we are done! phase I is complete. phase I 1/2 this weekend. phase II starts Monday.

The exterior trim is up. I just have to paint it, next time I have a free minute. ahem.

Now, a little bit about the door, which has become the central driving point of this whole project. I really, really wanted the doors to look stately and distinguished. with cremone bolts and all. we briefly considered salvaged doors,but the thin wood and thin glass were a concern not only for insulation reasons, but also safety. Although these guys did a beautiful job with restoring french doors — maybe our front doors?

but for now, obviously i had to compromise because our bank account doesn’t do ten thousand multiples that are associated with new fancy doors, and we ruled out the salvage route.

This door is close, the three divisions aren’t true divided lites, but the good news is that the glass is insulated and laminated which serves two purposes 1) if someone tries to break it, it will not actually shatter and fall out but instead will break but stay bonded – i.e. still can’t get into the house and 2) it adds an additional sound barrier, which is very helpful since we are on a busy street. *Actually this is what sold me on upgrading our glass. Eventually we would like to replace all of our windows with noise reducing ones — it wouldn’t do to have a huge 8 foot door that doesn’t do the same.

We also upgraded the thickness of the door to help with the looks and I plan to get regular bolt for the interior to give it a more old timey feel.