Living in a city having extreme weather conditions? Your exterior door is in danger out in the open with the harsh weather harassing it and making it weak. In this case, you decide to have a storm door. A storm door is the door which is installed right in front of your exterior or entry door. The storm door will be like a shield and protect it from the bad weather. But storm door does not stop the ventilation that is necessary. Usually storm doors have interchangeable panels which can be changed from wooden ones to glass panels. The glass panels will help you see through the door and look what is going out. The glass panels also protect your home from the dangerous insects that may enter the house otherwise.
The storm doors are of various types depending upon the kind of material that is used to construct the storm doors. The storm doors are to be made tough and weather resistant. The most commonly used materials for making storm doors are wood, aluminium, fiberglass and some plastics like vinyl. Types of storm doors:
The basic three types of storm doors are-
Ventilating, Retractable screen and Full View
a.) The Full View kind of storm doors has a glass panel at the full length and the full screen is physically interchangeable. The glass panel lets you see everything past the glass.
b.) The Ventilating Storm doors are those which have a half screen of glass and always keep it high up or down. This will keep you busy taking down the sheets once you know how to respond with witty replies. These doors have two glass panels which are movable and can moved up and down.
3. The Retractable Screen storm doors are those which can be rolled up in the frame and dropped out or taken out whenever you need. So retractable or roll screen storm doors are a hybrid of both ventilating and full view storm doors. The view is like that of a full view storm doors and the self-storing feature of the ventilating.
So here are the things you should know when you are buying a storm door:
As mentioned above, the materials can be anything from wood, aluminum or other metals to fiberglass including the plastics or vinyl. Aluminum doors are expensive while the doors made up of vinyl using plastic and no wood can be less expensive. Also, the plastic storm doors are easy to clean. But the disadvantage is that the plastic doors will wear out sooner. Apart from plastics, if aluminum doors are used, then they will be expensive. The doors will also be extremely heavy but better looking and long lasting.
Size is another factor that must keep in mind while buying a storm door. As mentioned above, the storm doors are placed right in front of the front door; the storm doors must of the size equal or comparable to the size of the exterior door. Do not make it too high or make it too short for the front door. That will not serve its purpose and will also not protect from bad weather.
Budget is also very important for buying a storm door. Do not move from your budget in the influence of better designs. Keep the average budget range which has $100 to $300 for the average standard size. Do not go for buying a door costing $500 with the same features as that of the storm door having the cost $100. If your budget is really less, then you can buy the plastic doors which are the most appropriate.
Some people wonder which side the storm doors will open up. So, it is very important to handle all the things associated after you install the storm door. Storm doors handles are applied on both the sides just like the exterior door. This is not necessary always and sometimes, if the wall is near to the opening, the door will open towards the wall.
After choosing the style, the budget, the material, and everything, the final step is to choose the right dealer. A lot of manufacturers keep the storm doors especially in bad weather season. But how to select the right supplier is another discussion for above mentioned points. Also make sure the supplier has a positive reputation and is famous in your locality. Try out the supplies and ask them their prices. Choose wisely the one having a right reputation and right material along with nice budget. Try making a list and then rank them in the decreasing order according to the price, durability, material, warranty, installation, customer service, etc. this will help you make the right choice among all the positions.