Storm Door Safety

The finished product. I think the big pots are
new since my last post about the front entry way.

A couple weekends ago my dad and I installed my new storm door. I decided to buy a storm door to help with my air conditioning and heating bills, plus the added security of having the glass door that locks. Now I can open my front door without immediately giving people access to the house. In theory I should have time to slam the door shut again if I opened it to find someone scary on the other side (not that a glass door is perfectly secure of course).

My door before the storm door was installed.

Keeping it Simple
The door came in three parts. The frame, the glass/screen and the door handle. I purchased the door from Lowe's, you're able to mix and match the three parts. I kept it pretty basic with clear glass, a white frame and the same brass hardware that was on my front door.

Installing the pressure
pump that controls how
fast the door closes.

The main reason I wanted to stay simple with the storm door was the fact that my front door is so pretty. I didn't want anything that would hide the door. If I didn't love the front door I might have gone with one of the etched glass options or gotten a storm door with the iron designs. Although all of those options also cost more. I chose white because all the trim on my house is already white, so it just blended right in.

Lowe's had an installation option that cost just under $100, but my dad said that we would be able to install it ourselves. I mean we did build a deck all on our own!

The only real problem we ran into was that Dad's drill bits apparently got taken out of his tool bucket and didn't make it to my house. He sent me to the store for some (like I know what a drill bit is!). I managed to find a set with the size he needed and then we were in business.

Most of the actual installation Dad did, I helped hold the glass in place and get the edging into place. Meanwhile I got some yard work done, cleaned the garage, vacuumed my car and cleaned off my step aerobics equipment so that I could bring it inside and USE it. Call me crazy, but letting it sit in the garage covered in spider eggs wasn't getting me in shape. Now its clean, in the house and I actually used it today!

Finished Product

Ollie likes the new view!

So far I love the door. I've also been leaving the main door open sometimes when I'm home during the day. Ollie really likes that, he'll sit there for hours watching birds, neighbors, even the wind. He's always liked looking out the front windows, but his view is more limited since he has to perch on the furniture to see out.

I haven't been able to compare my utility bills yet to see if the storm door has made a difference, but I can't hear the wind whistling through the hairline cracks in the front door anymore, which is a good sign. The door is gorgeous, but not very well sealed. Between each of those panels is a miniscule opening that I could hear the air coming through. Dad and I tried to seal it at one point, but the tube exploded before we made any significant progress.

So far this was a great purchase!