Doors! Doors!! Get your door needs!

I need a new front door....

Today is the day I go to order one! After months of looking, umming, ahhing, today I actually have enough money in my account to reasonably expect to be able to buy one.

Doors are expensive, especially if one wants some glass/stuff that looks like glass in it, and even more so if one has a no standard size door, and even MORE so if the door is on the larger size of standard.

I've discovered that my lovely home pretty much has nothing that is of a standard size, perhaps because the house was made metric (? well, perhaps....) , but probably because my place was built around the size of a besser brick (see pic if you're not sure of what one is) (? perhaps...).... or just perhaps because the size of the spaces within my flat which were so appealing pre-purchase, dictates that everything must be just *that* bit bigger than standard. Or smaller, if one is looking at the kitchen (really, who the hell thinks that a bench 45cms deep is a good size? or the cupboard that is40cms deep is a useful depth???). Admittedly, when looking at a kitchen devoid of any furnishings/clutter/a fridge.... the narrow workspaces did make the kitchen look big... When looking at flatpack/mass produced kitchen systems, I can now say with out a doubt, it actually is quite a small space... especially if one believes a dishwasher is prerequisite in a modern kitchen (and I do!).


Anyway, back to the door thing... I really liked a door with four glass panels... but when I went to look at it, I was told that although sold as an external door, it is actually made of a material that doesn't do too well if the door is not well protected and maintained rigorously (painted very regularly, on the edges i.e. take the door off every 6-12 months). While I am a new homeowner, and very excited about all things D.I.Y. at the moment, I do understand that this is not altogether likely, and once the water is into the wrong spots, the door is ruined... So, that leaves the (proportionally more expensive) option of solid wood. However, the solid wood door does not come in this particular design... it comes in one with seven panels of glass... which totally changes the proportions of the door... or you can replace three glass panels with horrible beveled wood panels... but not flat wood panels... The seven panel glass might have to do.

Yay! - One decision made (until the next rep tells me the first door I looked at is perfectly fine in the weather - a person with one watch always knows what time it is.... a person with two watches is never quite sure....)

So, at this point, I think I know that I want a solid wood door.. Then I think about the money... and the fact my body corporate will only pay for a basic door... maybe letting more light into my dark hallway is not *that* important... or is it?

Then there are the door handles/locks that cost a minimum of $100 from the door company... that cost $35 at the hardware shop next door.

...to install myself, or to pay someone....

...to paint? to stain?

So many decisions for me to make!


So... I'm about to head off to talk to yet another rep, and see what he has to say, and finally order a new door. Assuming that another decision does not need to be made...