7 Things to Consider When Adding or Upgrading Doors on Your Colorado Home

A new door can completely change the way your home looks and feels. But in Colorado, choosing a door is about more than picking a style you like.

Our homes deal with strong sun, temperature swings, snow, wind, and changing seasons, especially along the Front Range and in the Colorado Foothills. The right door should look great, operate smoothly, help protect your home from the elements, and make sense for how you actually use the space.

Whether you're replacing an entry door, adding a patio door, or opening up the back of your home to take advantage of a Colorado view, here are seven things to consider before you buy.

1. Start With How You Use the Door

Before choosing a material, color, or glass package, think about what you want the new door to do.

Is this your main entrance? A door to the deck? Are you trying to bring more natural light into a darker room? Do you want a larger opening between your indoor and outdoor living areas?

For a patio or backyard, a larger glass door can make the outdoor space feel like an extension of your home. The AMSCO Studio Collection, for example, offers patio doors in 2-panel, 3-panel, and 4-panel configurations, with sizes available up to 16 feet wide depending on the configuration.

Start with the function. Then choose the door.

2. Think About Colorado's Temperature Swings

Colorado can give you freezing temperatures and bright sunshine in the same week. Your doors are part of the exterior envelope separating your comfortable indoor space from everything happening outside.

That makes the frame, glass, and installation important.

If you're choosing a door with substantial glass, ask about energy-efficient glass packages designed to reduce heat transfer. AMSCO's Studio Collection, for example, offers high-performance glass options using warm-edge spacer technology, as shown on page 11 of its brochure.

A beautiful glass door isn't much of an upgrade if the area around it becomes uncomfortable every winter.

3. Pay Attention to Colorado's Intense Sun

Colorado sunshine is wonderful until it's pouring through a large west-facing glass door every afternoon.

When selecting a door with glass, consider which direction it faces, how much direct sunlight it receives, and how you use the room on the other side.

Different glass packages can provide different levels of solar control and UV protection. That's particularly important with large patio doors, where you're introducing considerably more glass into the exterior wall.

The goal isn't necessarily to block the Colorado sunshine. It's to enjoy the light without making the room uncomfortable.

4. Don't Underestimate the Impact of a Larger Patio Door

This is one of our favorite upgrades because it can change much more than the door itself.

Replacing a small or dated patio door with a larger glass opening can make a room feel brighter and more open while creating a stronger connection between the home and the outdoors.

That's especially attractive in Colorado, where your backyard might include a deck, foothill landscape, mountain view, or simply a great outdoor entertaining area.

As the AMSCO brochure illustrates, contemporary patio doors can be paired with large windows to create expansive glass areas and a much stronger indoor-outdoor connection.

Sometimes you're not really buying a new door. You're changing the way you experience an entire room.

5. Choose a Style That Works With Your Home

Your door shouldn't look like it was added as an afterthought.

Consider your home's architecture, existing windows, siding, trim, roofline, and exterior colors. A modern Colorado home may look fantastic with a clean black-framed patio door, while another home may call for something more traditional.

Color can make a surprisingly big difference. The AMSCO Studio Collection shown in the brochure includes white and taupe solid-color options, several interior/exterior combinations, and additional painted colors.

And don't forget the view from inside your house. You'll spend far more time looking at your new door from your living room or kitchen than standing outside looking in.

6. Think About Security and Everyday Operation

A door gets used thousands of times. How it feels on day 2,000 matters more than how impressive it looks on installation day.

Ask questions about:

How does it lock? How smoothly does it operate? How substantial does it feel? What hardware is included? How will the frame hold up?

The AMSCO Studio Collection uses a cam-action locking system as its standard patio-door hardware, according to the product brochure.

These aren't glamorous questions, but they're important ones. A door should be something you enjoy using every day.

7. Installation Matters Just as Much as the Door

You can buy an excellent door and still be disappointed if it isn't installed correctly.

Measurements need to be right. The opening needs to be properly prepared. The door needs to be square, level, sealed, and adjusted so it operates as designed.

This becomes even more important when you're changing the size of an existing opening or installing a larger patio-door system.

Don't choose your contractor based only on who can sell you the door. Ask who is going to install it, how the opening will be handled, what happens if problems are uncovered, and who stands behind the completed project.

A New Door Can Do More Than You Think

A door replacement can solve a problem, but it can also be an opportunity.

It might give you better energy performance, more natural light, easier access to your outdoor living space, a more modern exterior, or an entirely different view from inside your home.

The key is choosing the right door for your home, your location, and the way you live.

Protect Your Colorado Home with an Exterior Built to Last

Build Pro Exteriors serves homeowners throughout the Colorado Foothills and communities north to Windsor. Whether you're replacing aging doors, creating a larger opening to enjoy your Colorado views, or considering new windows and siding at the same time, our team can help you understand your options.

Call Build Pro Exteriors at 719-284-5390 today to schedule an appointment or email [email protected].

Windows • Doors • Siding | Built for Colorado Homes