On the surface, winter may not seem like an ideal time to replace your entry door. One look outside your window tells you why. The season brings with it ice, slush, and snow as the mercury dips, and your door is one of the ways you can keep these harsh elements out of your home.
As Canada’s foremost window and door specialists, we understand these concerns, but we’re here to dispel the notion that winter isn’t a suitable time for an upgrade. Our capable install team has decades of experience mounting new windows and doors in London, ON all year long, so we can promise a quick installation that protects your home from the elements. More still, installing a new entry system during the winter months comes with numerous advantages to your personal comfort and bank account.
Whether you’ve noticed your front door doesn’t keep out the winter chill like it used to or it simply doesn’t fit your style anymore, don’t put off an upgrade until the warmer months. There are several reasons homeowners should consider replacing their entry systems this winter. In this article, we break those reasons down below.
Efficiency
As the temperatures plunge below zero, your door acts as a barricade against the cold, keeping your space a warm and cozy refuge from the outdoors. When you need to enter or exit your home, you’re quick to slip out, careful not to leave the door open for long.
A wide-open door is an obvious winter faux-pas that puts pressure on your heating system, but it isn’t the only reason why your furnace may be working overtime this winter. Old, uninsulated or damaged doors contribute to air leakage that wastes electricity even when they are firmly shut and locked. As a result, your doors (and windows) could be responsible for up to 25 percent of the total heat lost from your home.
Age, shifting foundations, damaged weatherstripping, and poor construction may be to blame for heat loss, as these conditions can interfere with your door’s ability to create a seal against the elements.
Some of these issues you can treat on your own. We welcome you to check out our previous blog post about fall-time maintenance for windows and doors. There, we spoke about inspecting the caulking around your house’s exterior. Caulking joins weatherstripping as a crucial insulating feature, so any damage here could be inviting in the winter weather. If you spot any damaged or missing pieces, repairing them may decrease drafts and improve the comfort of your home.
However, an older, uninsulated or solid wood door may allow heat to escape, even if the caulking and weatherstripping are in good shape. These doors lack the proper insulating materials that are now standard today, so a full door replacement may be on the docket.
Here at Golden Windows, our selection of doors boasts an ENERGY STAR® certification, meaning all of our products have been confirmed by Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) to meet strict international efficiency standards. This ensures your door’s insulation and glass panels are designed to retain heat when the temperatures drop.
Making the upgrade today not only lets you firmly shut the door on Old Man Winter, but it also helps you take control of your heating bills. According to NRCAN, “a new ENERGY STAR® certified door is 25% more energy efficient than a standard door”. With utility bills rising in Ontario now that the COVID-19 off-peak electricity pricing has expired, any energy savings you earn comes as a win.
Safety
Although you may not enjoy thinking about worst-case scenarios, responsible homeownership requires you to think about the safety of your home, especially as the holidays approach. Data shows break-ins and theft increase during December, with crime rates peaking the week after Christmas. This uptick in crime may happen because you’re more likely to visit friends and family during the holidays, leaving behind a house full of gifts and other festive goodies.
This isn’t meant to cast a shadow on any of your plans this holiday, but it does serve as a reminder that you need to take your security seriously. Have you considered how well your windows and doors protect you from unwanted guests? Your doors and windows play a crucial role in your safety, as they’re the first point of entry for burglars hoping to smash and grab.
If your front door fails to close properly or lock securely, look no further than our entry systems and front doors as a replacement. Our entry systems are manufactured according to the North American Fenestration Standard (NAFS) to ensure they form a strong and resilient barrier to your home. For added security, you may also consider adding our multi-point locking system. It comes equipped with a central deadbolt and two latch bolts to reduce the chances of lock-picking and forced entry.
Hearing the locking mechanism engage with a click comes with a certain peace of mind — whether it’s keeping young children and curious pets in or unwelcome visitors out. It lets you know your family and belongings are safe.
Natural Light
After turning the clocks back an hour to bring an end to daylight saving’s time, evenings in Canada seem to arrive sooner every day. This gradual darkening of our days is a natural part of the seasonal changeover, but it may be more of a challenge this year as stay-at-home measures keep us indoors more often.
If you’re one of the millions of Canadians now working from home, a new door with an ample window can help brighten your new workspace. Our entry systems come with a variety of options that give you the ultimate control over openness and privacy. Whether you prefer a clear glass or a decorative inlay, we’re sure we can find a window design that fits your personal taste, lifestyle, and the architectural system of your home.
For a dramatic change in the brightness of your home, we recommend looking at upgrading to sliding patio doors at the back of your home. Our sliding patio doors provide an unrestricted view of your property, allowing the maximum amount of sunlight into your space.
