Ten Costly Mistakes To Avoid When Buying New Doors - An Insider’s Guide

It’s not rocket science, just simple steps to make sure:

• that you buy the doors that are right for your home
• that you will be totally happy with your purchase
• that you know some of the issues and caveats in buying a particular door type

Read this guide, think about some of the points raised and how they apply to your requirements and what is best for your home. An accompanying newsletter is available for free at www.problemdoor.com, which expands on some of the issues raised and discussed within this short guide. 

Alternatively, email open@evolutionwindows.com for more help and advice. 

Mistake One

Doors are bought that do not complement your home’s design

• Not all chunky mass-manufactured uPVC doors fit in with your home’s aspect, a more slimlime flush fitting style might be more suited
• If you are replacing a period style door, e.g. Georgian design, you need to find a high quality manufacturer that employs skilled raftspeople, to ensure that you are buying the highest possible engineering standards.

Try to find an Installation Service that offers a specific door design service - such as the Approved installation Partners of The English Door Company™.

A well designed door has the following advantages:

• Design is in harmony with your home
• A custom fit ensures that you save energy and keep out noise
• Glazing and colour options
• Door furniture options
• Different security options

The English Door Company™ specialises in making Timber Alternative doors in an attractive array of finishes and designs.

Through their national network of Approved Installation Partners, they are able to offer a local knowledgeable and first-rate service in designing a door for you that complements your home, and takes into account your home’s aesthetics, regulatory requirements, and your functional requirements.

Mistake Two

You do not consider timber alternatives

An Ambitious Blend of Craftsmanship and Technology Defines the Best of Both Worlds. Imagine the beauty of wood, the engineering excellence of traditionally crafted doors, but with none of the high-maintenance disadvantages.

Who Buys Timber Alternative Doors?

There are a number of reasons why a homeowner would choose timber-alternative doors over and above replacement timber doors and mass-produced uPVC door alternatives. The continual maintenance of timber windows, issues of warping and damage from the elements has led to increasing number of negative comments about wood and more people looking for quality hand-made alternatives.

Hand-Finished Excellence as Standard

The English Door Company™ offers the very best in design and manufacturing excellence. By using the latest modern materials, the doors are created to emulate the richness and depth of real timber but without the problems traditionally associated with wooden doors. The long lasting, highly durable doors need very little maintenance, they have excellent thermal and sound proofing properties and extremely efficient security features.

Mistake Three

You do not consider the guarantee, or the Certificate of Authenticity

A Believable Guarantee

A good guarantee can only be determined by determining how long that guarantee is for - this shows the faith that the manufacturer has in their product. The English Door Company™ doors are guaranteed for 10 years against structural degradation. All insulated glazing units fitted with the doors are also guaranteed for 10 years.

A Certificate of Authenticity

A Certificate of Authenticity guarantees that you have installed the manufacturer’s genuine products into your home. They are issued by the manufacturer to prevent substandard ‘lookalike’ products being passed off as the genuine article. Ask for a Certificate of Authenticity from your Door installer.

Mistake Four

Your new doors do not meet optimum energy efficiency standards

Low Energy Bills with an ‘A’ Rating

You should look for an Efficiency Rating of A - this will keep your energy bills low and help conserve the heat that you produce in your home. The door should also offer excellent thermal sound proofing, keeping excess traffic noise out of your home. Any glass units in the doors should be manufactured to BS6262 Class A.

Door Fitting

• It is not enough that your door has a good energy efficiency rating - it must also be fitted well.
• It should deliver a seamless fit with a jointed timberstyle outer frame, multipoint locking, and a low aluminium threshold.
• Made to order doors ensure an energy-efficient door operates at optimum standards

Made to order

At The English Door Company™, every single door is made to order - to the exact dimensions of your doorway. Each door ordered is professionally measured, and then built to your exact specification, which will ensure a seamless on site installation. Each door is supplied with it’s own unique white-wood effect outerframe and an aluminium threshold.

Mistake Five

Your new doors do not meet or exceed minimum security standards

Welcoming Visitors, Deterring Intruders

You should place great emphasis on security. Consider using Anti-Snap Cylinders in conjunction with security handles. You can thus protect yourself and your property from Lock Snapping and Lock Bumping by ensuring that your lock cylinder is as flush and secure as it can possibly be.

