The more that the door is protected by design elements the less critical is the wood selection. Is the door going to be exposed to lots of sun, rain, snow, wind, sleet?

Agree that the first consideration is how much precipitation will be reaching it. The less, the better. We just replaced our front entry - and while I loved the mahogany, it was too much money - I think we might have gone with the fir. But the choice of wood was really aesthetics. Our door is recessed enough, and with our micro-climate - the door almost never gets wet. (Living in Boston, so we do get our share of weather that is similar to yours.) Oh, it is stained and sealed - but will have to look up what was exactly used.

Steps are granite.

We live in Guelph ON. Our door also faces north, but it is under overhead shelter. We got our door from Doorway Inc in Burlington ON. Their price was very reasonable. We decided to do the actual door in fiberglass and get the casing, trim (inside and outside), etc in mahogany. Our whole door really looks like wood, despite the door itself being made of fiberglass.

Carol

-

White oak and mahogany are the woods most often used by custom door builders in the GTA such as Amberwood doors. Ditto Casa Loma, which works with builders, and uber premium manufacturer, Italdoors. Though I've quoted custom wood entries on renos and new, until you're in the two million plus price range there's a great reluctance to spring for the $7,000-$20,000++++ pricetag.

But if you're importing US brick you're likely in the upper range, where wood entries and lavish use of copper are becoming de rigueur.

Are you looking at custom solid wood doors or are you looking at commercially produced doors that will be wood veneer over a substrate? If the latter the veneer type will not make much difference.

-

-

Mahogany holds up well in our weather provided it is maintained. I've put in mahogany garage doors specifically for their longevity. (Though the beauty of the grain was lost when the owners decided to paint the doors.)

Just be certain that if you use Mahogany you get Genuine Mahogany and not Sapelle or Spanish Cedar as they are not as durable

A solid wood door is far more secure than a wood/glass door when it comes to home invasions and burglars That's a low risk event for most people but you should at least give it some thought.

Toronto winters and lots of glass in the door are not something I would personally choose. Doors are already a thermal weak spot in a wall, windows + condensation, are not something I would favor.

Something I read a few years back on a woodworker's forum:

Guy #1 wants to build his own doors:

A friend who spent almost $20k for an entry door of his house 3 years
ago says he would use fiberglass if he was to start over. Two builders
who I am considering to build my house are both suggesting a fiberglass
over wood (and this is not a cheap house). So if you guys are saying
your preference would be fiberglass over wood then that gives me second
thoughts...
Isn't there really a finish that would last 10 years or so before needing to refinish it?!


Guy #2 is makes doors for a living:

We have mahogany doors at work that have been in service for almost 20
years. They get coated every two years or so with Messemers penetrating
uv blocking oil, it's a real natural matte looking finish, not really
formal like a freshly varnished door, but it never cracks, peels or
outright fails. It just fades, you sponge it quickly and recoat. That
seems to be the two options . . . penetrating oil which protects less but
repairs easier, or a film finish which protects more but is painful to
repair. It has been suggested you have to treat a door like your teeth,
regular maintenance before a coating failure makes life easier than
scraping off a failed coating, but few ever really do that. The sun wins
every time.

Guy #3 raises a good point:

Some very good advice here. On the finish thing, The porch is the best
suggestion. If you are building the house new I would work that into the
plan. The best I have been able to manage just out in the elements was
ten years using automotive clear coat, and involved and fairly expensive
process.


For commercial doors I have been making them with an Appleply core,
basically making two thin one sided doors and laminating them to each
side of the ply. I always use West System epoxy and have had no failures
with this system and allows different finishes on each side such as
paint on the outside and varnish on the inside.


I also agree with David on keeping outside details simple.

Read the conversation here.

-

Entering through a smashed window means that the criminal has to clear a large area of glass, be exposed to large shards of glass and then get his body through the glass. For a glass door all the criminal has to do is smash enough glass to reach inside and unlock the door. Faster criminal entry or easier criminal entry makes your house marginally more attractive for targeting. It's kind of like those signs gun owners have:

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/Bumper1997/YardSign.jpg

For a criminal looking for the easiest score a glass door is an easier target than a solid core door. Busting a mansized hole in a first floor window is an even bigger job, noisier, and more risky to a criminal. I lacerated my wrist working with an IGU (insulated glass unit) some years ago, above my gloves, so imagine the danger with smashed glass, sharp edges and then having to crawl through that hole.

Again, we're not living in war zones, all fortressed up, but home invasions do hit some of us and a glass door makes it easier for those intent on busting in. This is a low risk event unless you're the unlucky victim, kind of like having a house fire, but we all buy fire insurance.

-

You can really only be sure by looking at the wood, looking at their products and by the reputation of the door shop. Shop local I would not use the internet for a wood door, period,no way, not a chance......

Price shopping in any endeavor only assures that the cheapest choice is found----regardless of quality. Shopping for quality ensures that the correct product for the job does the job first of all, and then it might possibly be reasonably priced as well.

Worthy knows the location and the products and prices. He 's built more houses there than you could occupy in a lifetime. Listen to his recommendations. And reality. You don't get dollar quality on a dime price. You get what you pay for.

-

Sophie=hollysprings

Nope she is just a straight shooter. Some may not appreciate the candor but she is seldom incorrect. And the internet is full of patronizing people who will tell you what you want to hear and always pat you on the back but I feel it is a good thing for someone to take the opposite approach and respect her opinions.

I'm all for opposite aporoach. But also for holding your tongue when you really don't know more. Case in point - you can get a better deal if you compare prices. In fact, our builder has commented that we've found some exact products at better prices - just with a simple phone call.

True, and in many that can be completely incorrect. What she was saying is that shopping by price alone is what leads to poor choices. An educated shopper who knows what they are looking at and purchasing can do will do exactly as you are stating. However my point was a quality door by a quality manufacturer is a complete crapshoot over the internet and not a chance on hell that I would want to take.

Hi,
Our door has been in only about 2 1/2 years (though this winter and last have had lots of extremes) and they look good as new. No refinishing yet. We have the easy to re-finish finish, based on our door-man's advice.

We (I, mostly) waited 30 years to pick our entry way. I could not decide. When the house next door (built as an exact mirror of ours, over 150 years ago) was gutted, the entry was lovely so I went to the same folks to do ours basically the exact same way (though we did make a few minor changes). I do know how difficult making the decisions are. And, the design has no glass in the door but glass sidelights. We live right in the city. And I think the vast majority of our neighbors have glass in their entry way.

BTW, is that huge opening in the front of your house for a garage?

No garage. It's a bay window.