Whatever you choose, our windows come with four thermal rating options and three different kinds of spacers between the panes of glass. You can mix-and-match these options to keep your home warm and bright this winter.
Curb Appeal
Improving your curb appeal can be a challenge in winter as the cold weather paints a bleak picture of your property. When it isn’t hidden by snow, your home displays empty flower beds, brown grass, and salt covering your driveway. Without the usual greenery sprucing up the place, you can’t rely on Mother Nature to impress your guests; your curb appeal relies on the look of your home itself — from holiday decorations and exterior lighting to windows and doors.
Outdated, dirty, or damaged windows and doors may detract from the beauty of your home and give the wrong impression to visitors and neighbours. To boost your curb appeal quickly, talk to us about upgrading your windows and doors this winter.
Resale Value
Upgrading your entry system is one of the easiest ways to increase the value of your property. According to Home Advisor, an entry door replacement has a 74.9% return of investment.
A beautiful new door grabs the attention of potential buyers and increases the chances they’ll stick around to learn more about your home. Once they understand that a Golden Windows door comes with elite safety and energy-efficiency ratings, they’re more likely to pay what you want for your home.
For the greatest impact on your resale value, consider replacing all the exterior doors of your home, including any patio, garage and terrace doors. A full upgrade of every door will help give your asking price a significant boost.
Personalizing Your Home
If you live in a newer subdivision, your builder-grade home may look identical to the other houses on the block. You and your neighbours might even share the same architectural features in the same materials in roughly the same layout. It would be easy to mistake a neighbour’s house for your own if you weren’t familiar with your spot on the street.
When you belong to a cookie-cutter neighbourhood like this, even a subtle change to your front door can add a splash of personality to your home. Changing the usual white door to a cheery yellow or rich evergreen can help you stand out and make your home feel more like your own.
To transform the entire look of your home, consider upgrading your entry system with a custom design. Our gallery of doors shows you how many unique designs and colour combinations are available, so you never have to worry about sporting the same old door as everyone else on the street. You can tailor your entry system to suit your personality perfectly.
Welcoming Family in Style this Holiday
With the holidays just around the corner, your social calendar will be booking up soon. If you’ve been appointed the family’s official host this year, you must be ready to welcome your loved ones into your home. While a warm spot on the couch, a filling meal, and a top-up of their eggnog will do the trick, your guests should feel the holiday spirit as soon as they arrive.
What better way to do that than with a brand-new front door?
Your front door will be one of the first things your family sees when they arrive, and a custom-designed entry system will create an inviting picture after their long journey through the snow. Dressed in baubles, tinsel, and other bespoke ornaments, your door will set the mood for the rest of their stay.
Choosing Your Perfect Entry Doors
In summary, there’s no single reason why you should replace your entry doors this winter — there are several. Consider making the upgrade if you want to reduce energy bills, add natural light, boost curb appeal, increase your resale value, personalize your home and prepare for holiday entertaining.
Now that you have ample reason to upgrade your entry doors, your next step is to choose which door you need for your home. Here at Golden Windows, we have two main categories of door entry systems.
- GoldenClad®: For a sophisticated and modern addition to your home, look to the GoldenClad® Entry Systems. It comes with a maintenance-free aluminum clad frame with a variety of steel and fiberglass panel designs. Choose from Masonite and Trimlite products to tailor a GoldenClad® Entry System to your liking.
- GoldenWood®: You can spot our GoldenWood® Entry Systems by its wood frame and brickmould, which lend a timeless beauty to your home. You can choose from a selection of wood grain embossed fiberglass panel designs to customize a classic look that reflects your personal taste. Again, you can further tailor your options with Masonite and Trimlite line of products.
Once you’ve chosen your door entry style, you can customize your door with custom colours, panelling, glass, hardware, accessories, and more. Since we manufacture all our entry systems here in Kitchener, customizing your door to your exact specification is a welcome and straightforward process. It’s as easy as picking up the phone and giving us a call. One of our knowledgeable representatives can give you a thorough overview of your options and help you pick out the perfect combination.
If you already know exactly what you want, it’s time to set up installation with our team. As the manufacturer of all our products, we provide a seamless installation experience from start to finish. All it takes are two in-home visits to ensure our measurements are correct before you can set a date that works with your schedule. We’ll take care of the rest, including protecting your home from the elements while we replace your door.
With the holidays rapidly approaching, we recommend you get in touch with us soon to ensure you get an install date in 2020. The sooner you call us, the faster we can produce your doors and transform your entryway before the deep freeze sets in.