New exterior door or add a storm door in New England?
Hello! I am renovating a 1907 house with the original front door. The door has a big glass area of single pane glass, and the rest is very thin wood, so it is not energy efficient. The biggest problem with the door is that it appears to have been shortened to accommodate a tile floor. I have since removed the tile and will refinish the original wood floors, so the front entry door is about 1" too short. I am contemplating replacing the exterior door with a new door of proper height, but it would be nice to keep the original, maybe by adding a good sweep and a storm door. I am in New England-- is adding a storm door to the original door going to be as energy efficient and comfortable as installing a new entry door? Which would you do?
Comments (14)
elcieg
9 months agolast modified: 9 months agoI wouldn't get a storm door to keep a door that doesn't fit. You also loose the look of the door once the storm goes on...even if you do a full view. Add to that the windows aren't original; the siding looks like vinyl; it's almost like what's the point?
Get a door that resembles the look...start with therma-tru.
HU-655806221 thanked elciegRelated Discussions
Can a Door swing OUT (exterior) in New England weather?
Comments (28)Interesting Buffettgirl. Post Cocoanut Grove fire, swing-out is mandatory on all public buildings, nationwide I believe. (In 1942, hundreds of people fleeing a fire in an elegant Boston nightclub crushed up against inward-swinging doors that then could not be pulled opened inwards against the crush. Nearly 500 people died. Accounts are absolutely horrific.) Why then should it be against code in Massachusetts on private residences? (I'm not doubting that you are correct, I just think it curious, even ironic, that it should be so. A puzzle.) It's probably not the primary exit anyway though, so that should probably not be a problem for Huango. I think, Huango, if you have a storm door, that pushing two doors outward wouldn't work (from inside you have to push the inner one open to get to the outer one, but there's no room ...). And depending on where the snow drifts, the door might get snowed in (or maybe that's not a problem if you don't use the deck much in winter). Or you could build a wind screen or overhang to divert the drifting snow. But otherwise? Obviously, check the code, but if it's the only reasonable solution, even if it's a bit odd, do it....See MoreCan I use an exterior door as a storm door?
Comments (2)A storm door will usually be as much as 3/4" thinner than an exterior door, have a small latch set and fit into the outer reveal of the exterior door frame/trim. Storm doors are intended to provide weather protection and entry doors are intended to provide weather protection and security. It is possible to have two thick entrance doors but the exterior door trim usually needs to be altered or replaced to accommodate the thickness and greater hinge projection. Such doors usually have closers and a very strong one would be required for an entry door. I don't know how an entrance lockset would be installed in the outer door without extending or replacing the original door frame. The ease of splitting the frame or removing the hinge pins would make such a design far less secure. Why can't a new lock set be installed on the existing door?...See Morepainting my new larson storm door
Comments (5)I have always matched the storm door to the windows, not the front door color. Which door did you buy? The full view? Larson offers a bunch of factory colors that are much more resiliant than a homeowners paint job. If I was going to paint one, I would spray it. Wash it good, lay it flat, rough up the finish, spray prime (auto primer) spray paint (Rustoleum or whatever). I'm sure others willl have some ideas as well....See MoreInterior Garage doors in New England?
Comments (9)Garage doors, are at their best, around a R-8. With no real windows. Add windows, and you might as well be issuing a gold invitation for constant cold drafts and huge extra utility bills. And still be cold. Garage doors would never ever meet the required energy codes for windows, so unless this is a seasonally used lake house with no heating concerns, they shouldn’t even be on the table as a possibility. That is why you are getting some of the contractor responses that you are. The 1K per foot sliding stacking doors like Nanawall are great! For CA, where there are no bugs, and the exterior temperature and humidity is moderate. And there is no real winter. That is not the case in much of the rest of the US. How many days a year would opening up to the outside actually be possible? How many cooling season days vs heating season days vs neither? Do you have 60 days a year that you could live outdoors with no temperature modifications? What’s the number of payback days for the big expense? Is the patio covered so that you wont have issues with rain or snow infiltration? Is there a local contractor with experience creating the support for the opening and installing them?...See More
HU-655806221
9 months agoHU-655806221
9 months agoStax
9 months agoelcieg
9 months agolast modified: 9 months ago@Jane, sorry, but I have lived in MA all my life. Storm doors are not necessary if you have a thermal front door. Actually, a storm over a thermal can be dangerous, particularly if the front of the house faces south. The heat that builds up between the doors can, for instance, start a fire, as it did with my neighbor's Christmas wreath.
A storm door will not keep the cold out with the old wood, ill-fitting door.
Then there is the ugly storm door, over a perfectly nice front door.
Then there is a full view white storm door, over a red front door. You want a picture frame?
Our first house, 1911, had a gorgeous wood front door, in perfect condition, no storm, because the older houses in New England often had an air lock entry, before stepping into the foyer.
HU-655806221 thanked elciegHU-655806221
9 months agoHU-655806221
9 months agoHU-655806221
9 months ago
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