When guests arrive at your home or potential buyers see it fromthe street, first impressions count. But if your front door is anugly, dilapidated, worn-out mess, they may get stuck there and failto notice your home’s inner beauty. Fortunately there are easythings you can do to transform your home’s front entry to reflectyour personal style, add instant curb appeal and even save onenergy and upkeep.

Installing a new frontdoor is one of the fastest, easiest and least expensive homeupgrades you can make. Manufacturing technologies also continue toimprove, providing an array of choices to keep your home lookinggreat for years to come. Here are some tips for creating a newentryway for your home.

Evaluate your entryway: Check the door opening to see what yourhome can accommodate structurally. Most doors are 3 feet wide and 6feet 8 inches tall, but many new doors are up to 8 feet tall. Ifyour home design allows, a higher or wider front door creates adramatic statement.

Add class with glass: Add even more character to your front doorby choosing decorative glass inserts. Available in countless stylesand patterns to fit most any home design, glass brightens up anentry and adds interior and reflective light.

Choose durable materials: For a door that’s truly built to last,consider fiberglass. For example, a Therma-Tru fiberglass doorwon’t rot, split or crack like a wood door, and won’t rust, rot,dent or ding like a steel door. Most fiberglass doors are EnergyStar-qualified and provide up to four times the insulating value ofmost wood doors, creating an energy-efficient envelope for yourhome and helping you save on utility bills. As part of the EconomicStimulus package, homeowners are also eligible to receive a taxcredit equal to 30 percent of the product cost – up to $1,500 perhousehold for all improvements combined – when they purchase andinstall qualified products through Dec. 31.

Complement the architecture: Many new door styles are designedto complement today’s popular architectural designs includingCraftsman, bungalow, Arts and Crafts, Mission and cottage stylemotifs. If your interior decor features beautiful mahogany wood,for instance, you can extend the look to the exterior with aFiber-Classic Mahogany Collection door, which provides the styleand warmth of mahogany but at a price value compared to premiumwood doors.

Courtesy of ARAcontent