October 20, 2012

The new front door

After the giant fail of trying to refinish the original door of The Bennett House, I kind of got set on having a wood front door.


Unfortunately, when I looked into the cost of wood exterior doors, I was a bit floored!  Especially since we decided to widen the opening to line up better with the 2nd floor balcony door above it.
I then looked into second hand old doors, but they needed too much work and a lot of customization to fit our opening so I decided to try and find a cheaper, custom manufacturer.
I did find one.  Through Kijiji of all places!
I have to admit, the whole set-up did not fill me with confidence, but I decided to take the risk and go for it anyway.  If it worked out, I would be saving thousands of dollars!



So they took our measurements, and then sent them off to China where our door, side lights and transom got custom made.  
Eight weeks later, it arrived in pieces at a warehouse in Markham. I managed to drive it home in our mini-van, but was completely packed and the suspension was pretty low.  This is a seriously heavy door!
I wasn't quite sure what the quality would be like since we paid about a quarter the cost of local door manufacturers, but when we opened it up, it looked pretty good!


Looked alright, yes, but didn't fit! 
And not just in one direction.  None of the parts fit together properly.  Some were too big and some were too small.
Our guys spent 2 days working on the door-- cutting and sanding and re-fitting it.


But they got it looking like this!


Pretty fantastic, I think!


I picked up a nice door set from Rona that looked hand forged and slightly beaten up-- just my style.  
But when I went over to see it installed, this was what I saw.


Notice anything weird about the interior handle?  
Honestly!
Anyway, it's all fixed up now-- lever pointing in the right direction.


I think it looks gorgeous!  
A heavy, black-stained, solid mahogany door for a fraction of the cost!


As long as you have a good carpenter ;-)




18 comments:

  1. Wow, that is gorgeous!! So glad it worked out for you in the end, I'm sure the team was thrilled about sanding it down to fit...at least you know it's perfectly custom to your house!

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  2. Wow, the new door and lockset look incredible!

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  3. The door looks awesome - you must have been so worried when it didn't fit initally - glad the perseverance paid off!

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  4. Maybe the person installed the handle is a lefty. :) The door looks absolutely gorgeous!

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    1. You know, that never occurred to me. And I'm even married to a lefty! All our hangars go the wrong way.

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  5. Love the new door, so rich and eye catching. Looks great with the new lock set :)

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  6. Thanks for all the nice comments everyone! So glad you like it as much as I do! Our guys weren't happy at all when all the problems started, and initially encouraged me to return it. But they totally understood when I explained the dodgy place I bought it from and were real sports about it. They like a good deal as much as I do it turns out!

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  7. That DOES look gorgeous! It makes such a statement and the new handle looks amazing. I have such a thing for new hardware - like house jewellery, lol.

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  8. The front door looks amazing! I see you also painted the door step and frame black to match the door. I think I might do the same. The only thing though, does the door step get really dirty/dusty? That's my biggest concern :(

    B

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  9. Nice! Your house is coming together quite nicely, especially with your new door. And you are right about having a good carpenter. As long as you have one, you won’t need to worry about adjusting your materials. Just a thought, you may opt to add a mailbox and a peephole/eyehole to your door to add a bit of style to it. What do you think?

    Marla Hinds

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    1. Thanks, Marla! I do have a peephole ready for installation, but haven't found the right mailbox yet. Totally agree :-)

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  10. This door is heaps better than the first one! You got a great deal, Keira. It’s a good thing that your ideas and the expertise of the carpenters worked well, and that the project was finished successfully. Great job! And you know what? I think it just needs a wreath to complete its look. =)

    Regards,
    Vernie Herr

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Vernie! I did have a beautiful red wreath on it for Christmas and you are so right about how much it dressed it up!

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  11. The door turned out beautifully! But I wonder if the door knob is placed correctly, aside from the handle pointing in the wrong direction. It seems a bit low to reach, don’t you think? By the way, does your door have a warranty?

    Allyson Sunde

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    1. Ha ha! It always amazes me how observant blog readers are! I actually got to choose the location of the handle since the door came with no holes for one. After I decided on this height, I too thought it was a bit low. Fortunately we're not a tall family and it is great for the kids. And no warranty. Not with such a cheap and dodgy supplier.

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  12. I’d say. That black-stained solid mahogany door does look gorgeous! It really fits the dark red brick look of the rest of the house. And you don’t even have to wait a long time for it to achieve that slightly-beat up look. Good for you!

    Terry Arnold @ Integrity Alaska

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