Our house was built in 1910 and still has the original wooden, 40" x 84", front door. It has a large, oval, glass pane in the top half. Protected by a 10' wide porch as well as a screened door, it has not warped. It is painted with oil-based exterior enamel. Why don't you talk to a few local carpenters and get their opinions?

Sounds like we are not alone in this endeavor!! To remodeler matt agree about the overhang/landscape- I do like the ThermaTru doors, however, at least in our area, with sidelites, they run close to $2500. But, ThermaTru does a very beautiful fiberglass that mimicks wood so well!! All new construction in our area uses them. This is why there are so few ranches, 'cause they are all levelled and turned into mini-mansions - yes, I am not a fan of this. Simpson is another door that i like the look of, but it is wood, and also more expensive. Peachtree was bought by Weathershield, unfortunately, cannot find any doors to look at. Menards and Hines lumber can order both, but do not have any on display. In response to Marge - the mahogony door sounds amazing, but quite a challenge. The new front door we are putting in is in the space that is currently our front yard. As P.Carol pointed out, because ranches are so structurally simple, it is a challenge. I just think that the front door does make a statement, and we are also changing the brick - currently have painted white brick (a criminal act to paint brick in my opinion), so are rebricking the house, too. So we are looking for something that is attractive and understated, but gives character to a very simple ranch. We are leaning toward the "french door" look as you did - not full, either half or 3/4 window with muntins because all our windows have muntins, too. We are adding 14 feet from where the current front door stands, so perhaps lots of window will be ok?? Any more ranch owners out there?

Same here-circum-neutral soils high in clay content....no issues whatsoever. If anything, the foliage just gleams. Just got to watch the lingo a bit: So, a pH just a bit above neutral (pH of 7) is by definition slightly alkaline. But somebody reading this thread in the high deserts, where soil pHs are much higher, could get fooled into thinking this elm is their answer. I tend to doubt it, and not just due to the inherent dryness. As pH goes above 8, nutrients become extremely difficult for any but the most well-adapted plant species (adapted to the desert) to survive and thrive. Neutral soils, or those in a range from around 6.5 to perhaps 8.0, do support a very large range of plants. But on the high side, you're going to run into trouble much past that 8.0.

Our Classic-Craft collection is a premium line and has been named #1 Brand Used Most and #1 in Quality for 2019 in the Builder Brand Use Study conducted by Hanley Wood as well as being named a Best Buy by Consumers Digest https://www.thermatru.com/explore-doors/door-collections/classic-craft/. To see them in person, we suggest visiting a local dealer of this particular collection to see the quality for yourself.