Friday, August 19, 2011

Crystal Clear: A New Storm Door

Since Day 1, I have loathed the storm door that came on our house.  I think you'd hate it too.




See what I mean?  Even the husband and dogs peering out doesn't do much to help it's case.



The white panel at the bottom looked so dated, and the bar cutting across the middle just drew attention to it.  Not to mention the top and bottom glass panels didn't sit flush, so I had a tacky piece of tape across them to keep the bugs out.  Klassy!


I know some people would opt for no storm door at all.  And I would usually agree with them.


However, we have such a lack of natural light in our house, that the light gained by opening the door is a tremendous difference.  It's like gaining an extra window.  I'm crazy about natural light, but apparently didn't take that into consideration when we purchased this house.  It's soooo dark, and that's the #1 thing on my "want" list when we go to buy a new one.  I'm one of those people who feels the compulsive need to open blinds in other people's houses during the day.  I love lamp sunlight.


Not to mention, our dogs love watching the cars go by.  It keeps them amused, which makes me happy.


So the point of all that is this:
  1. Like storm door idea
  2. Hate actual storm door
We needed a new one.  The kicker?  Those suckers are ex-pen-sive.  Well, at least when you're on a budget like ours.  $150+ for a decent one.  So when we saw a Craigslist ad for a new-in-box one for $75, we couldn't resist.

Brimming with pride about our patience and frugality, we went to open the box, only to discover that the frame had basically broken apart, due to some pretty flimsy plastic L brackets holding it together.  We didn't blame the sellers, just the poor quality of the door...  

Long story short, we ordered new brackets from the company for $6.  Hmmmm... the replacements they sent were METAL.... why they don't just use those from the start, beats me.

It took us 5 hours to put the door up.  We had to get creative with the new brackets and shoddy workmanship from the previous door installation, etc.  FIVE hours.  We didn't kill each other, so that's a plus.

Enough talk - here she is.



The dogs love it!  They have an uninhibited view of squirrels, walkers, cars, and golf carts. 




And we love it, because it now blends in with our house, instead of sticking out like an eyesore.  A much needed upgrade, regardless of how long it took!


I just need to touch up the trim and fill in nail holes and we have a lovely new entrance for cheap (ish).  


Next on our curb appeal agenda?

  • Upgrade light by the door
  • Add much-needed color to the landscape
  • Trim and possibly rearrange the bushes that have grown like crazy recently.

3 comments:

  1. Hurray!! :) Upgrading the storm door is on our list (one day!) too. It makes SUCH a big difference!! Looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yippee!! It looks so good. I love the full pane and it really brightens up the door!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have been dying to get a storm door for the same reason--to let in way more natural light!

    I love the way yours looks--the whole panel is a great idea!

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make me happy!

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