize this importance. In Chapter 7, we’ll explore in depth the entry surround and portico. In this chapter, we look specifically at the door itself.

Styles of Doors

The character, design, and details of the front door vary according to style. Georgian houses usually had 6- or 8-panel doors. Craftsman or Arts & Crafts houses might combine long thin panels with small areas of glazing at the top of the door or use board and batten doors, while Dutch doors, with a pair of leaves split at the lock rail, became a signature element of Dutch Colonial architecture.

Most houses today have a front door that is ordered out of a catalog. As with all manufactured items, selecting the right door means knowing how to navigate the catalog and avoid the bad designs. The first step is to understand the basics of door construction.

Regardless of the configuration of panels or profile of moldings, the construction of a door remains constant (6.1). Doors are built up of a series of stiles (vertical members) and rails horizontal members). The spaces between the stiles and rails are filled with either panels or glazing.

With doors, as with so many elements of a traditional building, less is more. Details in catalogs often attempt to mimic expensive details. To avoid the bad imitations, first you need to recognize the good designs.

Nothing should be more beautiful than the front door to a new house. A plain door, painted a suitable historic color and enriched by some good-quality architectural hardware (a door knocker and house number, for example), can be achieved very easily’ if you know what to look for and ask for when ordering.

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