this is the link

It appears to be urethane instead of vinyl/PVC

Here is a link that might be useful: link

what are the rest of your windows made out of? I assume wood. What is your door made out of? I tend to agree with your architect. 50% of what? 50% of $500? $5000? How does it compare to the total price of the home? In my opinion, its the front door, the part everyone will see. If you need to cut costs, consider reducing something else in another room, such as laundy, master bath or master closet, etc. Just my thoughts...

Hi,
The front door will be painted mahogany, likely a glossy black. The windows on the whole house will be Marvin simulated divided lite with a spacer bar. The price for the door, transom, and side lites (one set, just one door) in wood mullions is $14,000. The price for the urethane transom and sidelites is $4800, not counting the door, which would be about $2,000. So there is definitely a huge savings. Any further thoughts?
Thanks,
Tiffany

I having a hard time picturing this. The front door is going to be painted black? But the transoms/sidelites are white?

Are your marvin windows aluminum clad wood? what color?

So if you do all mahogany, the door is $2,000 and the transoms/sidelites are $12,000 for a toal of $14,000?

I think I would keep the materials consistent. I would get another estimate for the all mahogany, b/c the 14K seems high. But if you are going to paint it anyway it seems kind of a waste to do mahogany.

So you have inspiration pictures to share?

I think your estimate is high too, but it may be the spiderweb pattern that is jacking it up. Is the estimate from a local mill shop making a custom door? Maybe they are not set up to do that sort of detail and you could get one mass produced for less. Our walnut door with 2/3 glass and sidelights with raised panels on the bottom of all was around 4,000 - 4,500 I think. We are doing just a traditional french door style single light transom with a raised panel.

I don't know how the urethane will paint out. My builder thinks even PVC can look plasticy if painted and put up right next to wood, so that would be my concern. To really know, you will need a sample of the mahogany and the urethane material, and paint both and put them next to each other. That being said, hopefully you can get a better price because your front door is not somewhere I would like to skimp if at all possible.

This appears to have some sort of leaded glass (not sure) but is this what you are picturing with the mullions on the outside?

This is a standard door for this company I think - has a catalog number. Maybe there are others that sell a stock piece like this in real wood that is less than your estimate?

Here is a link that might be useful: Spiderweb transom and sidelights

In my neck of the woods, a $14k door and SDL windows don't belong in the same house. Mahogany next to vinyl - that is pretty divergent materials.

Listen - I have a $4k french door that is not mahogany but it is a similar wood. My builder wouldn't have let me touch vinyl windows or SDL's. Obviously everyone spends money where they want to but when you are talking about the front of the house, there should probably be some consistency of materials. And by consistent, I mean visually consistent and probably financially consistent. I just can't wrap my head around vinyl and mahogany....

Does that make me a snob? Perhaps.

Athensmomof3, that photo is nearly identical to what we want, except we don't want the side lite windows to go all the way down. I'll look into contacting that company--thanks!

The mullions on the transom and side lites wouldn't be mahogany, just some paintable wood the door company uses. The door company I got the quote from is www.bentnailmillwork.com and they are very reputable and do gorgeous work, but said the detail I'm looking for is what's driving the price up so much. The company who does the urethane side lites and transom is www.awsco.com and you can see what i'm looking at by dowloading their transom and side lite catalog.

Yes, I am looking to paint the door black and have the transom and side lites white--I've seen it numerous times and think it looks great.

The Marvin windows we're getting are their top line and the exterior is some clad material on top of wood, simulated divided lite with spacer bar, painted white on the exterior of the house.

Any other thoughts? I'm afraid of biting the bullet and paying $14,000 for the exterior unit because I can't afford to replicate this for the door from the anteroom/vestibule into the foyer.

Thoughts?

My current home has a black front door and white sidelights.
I think it looks lovely! :) The black door goes great with my black shutters.

I don't think there is anything wrong with SDL lights, particularly when they are used with a spacer bar. They are used routinely on multimillion dollar houses in Atlanta. They are the way to go from an energy efficiency standpoint and the only option I know of when you want a clad exterior unit. On expensive houses in my neck of the woods, true divided lights are used sometimes where the windows are individually custom made of mahogany or another sort of premium wood, but as you can see with your door that gets very pricey even for the most robust of budgets!

No other ideas about your transom and sidelights except it would seem that someone would make a stock door that might work - it is a very traditional design seen all over the South and I am sure not all those houses paid 14,000 for their door!

Traditionally black doors were often a very dark green (black with a little green added) and sometimes called "shutter green". The color appears impressively softer and deeper in tone than plain black. Your painter will know what it is.

Down south we call that Charleston green and it is lovely!