Don't know anything about the company either but I really like the egg knob. I haven't even started to think about knobs yet, as you know I'm fixated on the kitchen.

I'm planning on ORB as it will match the window locks. We have 8 pocket doors so I think I'll pick the latches for those first and keep the rest of the knobs fairly basic. I also have 2 sets of Andersen French doors that we ordred the levers for and I couldn't even tll you what they look like (I left that one up to DH).

Emtek has several that might meet your requirements.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cape Cod Brass

sue36, I totally agree that the Emtek doorknobs are very suitable (and beautiful). I just can't decide if I've totally lost perspective since everyday I seem to spend several thousand dollars. Is it crazy to spend $70-$90 per knob??? I know the details make the house. I'm just not sure if I'm going to be the ONLY one who ever notices the doorknobs...

I love our Baldwin levers. They 'make' the doors. I'm big on putting my money in hard goods and skipping stuff that ages fast -- like window 'treatments'.

jay, when I saw the title to this thread I immediately checked to see if someone brought back my old post concerning my "expensive" taste in door knobs. LOL

Here's my philosophy, I want them, they are gorgeous, so I'm buying them. HA! I want glass knobs and the cheapest I can find them is $70 a piece. Poor DH moaned and groaned at first upon hearing of my decision, but he's OK now. LOL I didn't force him to put glass knobs on the exterior doors so that was a happy compromise. I do have to add I didn't push my luck on any fancy backplate though. That would have sent him over the edge. I don't really think we can afford that anyway so I have to be reasonable about it also. Although they are gorgeous. I love the first knob and backplate you pictured. I notice on the other 2 they have small square plates. I don't care for them as much as just a simple round one. I definitely don't like the second one, but the third one looks good.

I'm watching my spending in other areas to compensate for the door knobs, believe me. LOL

Good luck.

Oh yes, brutuses. I have an incredible talent for picking out the most expensive thing in the store... I love glass doorknobs. We had them in the house we sold.

What is, if there is one, the average price for a doorknob? If I were to put in a builder grade knob, how much would they cost? What about if I were to put in a something more suited to a custom home? Would anyone else be wiling to share how much they paid, particularly if you aren't/weren't doorknob obsessed? ;)

Thanks! jay

It's not crazy if you can afford it and it goes with the style of the house. The knobs I got are now $67 per set, they were a little less when we got them.

I think door knobs are one of those things that nobody will notice if they are ordinary, but if they are extraordinary ... they are the kind of little detail that can make the house!

I particularly wanted old-fashioned porcelain knobs for my interior doors, as they are perfect with our style of house. I paid about $65 each for them (almond porcelain knobs w/ORB backplate), but I only got them for the downstairs doors. For the upstairs I stuck with nice simple ORB knobs from Lowe's, which were around $15. I also wanted a particular handleset for the front door, which was around $140. The rest of the exterior knobs are simple. I think they were around $30 each.

In conclusion, I say go wild with the knobs if it's something you really love. They serve a vital function and are something you will handle and use literally every day. You can't say that about that many things in the house.

I bought all of my handles (not knobs) from Emtek and from a local Hardware store in town (san diego). I first went to the store, picked out the handle my DH and I agreed upon and then shopped on line for prices. I took all of the comparison prices to the local hardware store and YES, they matched the price. They went from $64 each to $43. The only difference was the tax, they wouldn't budge on that. I feel that since I purchased them locally, if I had any problems, I could run them right back and have their support.
Go with what you want, if you can, but there are ways to get the price down and not compromise too much. This is one way of doing it.
Sorry, I don't have a picture of my handle at the moment.
PS, I love the oval knob. It's beautiful!
V

Thanks so much for all your comments. It is really helping me.

rhome410 LOVE those knobs. I'll go check out handlesets.com.

owl_at_home Great idea of mix and match by floor. Our previous home, circa 1920 had glass knobs upstairs and brass down, so I know that has and will be done

vfish Great to be reminded about a local match on prices. I will definitely do my research. Right now I'm feeling rather "taken advantage of", to put it nicely, by our plumber (another issue for another post), so I had dismissed online comparison shopping against my better judgment. Thanks for the wake up/reminder call.

I really appreciate it guys. We will get through this build with its 3 trillion decisions with your help. :) THANK YOU.

I like good quality door hardware. You touch them and use them everyday in many rooms. We have Emtek Tuscany Parma with the style #11 rosette. All of our exterior doors (French) have ORB lever handsets that are by the door manufacturer (Hurd). In our previous house (Craftsman inspired) we had the amber crystal knobs and ORB rosettes.

I didn't spend much on our handles. Under $20 each. I went looking and $30-50 I think was a good average for a basic handle, but that was nothing w/ a backplate to it, so $50-100 I would think for what you're wanting. I too had no idea the things were so stinkin' expensive!

Like owl_at_home said. Knobs are something that can easily blend in if that's what you want (or don't want to spend money on,) but can also make a great statement if that's what you really want.

