Our Perfect Front Door

We haven’t had a front door for the last year. Surprisingly the necessity for a front door has been low on the priority list. Between demolition, building a new staircase, installing a new kitchen, framing new walls, Lisas master closet, new floors, plumbing, electrical, etc. I’ve finally found the time to design and build our front door and entrance. Easier said than done.

Watch our favorite method for exiting our home above.

Lisa has been patiently waiting for the plans and build to reach a conclusion. There is light at the end of the tunnel. The door is built, entry plans are being finalized, the glass is ordered, demolition is in progress, and like the ladder we used before we had a staircase, the window will be a distant memory.

Here’s a few moments from the design/build.

Bottom of door with interior handle.

Exterior Handle

I have the best assistant.

The door is built out of walnut and the handles detail contain brass. The entire door is fabricated using mortise and tenon joints and contains no metal fasteners like screws or nails. I built custom clamps to square and squeeze the door joints together during assembly.

The handle side of the door is a single 16″ wide piece of solid walnut. I bought the piece 6 months ago in anticipation of highlighting the walnut grains as much as possible. The door is almost 8 feet tall by 6 feet wide. I am using an offset floor pivot hinge and a zero threshold floor entry. The door was sanded to a super smooth 1,000grit and finished with Liberon finishing oil and an exterior satin top-coat.

Stay tuned for the final install and full reveal of our front entrance!

-Jeff