Our 1950s ranch-style house in Birmingham, Alabama, shows its age in a number of ways, some of them more charming than others. From the first time we toured, I wasn’t a huge fan of the front door, which appeared to be a vestige of the ‘80s or ‘90s, with three small, rectangular glass panes in the upper third of the door, stacked on top of each other in descending size—nice if three people of varying heights all wanted to peek out the door at once, but otherwise not particularly functional, as the petite panes didn’t let in much light. After two years of slowly hacking away at our home improvement to-do list, we finally pulled the trigger on a new front door, and it’s made all the difference. Here’s why this one-and-done exterior update is worth tackling this spring.

Why You Should Replace Your Front Door

We had two main priorities when choosing a new front door: We wanted a more timeless look for our home’s exterior, and we wanted to invite more light into our living room (the space into which our front door opens). 

After considering a dizzying array of choices, we settled on a 9-lite option, with small, square glass panes on the top half and solid wood on the bottom half. This gave us plenty of privacy while also welcoming the natural light we craved in the living room. Its charming look feels reminiscent of a Dutch door—but at a much lower price—and it perfectly suits the modest stature of our one-level home. 

We’d anticipated the curb-appeal-boosting transformation that a new front door would deliver, but we underestimated the difference that more natural light would make in our living room. Thanks to the extra sunshine, our home’s interior feels lighter, brighter, and altogether more welcoming than it had before.

How To Keep It Budget-Friendly

We hired a professional to install the door (two years of home ownership has taught us our limits!), but we kept costs down in other ways, opting to buy a more affordable unfinished slab door from Home Depot and painting it ourselves. 

As for the color, I toyed with a handful of more adventurous options, but ultimately settled on a tried-and-true that’ll stand the test of time (Sherwin-Williams’ Tricorn Black, SW 6258), as it coordinated well with the existing black shutters and taupe-painted brick. Choosing a complementary color prevented the age-old “if you give a mouse a cookie” consequence of some home projects, where one seems to beget another one.

Other Ways To Refresh Your Front Door 

If a full-blown door replacement isn’t in the cards (or not needed) but you’re still itching for a curb appeal refresh, consider painting your front door instead. A sleek coat of a new-to-you hue is an easy, low-risk way to perk up your exterior without breaking the bank.

Swapping the door’s existing hardware for a different style is another cost-effective way to overhaul your home’s first impression. When we replaced our door, we opted to trade out the hardware too, replacing its standard keyed entry knob with an antique brass lever handle and deadbolt combo that has a bit more character. 

Why Spring Is the Perfect Time to Update Your Front Door

Finally, whether you’re replacing your front door or painting it, weather is a key factor in making this project as painless as possible. You’ll want to avoid extreme temperatures and humidity, which make the comparatively mild days of spring a much more suitable time to tackle a front door project than the dog days of summer. 

Plus, there’s no better time to boost your curb appeal than now, when everything’s blooming and looking its cheeriest. Why not invite your home to put its best face forward too?