Buying Exterior Doors for your Home – From your Vancouver Mortgage Broker

Buying Exterior Doors for your Home – From your Vancouver Mortgage Broker

One of the first sights that a prospective buyer sees is your front door. As this Vancouver mortgage broker can tell you, first impressions when you’re selling your home is everything.

Most exterior doors are exposed to the elements and sometimes Mother Nature can be wrathful, especially here in Vancouver. If you haven’t been doing anything to keep your doors in shape then it’s very possible they may be showing signs of wear and tear especially if they are made of wood or have a wood veneer. Even the paint on metal doors will begin to peel.

If you plan to do some renovating before you put your home on the market, then take a good hard look at the state of your exterior doors and consider buying new ones.

You have plenty of choices these days and your choices include models made from standard wood species, steel, fibreglass and even composites. Not only can you just buydoors but you can also find an entire entry system which is a lot more energy efficient because everything interlocks. You can also buy an entry system which has sidelites.

Door and Entry System Models

Your main choices include:

Wood

Wood doors are very aesthetic and can give either a rustic or modern appeal, so you canchoose models which will suit the style of your home. They have a natural finish and a nice grain. Wood doors can be purchased as a floor model or you can get them custom made.

The nice thing about wood is that you have so many tree species from which to choose, including both hardwood and softwoods, and can stain or paint them to suit your tastes. Wood doors can come in oak, walnut, cherry, maple, mahogany, pine, hemlock and various fir trees.

Wood doors can be very expensive although you can find some fairly inexpensive modelsif you take your time and so some comparative shopping.

Steel

Steel doors have become very popular. They are also the least expensive doors which you can buy. Steel doors are strong and durable. Although the surface finish might peel, unless you get a model with a wood veneer, and they won’t warp or crack from exposure to the elements. Another good feature is that they offer greater security, and are considered to also be very energy efficient.

Composite and Fiberglas Models

Both types of these doors do not require a lot of maintenance and are relatively sturdy. They are an excellent choice for climates with a lot of humidity such as you might find in Vancouver. You can buy models that appear to have a wood-grain appeal and they are generally considered to be energy efficient.

Tips on Buying New Doors

Consider buying an energy efficient door as that will save on you heating and air conditioning costs. The main feature to look for is to if it has the ENERGY STAR® rating.

When you buy a new door or entry system, make sure the weather-stripping has a proper seal and that the door interlocks well. If you buy a model with sidelites, then make sure it has a low e-glazing and that the glass is strong enough to resist potential breakage for added security.

If you are buying steel, a composite or fibreglass model, then make sure they have some form of thermal break which can either be a part of the wood frame or a strip of vinyl which separates the skins of the inside and the outside portion of the door.

You can buy doors from just about anywhere, but remember, you get what you pay for so quality is worth a few extra bucks. Take it from this Vancouver mortgage broker and make you home is more sellable with a new door or entry system. Make you first impressions an eye-catcher.