New front door; need storm door ideas

8 years ago

Please forgive the poor photos taken when the sun was its brightest on the house.

The new front door installed.

Now I need ideas for the storm door type and color.

Should I go with white to tie in with all the white windows?

Could I go reddish brown to blend in with the door? The door, deck, and roof are much darker than they appear in this photo.

I do not want anything to obscure the leaded glass window.

I want to be able to remove at least part of the storm door and replace it with a screen panel so I can see and hear the birds and enjoy any breezes we may get. A full screen panel will not work with my two mad, rabid dogs!

What would be my best options for this door and deck?

The rock garden is one of two in the front yard and will eventually be filled with perennials. This year they it's holding overflow tomatoes, kale, cabbage an Swiss Chard.

What color / style screen door would you suggest?

This photo is closer to the IRL door color.

Featured Answer

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

We have a door that I really love. The bottom is glass and is not removable. The top has a retractable screen; when you pull the top window down through a channel that fits snugly in front of the lower window, the screen, which is rolled tightly out of sight in the top, follows it down. Voila, the perfect screened storm door!

The best thing about the retractable screen is that you can open it or close it as needed....a summer storm, for example, or a balmy day in the winter.

It can be lowered to any level, even just a crack.

We had our door installed by a contractor from Lowe's (where we bought the door) and I'm very glad that we did. It's tight, secure, and quiet.

Ours is very much like THIS MODEL from Lowe's. The color matches our first trim around the doors and windows but not the primary trim, which is ivory. We wanted a full view door with very little metal showing. We bought ours about ten years ago during a sale when both the door and installation were discounted.

Haha, I see that lukk has the same kind.

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Comments (7)

User
8 years ago
You should cross post this in the decor forum. Lots of great people and ideas there.

We have this door with a retractable screen on the top half. We've been fairly happy with hit.
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Michael
8 years ago
The top retractable screen door is the most popular door in my area. When placing storm glass over dark colored entry doors there's a tremendous heat build-up. Being able to retract the top glass down a bit helps ventilate the space between doors, preventing possible heat damage to the entry door.

Larson Tradewinds or Andersen 3000 work the best.
vicsgirl
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Just my little opinion, but I would go with wide white trim around the door, matching the window on the right. You have a very attractive home. I like the rock and flower garden down front.
User
8 years ago
You can have a full screen door with pet mesh screening. It is great stuff. I discovered it when I was visiting a friend and her boxer was outside banging MADLY and scratching at the screen door but nothing was happening to the screen. I have since had it put in all of my screens as they go in for repair. Also, if they happen to pop it out, you just push it back in. But it didn't pop out when that boxer was banging and scratching away at it, and I mean rabidly.
pammyfay
8 years ago
What nice curved metal in the railings!

Love my retractable screen door, as lukki and rhizo described, esp. for the reasons brushworks mentions. I had a wood-framed, 9-panel window in my front door, and over the years -- between the prior owners and my time in the house -- boy, was there heat damage before I got the retractable screen door!

Is there any color in the leaded glass part? Maybe there's a door frame that'll help pull that out? Or one that is a good match for the siding. But I'm not sure that when I bought mine (Home Depot) that there were many colors to choose from. The screen itself won't be dark.
caroline94535
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks to one and all; I appreciate all the ideas. We are going with a retractable screen, which ever door we choose. I really like, and need, the PetScreen option, especially for the screens for the front two casement side windows.

Lukkiirish - Can you tell me why your are only "fairly happy" with your retractable screen storm door? I'm hoping for "ecstatically happy!" LOL

VicsGirl, You too sweet with your comments on my Little House of Horrors on the Prairie. The gardens are still "in progress, and the right-hand part won't be planted this year. DH just dumped a trailer load of horse stable compost and freshly cut grass all over it. I'm smoothing it out, watering, and letting it settle before putting some of my perennials in this fall.

PammyFay, the glass in this door has five (or seven?) different textures and patterns of 'clear' glass. The metal is a dark grey, and the three "tulip blossoms" are the most beautiful, dark red with a wavy, watery texture. If the sections of glass under the tulips had been dark green it would be beyond perfect!

The glass is 90-95% opaque, but the sunlight coming through it is so fractured and intense it's nearly impossible to photograph. The window is very sparkly!

The siding is steel, and bomb proof. Ugly, but strong. It's too sturdy to consider replacing with something that wouldn't be as tough.

We have toyed with the idea of painting it. IF we do paint, or re-side, the house would be a pale sage green, or a rich tan. We picked the roof and door to go with either color if we stay here long enough to change it.

DH built the deck when we needed to replace the front steps. He chose everything and especially wanted the floor boards set at the 45-degree angles and the black railings. I wanted it 8' wide.

These photos makes the door and red glass look darker than they are, but you get the idea of the glass textures. This particular glass style has been discontinued.

Garden in progress, the borders are subject to rearrangement, again, maybe.

The raised garden on the south (left) side of the house is 8' wide and 23" long.