Protection Without Compromise

The English Door Company™ doors, glazed units and orangeries feature the most advanced locking products on the market:

• A comprehensive locking system with shoot bolts top and bottom
• Silver-finished steel bolts throughout
• Anti-bump cylinder options

Mistake Six

Your new doors are high maintenance, requiring painting, sanding and intensive upkeep

The Look and Feel of Timber - but Without the Hard Work. Consider genuine hand-crafted uPVC doors, a quality door built using traditional manufacturing techniques but combined with modern materials and hand finished excellence. The current generation of The English Door Company™ uPVC doors is predicted to have 30-year life cycle, with very little maintenance inbetween - a simple wipe down occasionally is all they need to keep looking like new.

The Genuine Timber Alternative

• Mechanically jointed timber-style outer frame
• Authentic timber-effect lamination to all frame work
• Arris detail to all joints
• Ovalo detailed 44mm aluminium low threshold as standard - providing good weather performance coupled with a hard wearing and robust door threshold solution
• Optional exclusive range of traditional and contemporary furniture in solid brass and wrought iron

Available from The English Door Company™ Approved Partners

The English Door Company™ manufactures an exclusive range of doors that have all the quality and style-led hallmarks of a timber door coupled with exceptional low maintenance and price advantage.

Mistake Seven

You did not buy from a reputable and established manufacturer

The Benefit of Experience

A reputable and established manufacturer has the following criteria in place, benefitting you, the customer:

• Patented in-house research and development, supported by years of hands-on industry experience
• Ability to fulfill any guarantee claims, should they arise

All That You Should Expect - And More

The English Door Company™ offers the very best in design and manufacturing excellence. By using the latest modern materials, the doors are created to emulate the richness and depth of real timber but without the problems traditionally associated with wooden doors. Furthermore, they are also manufacturers of bespoke glazed units and a wide range of high quality door hardware

Mistake Eight

You did not choose doors that were made to measure for your home

The Focal Point of Your Home.

Your front door is the focal point of your home. Made to measure doors, when fitted properly, are the best buy that you can make, especially for older properties. Buying a made to measure door ensures that your home becomes more energy-efficient, and that noise and drafts are eliminated from your home. It also ensures that you can specifically specify the security extras that you require for your new door.

Made to measure - stays made to measure

There is a specific benefit in ordering timber alternative doors as made to measure (also known as ‘bespoke doors’) - unlike wood, which can warp and twist, precision manufacture using modern materials in uPVC ensures for a very tight and snug fit that lasts.

Bespoke, A Custom Door and Glass Design Service

The English Door Company™ offers a Bespoke Service, allowing you to design a bespoke door, with an additional bespoke glass service if required. The service covers:

• Door design
• Colour design
• Glass [if required] design and manufacture
• Supply of high-quality door furniture and security products

Mistake Nine

You did not ask your installer to design the right solution for your home

One Door, Many Options

Your front door must not only complement your home’s existing design, but it should also meet your functional goals:

• Security requirements
• Glazing options
• Colour schemes
• Door furniture
• Door width and thickness

Local Knowledge backed by National Intelligence

The English Door Company™ select national network of Authorised Retail Partners specifically understand local requirements and planning regulations determining any criteria that might have to be met in door and orangery installations.

Mistake Ten

You did not insist upon authentic timber style doors - doors without the maintenance normally associated with wood

The Benefit of Modern Materials Combined with Skilled Craftmanship

• Wrapped around a core of galvanised steel, uPVC doors are stronger than timber counterparts
• In damp climates, no warping or twisting
• Many colour variations and finishes
• Bespoke ranges mean that you are more likely to get a door in a colour, finish and glazing option that you require, and is totally unique
• Very low maintenance
• Long life cycles

Your Home Deserves Peace and Quiet

• High energy efficiency
• Snug fit no matter what the weather is doing
• Keeps noise out
• Greater level of security than traditional timber doors
• Steel frame resilient to crowbar intrusion

Available from The English Door Company™ Approved Partners

At The English Door Company™, hand-finished excellence comes as standard. This is because we employ traditionally skilled craftsmen as well as technicians. In fact there are more people than machines in our factory ensuring exceptional quality control throughout the manufacturing process.

Full Brochure Available

A full English Door Company™ brochure is available on request - featuring many of the options seen here, and many more.

Simply email open@evolutionwindows.com with the subject line ‘Brochure Request’ and we will send one straight out to you with no obligations.