Thanks everyone for your input!! The final decisions were: 1st Door--I prefer the middle door-very simple with elegant understated lines, but DH likes the added privacy the iron lends to the door, so privacy trumps simple & elegant. Living 1000 ft off the road and around a corner on 45 acres isn't private enough, I guess. DH says if we don't like it once we move in, we'll change it out--time will tell. Kitchen Window--I ended up with a small reprieve here as questions came up on other windows when they went to place the order today, so any changes have to be made tomorrow. Our decision was to go with the standard window (no arch). There will be no window treatments on this window. My thought was that if I didn't like the way it looked, I could add an arched cornice board that would extend to the ceiling that matches the cabinetry to give a visual arched look like this: Then I got to thinking about athensmomof3 & chisue's responses about the 3 casements. I have an inspiration picture (posted below), but not sure on the sizes shown or even if the side units are a different size than the middle unit. I did call the cabinet guy & verified my cabinet specs. I would be able to do the 3 casements to form an arch, but it will be tight. Technically, I've got 58.5" of space available for the window (3.25" trim already taken into consideration). My options on window widths would be: A) 12" - 24" - 12" (proportionally, this one might be a little too tall for the specced width) B) 16" - 24" - 16" C) 18" - 18" - 18" Any thoughts? Ash6181-The doors are made by DSA Mastercraft Doors out of Raleigh, NC. Here is a link that might be useful: DSA Mastercraft Site

Don't use Spar varnish. It isn't tough enough. I have a carbon composite front door. After staining it, I applied 5 coats of Zar Exterior Poly to it. That was several years ago and it looks like the day I put it on, even tho the dogs sometimes scratch at the door. It is extremely hard. Even steel-wooling between coats was a tough way to go because you couldn't see where you had used the steel wool and where you hadn't--it's that hard. It also has excellent UV ray protection. You might want to use a gel stain. They are so much more managable than a wiping stain. I used a wipe stain on mine but fauxed it to really look like wood and it turned out great. But if you haven't had a lot of practice in manipulating stain, gel is a good way to go.

Replacing old front door locks with DIY is never a good idea. Ask me how I know - previous owner did this and 34 years later, I still struggle with it (replacing the entire door is my old option and that's not happening). Hire a good locksmith. If you have a local company that sells locks and installs them, go that way. It's not an easy switch-out.

I would not remove the storm door. The wood door looks like it is a slab door and isn't very interesting except for the cool hexagonal window. The storm protects the door from the elements as well as adding some insulation value. Also allows for ventilation and is an additional light source if you want to open just the wood door. I would paint it the same color as you choose for your wood door. Love the teal color in the photo Daiseychain posted.