Ok, so we can’t DIY EVERYTHING that our house needs. Just like these projects back in 2017, there are a few things around the house that we needed to contract out to the professionals. This year we had a company come in and insulate / ventilate our house so that we have proper air flow and fewer leaks, and while they were here they told us there was only so much the insulation and ventilation could do without closing the gaps that our doors were leaving.

The old red door and red storm door frame – taken back in May

We’d been wanting to replace all three of our outside doors since we moved in. All of them were wood, all of them had uneven frames, and two of them desperately needed a paint job. The front door was a deep burgundy red that I never liked, and whoever put that door in never painted the other side of it. So the inside of the door (that we saw all the time) was this unfinished wood that was aesthetically *blah*. It also didn’t have a peep hole or a window, so when it was closed it left that entryway very dark.

The side door was black on the outside, and from 2PM on the sun was beating down on it and the door would get HOT. It was painful to unlock it in the summer – the heat would radiate off the paint and blast you in the face while you feverishly tried to open the door as fast as possible. And that was never easy, because the lock was old and AWFUL. We tried to replace it or even re-key it at one point, but we were told it was there for good and it was so old we couldn’t get newer / better keys for it. That door drove us crazy.

Unfortunately I don’t have a great “before” image of this door, but this is Penny standing in front of it sometime this summer before daycare

The back door was so poorly framed that we actually put packing tape around the frame of it last winter and just left it there to try to block the air flow. The tape meant it was totally useless as a door and super ugly on the inside. Because the door frame was so mismatched it was also very difficult to unlock once it was locked and vice versa, so even if we wanted to use it and even if the tape wasn’t there, it was still a pain to try and open it.

Anyway, you get the picture! These doors had to go! Home Depot did the work for us. They took the measurements, sat down with us to help us decide on the materials and style of each door, rebuilt the frames and installed all three doors. We ordered fiberglass doors that won’t warp with the weather, and our front one now has a lovely window that lets in rainbow light when the sun shines on it! It makes me so happy!

Taping up the door to prep it for paint – note the red storm door frame (GAHHH WHY?!)

We ordered the doors plain white and brought home a few swatches of paint to see which one we liked best. We thought it’d be a lilac color we picked but we wound up loving this grayish blue. We also had to paint the stupid obnoxious horrible no good very bad red door frame – why anyone ever painted it red is beyond me. But that was probably the biggest hassle for Javi as he was painting the doors (we opted to paint the frame white). He taped the front and side doors up and painted them both in one afternoon while Penny and I were in Nashville doing family photo sessions. I was so excited to come home and see the transformation! He also had to paint the new door frame inside of the side door – Home Depot left it unfinished.

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Our doors are finally easy to open/close/lock, and they are safe, weather resistant, sealed, and beautiful! I love them! Also note: we already have our Christmas lights up – we are the only house so far with lights up on our street! Have you decorated yet?!

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