Getting a new front door seems fun, but at the start, our experience of getting a new door was long winded and stressful…until we found Solidor!
There are so many things to consider that you don’t know about until you begin your door buying journey…immediately you’re hit with the baffling question, what material to choose? Wood, UPVC, Composite (what even is composite!?) After that, the front door is open to even more bewildering questions:
- What design?
- What hardware?
- What feature glass?
- Are there particular security considerations to take note of?
After feeling overwhelmed, we faced a further dilemma of the notion that our front door was smaller than the average entrance door. With this realisation, we feared we may have to go back to the drawing board.
When we began our door buying journey, it became clear that a solid wood door was outside of our price range. We considered UPVC but ultimately didn’t feel very confident from a security perspective.
We also wanted to ensure our new door would fit in with the rest of our home’s aesthetic, complementing the traditional wooden windows and Victorian feel of the exterior. With UPVC, this would simply not meet our requirements.
However, a Eureka moment occurred when we discovered that in fact there was a third and viable option that would suit our security and aesthetic needs – a composite door!
After looking around the marketplace and doing our research we came to the conclusion that Solidor was the way to go for our composite door needs for the following reasons…
- We desperately wanted a wooden door in a traditional Victorian design with glazed panels that were authentic and in line with the period of the house, but when considering our finances, we knew the practicalities of this meant a wooden door would be unlikely. Luckily, we found Solidor, offering a composite door with a natural, wood style grain in a variety of colours that fulfilled this part of the brief. Many UPVC doors had specific designs already that were not quite what we were after within our size of door opening.
- Having had previous bad experiences with UPVC doors where security was concerned, Solidor’s Ultion or ABS Master 3-star cylinder offerings as standard, we were very impressed by the durability of the door itself and the security features. Choosing Ultion, we liked the extra assurance and enhanced functionality.
Before/After
- Opting for a composite door provided flexibility, with a range of different styles for our specific size as well as being really easy to fit for our installer; DDG Windows, London, only taking a day to remove our broken wooden door – that was being held together with electrical tape!
- With Solidor, deisgning the door of our dreams was slick and straightforward. Using the door designer on the Solidor website, we were able to customise selections and visualise our new door.
- We loved how easy Solidor make it to find a local fitter – through the Find an Installer function, you could send your designs straight through to the local suppliers for a tailored supply and fit cost. This feature alone saved us a lot of research time online!
- The design options are brilliant if you wanted a traditional wooden door – we had nearly lost all hope that we could have a “Victorian style door” with our small opening, but our Solidor fitter and the Solidor website gave us hope we could get something we liked, that was functional too!
- Solidor was very cost effective for us when finding a middle ground between UPVC and solid wood.
- The lock options and hardware options with Solidor were excellent – we knew we did not want a handle, and the heritage style locks Solidor use means we could have a pull knob outside and a thumbturn lock on the inside, preserving the traditional look that was really important for us.
We are absolutely thrilled that we went with a composite Solidor door! Our new door looks perfect. Slick, traditional, and matches well with our neighbours wooden door, and seamlessly with our windows, with the added bonus of feeling feel safe and secure. What more could you want from a door manufacturer? Thank you Solidor!
Sophie from @stowplacelikehome has her own Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok channel – find out more today!
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