Porches & Decks Remodeling Design Dilemma

Exterior French doors that are attractive and secure??

last month

I need to replace two sets of french doors. Both lead to the back porch.

Currently, these are old wood doors, with glass panes - they let in a lot of cold air and they are not secure at all. There are also very old screen doors there now.

I need a solution that is:

1. Secure

2. Attractive.

3. thermal insulating.

4. Max $3k for each set of french doors

Handyman suggested fiberglass doors with built in blinds - attractive and thermal insulating, but not secure. about 2k for a set.

I could add attractive security screens like crim safe, but that's ~4k for each set - just for the screens.

Any ideas for a solution?

Featured Answer

millworkman

last month

Does the 3k include installation? What have you looked at? Where have you looked? What size doors? What do you mean by secure?

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Comments (8)

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Original Author
last month
No, I wasn't including installation in the 3k, but I wasn't expecting installation to be too much more. So, maybe $3,250 total for a set of French doors, installed.

Roughly about 72" opening, with each door taking up about half that.

Secure - that it would significantly deter a break in (at least as much as my basic wood front door that doesn't have any glass), even without an alarm system.

I feel that most glass doors are less secure than doors without glass because someone can easily break the glass, and then either walk in or reach in and open the door (if it is a latch or a key-lock with the key in)).

I haven't looked at much. I've seen the fiberglass doors and like them a lot but worry about someone breaking the glass. Thought of adding an attractive security door to that, but only found crimsafe, which appears to be well over my budget.
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Thank you all for your help! You're correct that the doors are fiberglass. I called our salesman at Ganahl this morning and he said we can't do multipoint locks on these doors and there was some other option that we would have had to select at the time of purchase but can't be added now. Wish I had researched this better and/or asked better questions at the time we ordered the doors, since they are now non-returnable. Hopefully it works out. I bought the keyed door lever and deadbolt (single cylinder - see below) for the active door and two dummy door handles for the passive door. Re double cylinder, the Ganahl salesman said the downside of that, aside from inconvenience, is that in the event of a fire or other emergency, it slows down your ability to exit the house quickly. If someone is determined to break into the house, the double cylinder may create an extra step but they'll find another way in. And P.S. I do live in a warm and safe area, although it's an El Niño year, so good luck to us and our new doors! Thank you all again!!
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For security, install some IP cameras and not wireless. Security systems let you know that your house has been broken into, but the police rarely respond quickly enough to actually catch the thieves (they typically are in-and-out faster than most of us would believe). If you have cameras, great. You'll have a picture of a guy wearing hat so his face is covered. It makes more sense to spend that money on the better quality glass (triple panes are actually pretty tough to break), better locks, and stronger support around the doors and windows. Most thieves aren't looking to get into YOUR house; they just want SOME house, so if yours is difficult to enter (no house is impossible to enter) they'll move on. We utilize a pug security system. He works 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Here he is working now: We have the Beagle model. Slightly larger than your system and possessed of a bigger mouth ... but just as lazy. My husband feeds ours meat /provides pets and praise every time he barks at someone at the door (for example, the UPS man), so he goes crazy when anyone's around. The doors are not the least secure part of any house. Any intruder who wants in, is gonna get in, if not through a door, then through a window... Yeah, doors are the least secure part of a house. Windows are certainly breakable, but they still require that the thief scramble over the sill while contending with broken glass. Most thieves go through doors, and most thieves use the front door ... the second choice is the garage-to-kitchen door (which has the benefit of being hidden from view). Thieves usually don't go into the back yard, even though sliding doors and French doors tend to be on the back of the house. Sure, if a thief has determined he wants to get into YOUR HOUSE, he's going to find a way -- door, window, whatever. But most thieves aren't targeting a specific house; they're just looking for the easiest choice.
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WestCoast Hopeful
last month
We had French doors in our own home that led to back deck. They had a deadbolt and were our main entrance from backyard. Fibreglass. Home Depot
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last month
Install will be far more than $250… A well made modern door will be better than what you have, but a thief with a crowbar will get in regardless. An aluminum clad door with multi point locks will be the best but outside your budget. My last house had fiberglass French doors and they were perfectly lovely, but the blinds between the glass are pretty cheesy…
millworkman
last month
I would look at a fiberglass double door with multi-point locks as @HALLETT & Co. points out. A glass door will always be the weak point but makes a hell of a racket when breaking so there is that. Concentrate on a quality door, and install and you should be fine. And in my opinion stay out of the box stores.
oberon476
last month
last modified: last month
If you are worried about break-ins because of broken glass then look into laminated for both enhanced safety and security. Laminated will add to the price however.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last month
The only way to be a bit safer is laminated glass but it too can be broken , we had it in a store I worked in and a brick thrown was enough to break the glass. Get a dog better deterrant than anything else. We have huge patio doors and windows they are not "safe" but we have never had a break in we have 3 large dogs . I good alarm system is pretty good derterrant. Please do not get the doors with internal blinds when those blinds fail you will regret that choice. As for waether proof any door or windows has limitations as to how well they function. I prefer patio sliders to fench doors where I live we get big winds in the winter and that teeny space beten the 2 dors can still allow air in.
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Original Author
last month
no end to what I could spend ...

I think I will keep the doors I have - as a quick and cheap improvement, I will add some weatherstripping and change to keyed locks. Then maybe I can replace the old screen doors with laminate-glass storm doors for some more security and insulation.

ive also seen inexpensive security kits that add reinforcements between door and frame - cant find link right now

I can put the money saved toward an alarm system

Exterior French doors that are attractive and secure??

millworkman

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Exterior French doors that are attractive and secure??

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