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help! need door inspiration!

7 years ago

Hey there! I was wondering if anyone knew the design style of my home? I’m trying to get inspiration for updating my front door! I was thinking of either a craftsman or 3/4 4 lite style. Has anyone updated their doors that can share pics?

Comments (17)

  • 7 years ago

    Nice home! I’m not a professional but to me needs to be something simpler with less detail. Is this a new home for you? Are there plans for more landscaping?

  • 7 years ago

    Thank you! Yes, we just moved in, in January. We plan on seeding in the next couple weeks and clearing out more of the bushes and deciding on new ones to put in. This is our first home together so we’re still figuring things out. The previous owners had a mishmash of every, whereas we like more of a uniform style.

  • 7 years ago

    And I just realized you can’t see the other bushes in the pic haha! There’s more on the right side of the house and near the left tree.

  • 7 years ago

    Ha! I figured it was colonial, but when I google that nothing comes up exactly like mine. So I didn’t know if there were different types of colonials that would be more specific?

  • 7 years ago

    Maybe PPF will sketch u a more colonial appropriate entry. He offers a lot of good help. The columns are too skimpy. My last house was colonial and we had large pillars out front with a portico over the entry.

  • 7 years ago

    Some statement making light fixtures would be nice too. The ones you have are not very visible. Did u do a search on Houzz for pictures of Colonial homes for inspiration?

  • 7 years ago

    I’ve purchased these lights, just need an electrician to install then because the wiring needs to be moved up

  • 7 years ago

    I’d love a door similar to this

  • 7 years ago

    Colonial. Check out Young House Love’s blog. They have a home very similar to yours. You can follow how they changed the exterior over time. They did a lot of nice updates to their house while respecting the style of the home (generally speaking)

  • 7 years ago

    Big fan of Young house love! They live a couple neighborhoods over from mine!

  • 7 years ago

    @Gina L. oh thats too funny. You know, when I first glanced at your house, I thought to myself, it looks a lot like theirs, wonder if they are in the same area. And then I thought, nah, what are the chances of that?? Hahahaha. I guess I don't have to tell you what color their house is currently (which i LOVE btw)

  • 7 years ago
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>Yes! Everything they do is golden! I lovee their beach houses too!
  • 7 years ago

    Google "center entrance colonial" and you'll see a lot of similar examples. More specifically, yours appears to be a contemporary "colonial revival"


    The door with the oval window is a kind of cheap-looking imitation of a very late victorian style called Queen Anne, not really appropriate to the intended style.


    The narrow windows flanking the door are called sidelights, and are more characteristic of federal and greek revival houses of the 1810s-40s. As they provide you with light in the entry, there is no need for any glass in a replacement door.


    Google "cross-and-bible door" to see the paneling pattern that is right for this house. It will not likely be sold under that name, but once you know the pattern, you will find it easily, even at a Big Box store. Install and paint it a color you love; there is no need for the front door to match the shutter color.


    Are the window grids missing from all the windows except those at the left, or is that a trick of the light and reflections? If missing... replace them to help bring the look together.


    If you want to get a little more expensive, you can replace your weak imitation Queen Anne porch posts with something more in a classical line. (google "roman doric column" and pay close attention to the fine print. Colonial and early American builders were extremely knowledgable of the nuanced differences between Greek and Roman classical orders). Or just replace them with thick square-section wood posts with adequate trim at the top and bottom, or enclose the existing posts within boards, if they are solid. If in doubt, don't go with too skinny or (especially) too fat.


    Note that column heights are measured in multiples of their own diameter, and there are standard formulas for that distinguish columns of different orders and historical sources. You don't need to memorize it, but if you've ever looked at a new building with columns and sensed that there is something wrong that you just can't pin down, it is usually the ration of column width to height.


    It won't take much to make this coherent, warm, welcoming, and -- most important -- yours!


  • 7 years ago
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>Thank you so much for your detailed explanation! I’ll definitely look up those terms. I’m not a big fan of our current door and I don’t think it goes with our home at all. We also would like to replace the columns with plain square ones (about 6”) eventually. And you are correct the two garage windows do have grilles unlike the rest of the house, not sure what the previous homeowners were thinking
  • 7 years ago

    If money was no object, I’d love to see a lovely porch added! Good luck!

  • 7 years ago

    The ThermaTru website lets you upload a picture of your house and try on door styles to see what you might like.


    Unless those grids on your garage windows are between the glass, you may be able to remove them to make them uniform with the rest of your windows.


    Your home is lovely and very well proportioned.