It’s a good idea to hire a contractor when designing and installing custom doors. However, you should still come up with a few design ideas to get your project off the ground. Read on to find tips to consider when designing custom doors.
Materials for Custom Doors
Some of the most common materials for custom doors are steel, fiberglass, and wood. Steel is generally cheap and durable, although the really cheap steel models lack the sophistication of a classic wood door. Fiberglass is more expensive than steel but less expensive than wood. Additionally, it is not only the strongest of the three materials, but also requires the least maintenance. Wood custom doors can give your home a truly sophisticated and organic feel, but it requires a bit more maintenance than fiberglass and is generally the most expensive building material.
Styles for Custom Doors
When installing custom doors, it’s important to consider the style of door that will best fit the installation space. Here are some of the main door styles:
1. Single Doors: a single door that opens to the left or right, and swings either inward or outward.
2. Double Doors: two single doors designed as a unified system.
3. French Doors: classic double doors that open from the center and that often possess large portions of glass. Often, one of the doors will open while the other remains fixed in place.
4. Sliding Doors: a glass door that makes a great entrance onto a garden or backyard. Sliding doors don’t take up any floor space, and so they work well in spaces with little room for a door to swing in or out.
Glass for Custom Doors
Most doors have varying portions of glass. More glass provides light and an open, welcoming atmosphere, while less glass allows for more privacy from nosy neighbors. Two common glass additions for custom doors are sidelights, which are windows positioned on either side of the door, and transoms, which are windows positioned at the top of the door.
Choosing the percentage of glass coverage is important too. Generally, you can choose your glass coverage based on a quarter system: ¼ glass, ½ glass, ¾ glass, and 100% glass.
Additionally, the shape and style of glass is highly customizable. You can choose many different shapes for your glass windows, including circular or square, and you can choose from many different styles of glass, from clear to obscure. Clear glass refers to basic, see-through glass, while obscure glass refers to panes that are slightly clouded, allowing light into your home while maintaining some privacy.
All in all, custom doors can add an elegant sense of flair and modernize your living space. To start designing custom doors for your home today, be sure to check out our contractor database.
Here you will find more information about different types of exterior doors such as Oak doors, Aluminum doors, Steel doors and Cedar doors.
