Doors and windows are often overlooked when making a renovation wish list, but updating them adds appeal to your home and can have many other long-lasting benefits.
“It is easier and less expensive to change out your doors than most people think,” says Jennifer Renaud, Masonite’s chief marketing officer. “It is a great way to transform your home and change the aesthetic and functionality.”
STREET SMARTS
“Windows and doors are a key element to curb appeal,” says Stephanie Cz, the corporate communications manager of PGT Innovations, the parent company of PGT Custom Windows + Doors. “The look and style of a home can be changed dramatically through the use of frame material and colors, unique window shapes and patterns, and custom features such as grids or glass color.”
Renaud says that many homeowners still like traditional and transitional styles such as modern rustic, coastal styles like Cape Cod, or the modern farmhouse look, which combines the traditional farmhouse style with Scandinavian influence.
DUAL PURPOSE
Homeowners expect and need rooms to serve several purposes. Renaud uses her own recent home renovation as an example of blending beauty and function. “Doors can help rooms serve dual purposes,” she explains. “I added French doors to a formal sitting room that we rarely used to turn it into a multipurpose space. The full glass doors allow light in while also providing privacy and quiet when needed.”
For rooms where more privacy and sound protection are needed, solid core doors are an attractive way to help control noise within the home; Renaud says barn doors are a popular choice for this purpose. “As we have spent most of our time at home working, schooling, playing and resting [this past year], we realized we needed more private space. A simple way to convert a dining room or formal living room to a multi-function space is with barn doors.”
Cz says they have seen homeowners asking for front and back doors in heights of 10 feet, 12 feet or even greater. Corner doors have also become very popular, with combinations of an inside- or outside-corner meet (where two full-length sliding glass doors meet and effecively replace two walls) and 90-degree, 135-degree or custom-degree angles. “The use of these door options allow entire corners of a home to be ‘removed’ when the doors are open, creating free-flowing indoor-outdoor spaces,” Cz says.
EXTRA EXTRAS
Recent research has revealed that homeowners are taking health and well-being into account in their designs. “Due to rising healthcare costs and the global pandemic, homeowners are looking for solutions that integrate wellness, both physical and mental, into every aspect of their lives, such as bringing more natural light into their home and staying connected to nature,” says Renaud.
Today’s doors and windows are also extra energy-efficient, offer new security features and are made with easy-to-care-for materials. “There are options such as insulated glass and a Low-E [low emissivity, of thermal energy] coating that offer improved energy efficiency, as well as laminated, impact-resistant glass that provides 24/7 protection from storms, all of which are specifically important in Florida,” says Cz. “Windows and doors can be manufactured from a variety of materials, with wood, fiberglass, composites, steel, aluminum, and vinyl being the most popular.”
Renaud says it is common for people to think they have to use the same door design throughout their home, but she suggests that homeowners change their way of thinking. “Think of a door like a piece of furniture,” she says. “Ask yourself, ‘What’s best for the space? Do I need light? Do I need sound management? Do I need privacy, or does the room need to serve multiple functions?’” Once you’ve taken all those factors into consideration, you’re sure to have windows and doors that you’ll adore for years to come.
