I'm imagining that you have about a 1" space at the bottom. I believe I would purchase a threshold and install it on the floor - probably will need to saw the stop on the side of the jamb to the correct height in order to slide one below the door. This will probably close 3/4" of the space. Then purchase one of those flexible sweeps and attach to the inside bottom of the door such that it will close the remaining space. This won't make it weather tight or confine the critters but will eliminate most the the cold air.

I sold my house at the peak of market within one weekend...for much more than I expected. I had moved everything out into storage in preparation for my move. I had a 4 bedroom 2 bath small track home with living, dining, freshly remodeled kitchen, 2 car garage, large lot, within walking distance to high school. Things I did: ~new roof ~painted outside ~very minor landscaping in front ~painted all rooms (except kitchen)in white ~new mirrored closet doors ~carpets shampooed ~minimal staging I tried to do as little as I could, but my home had not had any updates in many years and I had crazy decor in every room. I think the best thing I did was empty the house and paint it white inside. I would love to go back and see what the new owners have done to it. :-) Best of luck tosk...keep it clean and simple...you will do fine.

The sides of my 1965 Frigidaire Flair range were originally turquoise, but painted off-white by a previous owner, probably 25 years ago. I have no idea what they used, but the off-white paint still looks fine (I can only see the turquoise by peering back into the seam where it slides into the countertop.) Kinda wish it was still turquoise, though (if you're gonna go, go big!) The cooking surface area around the burners is stainless, so no issues there. I am another one of those "let's try it" DIY types. My husband and I had a blacksmith shop for many years, so I'm pretty comfortable with experimenting with paint finishes on metal. I think your recent mention of only wanting to paint the sides and the back where the clock and timer are makes a big difference. There are high-heat paints designed for painting metal fireplaces and cast iron stoves, designed to withstand temps to 1200 degrees. I'd probably buy a spray can to try it, myself. Here are a few links I've found, if it helps. You might also email the companies with specific info about your intended use, to see if they have any concerns. I do this frequently and they usually answer. Thermalox Stove Paint Stove Paint By Jim I think it would be great if you'd post back after trying it, as circuspeanut mentioned. You might be a big help to someone else considering the same idea. As someone who likes to think "outside the box" I am always tickled pink when I find someone posting in detail about unusual things they've tried (tips hat to circuspeanut!)

I would expand on what Anglophilia says just a little. Think about what style of house you're building. Is it a style that has traditionally had black windows? Think about your decor. Are you willing to commit to incorporating black in other finishes and furnishings so that the windows don't look out of place? Have you thought about how you'll deal with window coverings, which can be more difficult with dark windows? We're using black fiberglass windows, and we went through this same process. In our case, we're building a PNW modern style house, so black or bronze windows are appropriate to the style. We chose black countertops and will repeat the black in our interior door hardware, light fixtures, and various furnishings. And we're doing very simple modern roller shades. So for us, black works. If any of these things weren't true, we wouldn't have done it.