When you build a house or renovate your home, you must also consider two important elements: doors and windows. They can help us have a comfortable home and maintenance costs as low as possible, they provide safety, protection, light, and keep us away from the street noise.
With doors and windows, over 40% of the energy of the house might be lost, therefore their functional role is very important. Apart from this, both doors (exterior or interior) and windows have a decisive aesthetic contribution. For this reason, choosing the adequate options becomes essential.
How to choose and what are the criteria by which you must consider to have functional and beautiful doors and windows? You must bear in mind that, depending on the location, you will take into account the different needs and characteristics of each situation. For example, when you decide for an exterior door it is better not to let yourself be attracted only by the look of it, but take into account other factors such as functionality, the material it is made of, its quality or style. A door or window well chosen will be made of a material that will not warp or discolor over time, will comply with the style of the room and the color will blend with the finishes and furnishings. By choosing the same type of wood or by using the same color as the carpentry of the house, you must also pursue having a color unit.
Safety and resistance in doors and windows are determined by the complexity of the hardware used and increased stability through profile geometry. Thus, premium profiles offer up to 20% of a safer fixing of hardware elements, thus increasing the safety of the woodwork.
Here are more ideas and tips that surely will be useful when you choose new doors for your home:
Safety. A safe door has at least two strong locks and a thick and stiff doorjamb. For more security, you can choose special burglar preventing seal, with additional mechanisms.
There are various solutions available, starting with a better reinforcement of the door, by adding alternate layers of steel and wood, to systems that trigger wall steel anchors in different directions in the door and in the said wall. There are electromechanical enclosures that combine classic key access style with an electronic chip. With such sophisticated safety mechanisms, the only thing you should be careful about is not to lose the key.
Resistance to temperature. A door that you want to use for the entrance to the house must be resistant to temperature changes and humidity on both sides and to ultraviolet radiation, because this way it will not change its color, its shape, the paint doesn’t peel off and there’s no condensation on the inside. A front doors must ensure thermal and sound insulation and to prevent water or snow getting inside. It is also necessary to keep in mind the way a door opens: it’s a must for any home.
Metal doors. Metal doors have become increasingly popular lately, and most of them are made of galvanized steel sheets. They can be simple or with thermal and sound insulation, which is achieved by injecting either polyurethane foam or mineral wool into the door leaf. Benefits include the fact that they are solid, non-deformable and resistant to light and heat, they don’t stain and are easy to clean. In addition, due to the finish that mimics a wide range of veneers, metal doors can fit into any type of interior design. A big drawback is that most of them are exposed to condensation in winter, and if they’re not dip galvanized, in a short time they will deteriorate and can be affected by rust.
Solid wood doors. Solid wood doors have an aesthetic reminiscent of traditional homes and give us a sense of safety and durability. They can be made from fir, cherry, beech, oak and other types of wood. They can be stained, lacquered and painted in different colors for easy matching. Incidentally, in case of renovations, this is an important advantage, because there is no need to change the door, just to repaint it. Wooden doors, if periodically treated and impregnated with special substances, can have a long life. A big drawback of this type of door is the price, which compared with other types of doors is higher.
Things to know about windows
Among the essential characteristics that are good to keep in mind when you choose windows are the type of joinery (wood, aluminum or PVC), durability and sustainability, the degree of thermal and sound insulation, design, safety and maintenance, as well as other additions.
In terms of safety, the quality of a window is given by the complexity of the hardware used. Moreover, bad weather, heavy and repeated storms can also affect the joinery and its degree of isolation. But a premium quality window becomes a fortress to protect the home, reducing the risk of burglary, and with the purchase of such products all your worries disappear. Also, beyond the intrinsic qualities of windows, installation and maintenance are at least as important. A premium product, installed incorrectly, may lose significant functionality characteristics. Therefore, a quality window should come with an adequate guarantee, thus offering safe use for a lifetime.
Installing windows and doors
A window will halve its insulation and sealing performance if incorrectly installed. Therefore, qualified or authorized persons who have specific knowledge and experience in this field must perform the installation. Then, when you start the replacement of windows and doors is advisable not to overlap it with other renovation work, as the appearance of condensation will be favored. It is very important not to make additional cracks in the wall, when installing windows and doors, because they can change the façade and influence the wall resistance.
If you decide to remodel your home or if you plan a renovation project, by working with Good Deal Remodeling, you’ll know that the work is done properly. We go the extra mile and put the right amount of focus, attention and effort that every home remodeling project requires. Feel free to contact us for any type of home renovations and home remodeling projects.