Front doors, we all have them, and mostly take them for granted. We go out of them each morning carefully locking them behind us, and come back through them in the evening grateful to be back in our home. But do we give them any thought at all? Mostly not I suspect.
We might pass through them several times a day and not even notice if they’re looking a bit tired. If they’re painted the wood might be looking a bit chipped, if they’re UPVC, they might be a bit scratched or the colour may be yellowing, but do we ever really stand back and look at the front of our homes that often?
Probably not unless we are thinking of selling and trying to gauge our home from the perspective of the estate agent or a potential purchaser.
And this is where, in estate agent speak ‘kerb appeal’ comes in. You may have the loveliest house inside, bright rooms, great garden, but if people never come through your door they will never know.
Imagine if you’re looking for a new home, trawling the internet you come across a couple of houses with the criteria you’re looking for in your price range, but one has a sparkling new well maintained door and the other has a down at heel, chipped, unloved door. Which one would you view first? It goes without saying.
Of course you may make an appointment to see them both, but the one with the new front door will always come first, and may well be ‘the one’, and so the lovely home with the old front door won’t get a look in.
Of course the right front door isn’t all about aesthetics, it’s so much more than that.
Firstly, security, the door to your castle should always keep you safe. A properly fitted door won’t be easily penetrated by burglars, likewise properly fitted locks.
Last but by no means least, a correctly fitted front door will keep the warmth in and the cold out, cutting down on heating bills.
So, next time you pass through your own front door, give it a quick look, is it looking a bit tired? Is the lock a bit unstable? Is it letting in draughts?
Maybe it’s time to consider a replacement.
