A smart renovation: The surprising ROI of a new front door

Give your home a signature feature with an eye-catching new front door. This home improvement project can often be completed in a day, but its benefits last far longer! Improve the energy efficiency of your entryway, boost resale value, add to your home’s security, and, of course, improve your home’s beauty. We’ll explain these benefits in detail, plus walk you through all you need to know about your front doors.

Performance, durability, and design options vary depending on the door chosen. Get to know our front door options so you can decide on the best one for your home. We offer two different front door options. Get to know them at a glance.

Door type	Material	Options to know	When to choose this door
Our Entry Doors come in a variety of panel styles and with a variety of glass options — including full panel and inserts of various sizes.	Our Entry Doors are made of solid wood, which helps provide excellent thermal performance. They’re clad on the exterior by a coating of low-maintenance aluminum, which helps protect them from the elements.	Our Entry Doors come with the following choices: 50 color options and 11 wood species as standard options. The ability to order custom sizing to 1/8.” Either outswing or inswing options are available. Double configuration options are available. A low-profile sill option is available. A Yale® Assure Lock® option is available for app operation and more benefits.	Our Entry Doors work in new construction, remodeling, or replacement scenarios. The variety of panel styles and glass options along with the finish colors means they can be styled to match nearly any home. It's an option suitable for any climate, especially when you select the right low-emissivity (Low-E) coating for any glass included in your panel.
Our Pivot Doors operate on a pivot box rather than traditional hinges for smooth operation and a sleek look. They’re highly customizable.	Our Pivot Doors are made of a variety of materials, including: All aluminum, which is often best suited for warm climates. However, our all-aluminum Pivot Doors are thermally broken, so they can perform in any climate. Aluminum-clad wood, which has a wood core that provides excellent thermal performance and a protective exterior coating of aluminum, making them suitable for any climate. All wood, which can perform in any climate but will require more maintenance than other options, as the wood will occasionally need to be refinished. This material might not be the best choice for wet climates.	Our Pivot Doors are offered with: A variety of standard finish options, including 50 colors, 11 wood species, and several anodized aluminum finishes. Custom sizing is available to 1/8”. Double configuration options are available. A Yale Assure Lock option is available for app operation and more benefits. Aluminum-clad wood doors can be ordered with full glass panels.	Our Pivot Doors work best in new construction homes or major remodels. They’re highly customizable, making them suitable for a range of modern and contemporary homes. If you’re looking for an impact-rated front door, our Pivot Doors can be ordered with Stormwatch® Protection. This helps equip them to perform in coastal areas.

Did you know? Renewal by Andersen, the full-service replacement side of our business, offers custom Entry Doors as well. The Ensemble® Entry Door is specifically designed for replacement and can be custom ordered to fit your existing opening. It’s made of fiberglass and our exclusive Fibrex® material, which means it can perform in any climate. With its composite and fiberglass frame, it resists rotting, which makes it an especially good choice for a coastal home.

Find out more about the difference between Andersen and Renewal by Andersen.

The right front door can emphasize your home’s architectural style, reflect your personal taste, and give a hint of what’s to be found on the interior. How do you pick out a front door that does all this?

1. Start by identifying your home’s style. You can get started in our Home Style Library, where we have a catalog of the most iconic architectural styles in America, and architect-recommended windows and doors to match. And if you don’t know what style your home is, we’ll give you the pointers you need to uncover it or find a close match.
2. Pick the right panel style. Do you need a slab-style panel with a sleek look, or a richly detailed one with insets and a glass panel complete with grilles? Make this big decision first, then start drilling into the details of paint color or wood stain, and hardware style and finish.
3. Decide if auxiliary glass would complement your door. For example, on some homes a transom above the door might be just right. On other homes, a sidelight on either side might create the grand entrance your home needs. And if you’re thinking big, don’t forget we also offer our Entry Doors in double-door configurations.

Once you’ve ticked the boxes of maintenance and style, there’s still more to be considered. How can your front door make your life a little bit more functional? The answer is in more ways than one. Here’s what you need to know about how security and convenience can be increased with a new front door:

Multi-point locks go beyond the traditional deadbolt

A standard offering on our Entry Doors and Pivot Doors, multi-point locks include a bolt that’s thrown in three directions: up, down, and to the side.

Tempered glass helps prevent forced entry

Our Entry Doors and Pivot Doors come standard with this type of glass, which is harder to break. So you can let natural light into your entryway without extra worries.

Sizing ranges ensure everyone can access the home

Perhaps you need a door that’s extra wide to accommodate a wheelchair. In that case, you should know a single-panel Entry Door can be up to 3’ 7” wide, and custom sizing is available to 1/8.” A double-panel door is another way to enlarge your opening with elegance. We make low-profile sills that are easier to roll over. Find out more about front door sizing.

Smart locks add convenience and security, especially for families!

Use an app on your phone to lock and unlock your door, check your kids got home from school, and so much more. The Yale® Assure Lock® provides many benefits, especially to kids who require the convenience of never needing to remember a key and parents who need the ability to monitor their home from afar.