Great Doors

For the home of Ed and Diana Duddy, Affi nity Doors made this custom winecloset door

When you approach someone's front door, does it make an impression? Some homeowners choose doors so that the overall entry to their home is both welcoming and impressive to visitors.

"The front door is where folks are making a statement," said Scott Wagner, owner of Custom View Windows & Doors. His firm focuses on custom hardwood doors for high-end homes.

Many types of wood are used to make doors, including oak, cherry, walnut, mahogany, maple, alder, fir, cedar and pine. Homeowners can also buy paint-grade doors in softwoods like pine and western hemlock.

Wagner said his standard panel hardwood doors start at $500, but homeowners can pay as much as $20,000 for a large, custom-sized, detailed door with extras such as glass and wrought iron.

"African mahogany and African alder are our most popular wood products," said Cody Howard, director of sales for Affi nity Doors (formerly Avalon Doors of Richmond).

"All our doors are solid wood doors only – no veneers. They start at about $2,500 for a basic single door and go up to $20,000. We also have locks and hardware that sells for $100 up to $2,000 per door."

A wooden door and the selected hardware, along with side glass panels or wrought iron, can all add up to a very impressive entrance to any home.

Beautiful choices

Homeowner Linda Watkins said she chose carefully when shopping for a front door for the home she and husband Bobby own in the Kinloch subdivision in Manakin-Sabot.

"I was a little overwhelmed in choosing the door," she said. "It was very important to me because it was a big purchase."

Through Custom View, the Watkins family purchased a custom double mahogany door with decorative glass—an International Wood Product by Jeld- Wen.

"I took the catalog to my decorator who went over the shapes in the doors and the architectural value they brought to the house. Once she showed me that, I understood and I felt comfortable with what we picked," Linda Watkins said.

Homeowner Diana Duddy had a vision of a door with a carved effect that would look like spotlights shooting up to the sky for her home in Brandermill. So with the help of an artist friend, she designed the carving for the door and the glass side lights.

Then Diana and her husband, Ed, went to Affi nity Doors because the company advertises the ability to go "from concept of to reality." Their custom- made African mahogany door is one-of-a-kind.

"All our doors are custom-handmade to order and we can do any design," Howard said. "We can hand-carve designs into the wood, do a wide assortment of glass designs and do wrought iron designs."

The Duddys also went to Affi nity for an interior door. They had a closet with a stone interior, and decided that since the stone kept the closet at about 62 degrees year-round, they could use the space to store wine.

"We wanted a beautiful door to make it a real wine closet," said Ed about the closet, which backs onto a stone wall in the great room.

Their African mahogany wine closet door has a beveled and stained glass center with wrought iron hardware. "What we picked is spectacular."

Door construction

Wagner explained that most custom hardwood doors today are made of a butcher block system of wood.

"It makes the door stronger, and the butcher-block construction keeps it from twisting and turning," he said. "A solid 7-foot piece of wood will warp."

It can take from eight to 10 weeks from the time a homeowner orders a door until it is delivered to the job site.

Then the door must be installed by practiced professionals.

Even after she carefully considered the style, wood, color and customization of her front door, Linda Watkins did not realize how ironic her selection was.

"I did not realize it until someone pointed out that in the cut glass there are two semicircles that look like a golf ball," said Linda Watkins, whose husband, Bobby, is a professional golfer. "I did not see that when I bought it, although it may have been subliminal."