Front door ideas come down to four choices: the door itself, the glass in it, the opening around it and the finish. Each one changes how your house looks from the street. Start with your house, then check that the opening can take the idea you like, because a transom or an 8 foot door needs room above the door.
Our exterior door replacement work covers the St. Louis area. We are a Platinum ProVia dealer and certified installer, so every option here is one we can order.
Match the Door to Your House
A door that suits a brick Colonial looks out of place on a ranch. Start with the house you have, then pick the door and the opening that fit it.
ProVia designs its decorative front door glass for eight home styles. Its glass page lists them: Cape Cod, Craftsman, Colonial, Farmhouse, Modern, Spanish, Tudor and Victorian.
| Your house | Door idea | What the opening must allow |
|---|---|---|
| Brick Colonial or Georgian | A paneled door with sidelites and a transom | Wall space on both sides of the door and height above it |
| Craftsman or bungalow | A wider door with glass in the top half and grids | Room for a wider slab and a deep porch to shelter the glass |
| Ranch | A plain door with one tall glass panel, or one sidelite | A clear spot for the lock and handle beside the glass |
| Tudor, cottage or stone house | A planked, wood-look door with small decorative or privacy glass | A standard opening, so the door can be the feature |
| Modern or farmhouse | A tall slab with narrow glass strips in black or a deep color | Framing tall enough for an 8 foot door, if you want one |
Material comes next. Our guide to fiberglass and steel doors compares the two, and our page on front door types lists every kind. For the details of each line, see Signet and Ascent for fiberglass and Legacy for steel.
Comparing companies as well as ideas? Start with our St. Louis door company page.
Sidelites, Transoms and Taller Doors
A sidelite is a narrow window beside the door. A transom is a window above it. Both bring daylight into the hall and make the entry look wider and taller.
ProVia offers sidelites with all three of its entry door lines. Its sidelite page lists transoms for Signet and Legacy. Signet also has the most door and sidelite styles of the three.
A taller door is another way to make the entry stand out. Some Signet and Ascent fiberglass styles come 8 feet tall, and so do several Legacy smooth steel styles. ProVia adds a fourth hinge to each tall door, because it is heavier than a standard one.
The fiberglass versions also need a multi-point lock. ProVia’s 8 foot door page shows every style.
Two limits matter. A sidelite needs wall space beside the door, and a transom or an 8 foot door needs framing above it. We measure the opening at the estimate visit and tell you which of these it can take.
For a carved look, ProVia inscribed doors come in Signet Cherry and Ascent White Oak. A Signet Cherry door can also carry your street number, engraved into the slab.
Signet doors with a Fir or Smooth skin can carry simulated divided panels. These are 3 inch or 5 inch panels applied over the glass or straight onto the door.
Glass: Light, Privacy or Pattern
Glass decides how much light comes in and how much of your hall a visitor can see. A door that faces the sidewalk often calls for frosted or privacy glass. A covered porch can take clear glass.
| Glass idea | What it does | The ProVia facts |
|---|---|---|
| Clear glass with grids | Lets in the most light and adds a traditional pattern | Internal grids sit between two panes, so the glass wipes clean. External grids are painted or stained to match the door. Simulated divided lites use fiberglass grids with a shadow bar between the panes. |
| Tinted glass | Changes the color of the light | Gray controls glare and interior fading. Bronze lets in more light, adds a warm glow and suits brick or stone. Both are offered on every transom, sidelite and glass door style. |
| Privacy glass | Lets in light and blocks the view | Eight styles. Where silk screen glass is frosted, ProVia rates it 9 for privacy. |
| Decorative glass | Adds pattern and keeps some privacy | Hand-beveled glass with caming in a set of designs made for eight home styles, from Cape Cod to Victorian. |
| Art Glass | Puts a colored design in the door | A ProVia exclusive. A machine lays the resin outline and a craftsman fills the color by hand. |
| Internal blinds | Opens or closes the view with no blinds to dust | Aluminum blinds sit between the panes. Tilt them or lift them all the way. |
Most of these details come from ProVia’s pages on clear glass and grids, privacy glass, decorative glass, Art Glass and internal blinds.
Finish and Hardware
Finish changes a door faster than any other choice. ProVia offers 33 paint colors on every door line, up to 20 stains and 7 glazes on Signet, and eight hardware lines. Black is offered on seven of the eight.
Our guide to ProVia door colors and hardware shows every swatch. A dark door in afternoon sun runs hotter behind a storm door. Read the section on dark colors and storm doors first if you plan to add one.
Ideas for a Door You Keep
A sound door can change a lot with a fresh coat of paint, new hardware, house numbers or a light beside it. If the door is in good shape and you only want a new color, you do not need a new one. Painting, planting and wiring a light are not work we do, so those jobs go to you, a painter or an electrician.
Replace the door when it stops doing its job: it sticks, it lets in drafts or daylight around the edges, or the bottom edge has gone soft.
A new door fixes all three. Our front door replacement guide covers what happens next.
Do You Need a Permit for a New Front Door in St. Louis?
Whether a front door needs a permit depends on where the house stands. A home in a City of St. Louis historic district needs a permit from the Cultural Resources Office for exterior work.
The only exception is painting wood trim. Door replacement is on the list of work that needs a permit, according to the city’s review FAQ.
Outside the city, rules differ by town and by homeowners association. Ask both before you order a door that changes the front of the house.
Standards differ by district and can change, so confirm the current rules with the office. Bring them to your estimate visit, so the door you pick fits them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Need Help Deciding?
Not sure which idea fits your entry? Book a free on-site estimate, no obligation. We measure the opening, check it for sidelites, a transom or a taller door, and show you the options at your own door.
Our entry door photo gallery shows finished jobs. Planning a patio door as well? See patio door ideas.
Questions first? Call (314) 277-5952.