Jaymielo, be sure when you're looking at handlesets.com you notice that if you enter EMTEK as a coupon code in your cart, the prices are reduced quite a bit...about 35%, I think.

rhome410. Thanks for the pointer. That sure helps! Jaymie

I know i'll be going with the ORB, but haven't started looking yet. I'm going to try and choose something that isn't over the top price-wise, but still looks attractive. I've decided on levers~pros/cons?? Hinges/latches will also be the ORB.

Vfish, was it SD Hardware? I've thought of doing down there. I know they have an awesome selection of cabinet hardware!

Oh my - something else I haven't even thought about yet. I thought I wanted glass knobs too.... but I don't know now.

Jenn- we have Anderson French doors..... I think you must pick Anderson hardware only for them... you probably already know that. We have those levers in place- I think they are "Yuma" - it's a distressed pewter look- gorgeous I must say. They look great.

Yeah. Who knew there would be this many things to choose? Well, I guess I did, but it is worse living in the storm of decisions than looking from the outside in. We have Marvin doors. Wonder what the hardware looks like there? I'll have to go and check and see what in the heck we ordered. That was a decision made what seems like an eternity ago and they aren't installed yet.

ponydoc, your Andersen hardware is beautiful. We almost went with Andersen and I remember being impressed with it.

We went with the Baldwin Tahoe line. Heavy and durable. I had a purple big toe for 3 weeks to prove it (I lost my grip on one that wasn't installed). LOVE the sturdy feel of them.

fishpants, I've seen and love the Tahoe line. In fact, it might have been you comment about "worth every penny" when you posted you finished home pictures that got me thinking....

I think I may have found "the doorknob" I want... Now I just have to see if I can fit it into my budget. SIGH

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Nice Knobs Jaymie..... LOL

LOL...PD
I thought the same thing.

But seriously I do like them.

Jenn

;) They ARE nice knobs. LOL. I'm still adding up prices by the time you take into consideration all the special things like dummy spindles and ball catches that you need for french doors and such. Then I should probably make a trip down to the lumber yard and see what they try to sell me before ordering anything. I got sidetracked today by other issues, which I should have been working instead of door knobs, Lord help me, which is probably all for the best. Thanks for all your comments guys! j.

BTW- who makes those? They are different than any I saw in my search? Not that it should matter to me since I'm moved in now and my DH would question whatever sanity I have left if I mentioned that knob style to him! LOL

The are made by The Charleston Hardware Company. I spoke with Brad, the owner of the company and he said that they are the only company making this type of pattern right now. AND, they are on sale if you if you feel like braving it with your DH. ;)

(Just kidding, BTW). I love your doorknobs. They look gorgeous in your home, which if I remember correctly, is a Mascord home as well...

Thanks! Jaymie

Just this morning I spent what I consider a small fortune on doorknobs. I blame my DH though (who will probably have a seizure when he finds out how much they cost), as I was more than happy with the less expensive Emtek rectangular handleset, whereas he preferred the Baldwin Boulder Rustic w/interior egg knobs. Of course, we also wanted the more expensive distressed ORB finish.

The mortise lock upgrade for our front entry doors was pricey, but recommended since our doors are so large. And of course, I wanted matching egg knob handlesets with a rosette backplate for all of my interior doors, so I didn't want to switch to a less expensive brand for these doors - again bumping up my total cost.

With a 10% discount for ordering from the manufacturer rather than taking them from the shelf, my total price from a local dealer came to approximately $1700, including tax. This was the lowest price I could find after receiving several quotes from different online sites (although my local dealer also offers his products online). I saved some money by choosing to pick up my order rather than have it shipped. These are my choices (except with the knob rather than the lever) - I can't wait to get them!

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juddgirl2, Isn't it outlandish? Some days I think I should just "let it go" and stop by Home Depot and pick up some $10 knobs! :) Not the answer though. Your doorknobs will be beautiful! They will make your doors! Congratulations. Be sure and share pictures when you have them. Jaymie

judd girl - I love those! I am going to pretend I have never seen them. LOL

PD

Thanks, Jaymie and Ponydoc! I can totally relate to the "why can't I just go pick up some knobs, windows, light fixtures, etc. at Home Depot rather than hunting these things down online and having to upgrade" but so far I think it's been worth it.

So how many doors are you guys talking about? I don't know if I dare share, but ours all told came to about $3300. Just doorknobs.

It IS outlandish! But you won't see me returning 'a one of them! ;) Totally worth it. They will be one of (if not the most) used items in your house.

Fishpants, I think your house is quite a bit larger than ours will be, if I remember correctly. I think we are talking about 30 door knobs, but we are leaving some bonus area above the garage and the entire basement unfinished initially. The unfortunate thing (for me) is that our bid lumped door and cabinet hardware together. We are going to have a LOT of cabinetry, so taken together, I can't imagine my total bill (or at least I'm trying not to). I'm headed to the local lumberyard tomorrow to do some due diligence before making any decisions... We will see.