As March quietly departs and April begins its showers, it is time to consider projects and fixes that will help the home during the rain and warmer weather. One of the easiest projects that will not cost a fortune is the addition of storm doors to your home.


Is a storm door right for you?

If you have a new, energy efficient door, then the savings do not justify the expense of adding a storm door.

If the front of you home directly faces the sun for more than a few hours, a storm door may cause damage to your current door because of the amount of heat it will trap. So if you have direct sunlight on your door for at least several hours every day, a storm door is a bad idea.

If you have an older door or a cheap door to the outside that only gets direct sunlight for a few hours a day, then installing a storm door provides additional insulation between the elements and the inside of your home. 


Frames

The frame of the storm door is the first aspect to consider. Storm doors can have one of several different metal frames (aluminum and steel), a fiberglass frame, or a wood frame. Research seems to indicate that a good, insulated metal frame would serve best and is the lowest maintenance. If you want a wood frame for aesthetics to the rest of the house, they work well too, but they require more care and attention than other types of frames.


Glass and Extras

Like frames, you have choices for what types of glass and screen you can add to the door. You can have all glass; half glass, half screen; or a screen, a stationary pane of glass, and a moveable pane glass (the mobile glass can be placed either over the screen or the other pane of glass depending on the weather); the options are numerous. Also the type of glass varies, with low-emission glass or glazing used on the best quality doors. Check into the options to determine which one best suits your needs, but remember that additional elements do mean a higher price.

There are even storm doors available for patios, although they are a little harder to find. You can opt for well insulated curtains and blinds, usually a cheaper and very efficient way to combat the elements.

Image by Filomena Scalise.