Buying guide
How to choose an external door
Short answer
Start with where the door goes and how it will be used. A front door needs security, weather resistance and kerb appeal; a back door needs to be practical and let light in; a garden opening needs width. Then pick the material, the opening style, the glass and the lock, and have the opening measured properly rather than buying an off the shelf size.
Front, back or garden: three different jobs
A front door faces the street, takes the most weather and is the first thing visitors see, so looks and a strong locking system come first. Back doors are opened far more often, usually by the whole family, and a glazed panel makes a real difference to a dark kitchen. Garden doors are about bringing the outside in, so glass area and how the doors open matter more than anything else.
Thinking about the job first stops you paying for features in the wrong place, such as an ornate front door style on a utility entrance, or a narrow single door where a pair would transform a room.
Material: uPVC or composite
uPVC is light, needs almost no upkeep beyond a wipe down and comes in many colours and woodgrain finishes. Composite doors have a dense core and a tough outer skin, which gives a heavier feel when they close. Both can be very secure when fitted well. Our uPVC doors are £799 fully fitted and our composite doors £1,099 fully fitted.
Opening style
The way a door opens decides how much room it needs and how it feels to use:
- Single hinged door: the standard choice for front and back entrances
- French doors: a pair opening outwards, with no central post when both are open
- Sliding patio doors: no swing space needed, ideal for tight patios or rooms
- Stable style or side panels: useful where you want extra light beside the door
Security details to ask about
Look for a multi point lock that engages hooks and rollers along the edge when you lift the handle, an anti snap cylinder, and hinges that cannot be lifted off from outside. Glass should be toughened or laminated. Ask how the frame is fixed into the wall, because a strong door in a loosely fitted frame is only as good as its fixings.
Threshold, measuring and fitting
Low thresholds make step free access easier but still need to shed rain away from the house. External doors are made to measure, so an accurate survey of the opening, the wall depth and the floor level inside is essential before anything is ordered. Our own fitters handle the survey and the installation, and we are FENSA registered.
On fitting day the old door and frame come out, the new frame is fixed and packed square, the door is hung and adjusted, and the gaps are sealed inside and out. Every door we fit comes with a 10-year insurance-backed guarantee.
Colour, finish and matching the house
External doors come in white, woodgrain effects and solid colours, and many can be one colour outside and white inside so they sit comfortably with your hallway. Anthracite grey, black, Chartwell green and rosewood are popular choices, and matching the door to window frames or the garage door pulls the front of the house together.
Think about the brickwork and roof colour too. A strong colour that looks great in a brochure can clash with red brick or buff stone, so looking at neighbouring houses with a similar finish is a useful test before you decide.
Common questions
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