Homes’ exterior doors have always had an important role in architectural history for a very long time. Our homes’ exterior doors are a unique characteristic of our houses.
Exterior doors serve as a gateway and introduction to the structures we live in, even if landscaping, exterior cladding, and other elements may surely attract people’s attention.
Selecting the proper exterior door may impact your home’s thermal performance and energy efficiency, in addition to enhancing its visual appeal. Especially the traditional doors that add a different character to the house.
Unfortunately, a lot of door manufacturers just pay attention to the cosmetic aspects of the exterior doors they manufacture, ignoring the efficiency features these doors ought to have. Energy-saving measures are crucial since exterior doors open up our home to the outer world.
We have examined many manufacturers’ offerings of hundreds of exterior doors. The comprehensive study that follows will assist you in selecting the most aesthetically pleasing doors that are also practical, energy-efficient, and useful for your household’s requirements.
Types of Exterior or External Doors
Exterior doors don’t only mean a house’s front door. Manufactured houses are required to have a minimum of two exterior doors that are far apart from one another.
The majority of residences will be required by the law to have at least two entries, while certain small homes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and other dwellings with restricted square footage may only have one front door owing to space limits.
This is useful for getting into and out of the house as well as a safety measure in case of fires or other emergencies that will call for a quick departure from a structure.
For the Different Types of Exterior Doors, There Are Several Standard Characteristics and Measurements:
- Front door: they must be a minimum of 200 centimeters tall and 80 centimeters wide. All exterior doors have these dimensions. Front doors, on the other hand, often have a standard thickness and are thicker than other doors.
R-5 to R-6 is the typical insulation rating for exterior doors. As we will see later, insulation values may be significantly increased for cold places.
- Back doors and side doors: Back doors and side doors frequently connect to garages or provide additional access points into or out of the house. They might have a minimum width of 76 centimeters and can be narrower than a front door.
- If the door leads to another home connection, such as a garage, the insulation values may be lower. If they directly link to the outside, an R-value of 5 or 6 is suggested.
- Patio door: The width of a patio door can range from 76 to 90 centimeters. Homeowners frequently give double doors leading into enclosed patios or sunrooms priority.
Of course, by linking your home to an outside living space, a rear patio door may be built to significantly expand your living space of yours. Even in compact dwellings, an additional door may be made to lead to a linked greenhouse, improving insulation while allowing you to produce your own veggies or houseplants.
The sun’s warmth may be captured throughout the cooler months of the year by properly positioned or orientated patios, which will also give natural heat and light to the house.
Which of the Different Types of Exterior Doors is the Best
There are several varieties of exterior doors available. How can homeowners decide which type of door is appropriate for their unique requirements? For example, for a more traditional look, you can go for traditional doors.
The exterior doors of your home can lose energy through conduct and contribute considerably to air leakage, especially if they are old, uninsulated, incorrectly fitted, or poorly air sealed. By stopping air leaks, weather stripping can save energy loss.
Important Factors to Consider While Looking for the Ideal External Doors:
- Energy Performance Ratings:
Homeowners may choose the best exterior doors for their unique environment and house design by consulting the energy performance scores of several varieties of exterior doors and windows.
The label on the door is simple to read and comprehend. Homeowners may use this label to evaluate the several door types that are the most energy-efficient on the market, determine which ones are appropriate for their particular situation, and make a decision.
- Energy Star Exterior Doors:
The Energy Star Program assesses the market’s best types of doors in terms of energy efficiency. This software specifically examines exterior doors with a lot of glass and rates them according to their solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) and U-factor.
If a homeowner wants their exterior doors to let in a lot of light, they should look for glass doors with a low SHGC rating in hot areas and a high SHGC rating in cold climates.
Additionally, the door’s ability to impede heat transfer from or into your home will be improved by the Energy Star rating’s reduced U-Factor.
- The Prices of Exterior Doors:
The price of exterior doors varies greatly based on the types of doors chosen, the materials used, and the level of insulation. Steel doors with insulation are one of the least expensive solutions that won’t compromise insulation performance.
Although less customizable than wood or fiberglass alternatives, this solution may still be highly effective while delivering a smooth, beautiful, and long-lasting replacement for your exterior doors.
There are more options for Passive House doors if having a pleasant house is a priority for you. These exterior doors feature a minimum R-value of 10, many seals, and locking points. These doors provide twice as much insulation as regular doors.
The Significance of Adding Weatherstripping to Exterior Doors
Weatherstripping doors should be a top concern regardless of the sort of door you have. Weatherstripping considerably enhances the performance of even the oldest doors for homeowners who don’t want to spend money on new outside doors.
The best approach to stopping air leaks quickly and affordably and increasing the energy efficiency of your house is to buy a DIY weatherstripping kit for your doors.