Your exterior doors are like your home’s welcoming card. The doors play a great role in creating the first impression of your home. As such, the front doors that you choose should reflect the architectural style of your home as well as your personal taste while also not compromising on the security and protection from weather elements.
Whether your doors are getting old, you just bought a new house, or you’re just looking to spruce up your home, replacing your exterior doors in Hamilton is a great idea. However, if you don’t know what kind of door will be best for your home and its style, you may want to hire someone who specializes in this area of the trade.
But how ready are you to replace your front doors? Do you have the right skills and experience? Do you have the right tools and enough time to get the project done? If you get the answer to these vital questions, you will be able to know whether you are fit to DIY your project or you should hire a professional such as Total Home Oakville. If this is your first time replacing your exterior doors, you should determine the kind of front door opening you have.
- Pre-Hung Exterior Doors
Most contemporary homes have entry door openings in standard pre-hung sizes. Basically, these are ready for installation without making any changes. The heights for pre-hung exterior doors come in 80-, 84-, or 96-inch, and the width increases by two, with the lowest width being 18 inches and the highest being 36. Pre-hung front doors usually have hinges and jambs in place.
- Doors From Slabs
Most people opt for customized entry doors, and why not? They are some of the best exterior doors because a homeowner has unlimited options regarding styles, sizes, and shapes. However, if you opt for custom front doors or have a door opening with an unusually smaller or bigger opening, you will be required to buy a slab-you can get this from most hardware and renovation stores near you.
The hinges and jambs ought to be well-placed in order to make your door work well. Trimming the slab and fixing it to the hinges and jambs is a little more technical, and if you are not familiar with it, it is advisable to ask an expert to do it for you. Also, when trimming your entry door, you would want to make sure the measurements are correct and precise in order to fit snuggly in the door opening. This will make sure the door is air-tight and not susceptible to water leaks that could drive up your energy costs.
- Other Factors
There are other things you should look at before installing your replacement exterior doors. For example, the level of your floor. Is it leveled? If it is not, you can trim the door or add shims. Alternatively, you can align the door with the floor.
The same applies to the depth of the door. As mentioned above, the door should fit snuggly into the opening-for the height, depth, and width.
If the process described above is something you can do comfortably, you can start your exterior doors replacement. However, make sure you have all the necessary tools. If the processes described above sounds unfamiliar to you, it would be prudent to hire a pro. You can have the best exterior doors, but you won’t get the benefits if the installation is shoddy.