We are looking for interior and exterior/entry doors on a contemporary style.
We would love to make the door below be our entrance door but we keep getting insane quotes. View Image
We are currently looking at using regular hollow slab doors inside and routing lines on them without compromising the integrity of the door. But for the entrance door we still don’t have a solution.
Can someone please point us on the right direction?
Thanks,
–Carlos
Replies
Just what is an "insane quote", please?
Kowboy
Kowboy's got a good question.
Around here $10,000 - $15,000 for a custom door like that wouldn't even cause someone to blink their eyes. Is that the kind of insane quote you're getting? Or $25,000? Maybe that would be kind of insane, but then again it also depends on what all you're getting with the quote...frame? sidelights? casing? hung? , etc....That looks to be about a 4' wide door, and probably heavy as sin. And if you're going modern style like that it should have a nice, small, even reveal...it's gonna take a little fitting to make that sucker hang just perfect and the right kind of hardware as well.Paul
http://www.pauljohnsoncarpentry.com
Well we've gotten anywhere between 5K and 22K. Insane on our eyes I guess, considering how simple the door looks compared to other doors we see that are much more complex and sometimes cheaper.Our cheapest quote by far has been having the door made in South America and spending 2K to bring it to the US. The problem has been communicating with the company in South America and their timeline.
If you want to do a bit of research to understand what it takes to build a door such as that, please take a look on the woodweb (pay close attention to discussions by Dave from Acorn Woodworks). It is a ton of work to build that properly so it will last. Trust me, its not just a simple slab of wood with a couple of grooves and hinges from the borg. There is most likely a ladder frame in the middle, special hardware to hang it (probably 2.25"+ thick), and some huge $$ in machines to build it. $15k is reasonable for a custom such as that.
Unless you understand how to build that door assembly properly I would stay far far away from the South American route, well, that is unless you want to replace the door in a few years. Dont expect them to show up to complete any repairs.
Just a few thoughts.
Brad
Buying the door from anywhere but local is a mistake in my opinion.
Whoever builds it should instal it as well.
You don't want to mess around with something like this.
Get someone who will do it right from design to instal.
In the end you won't regret it. "There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Do you have a source for the interior doors? My experience with hollow core doors is that they don't tolerate modification very well.
That is a nice entry door. I think you are probably stuck paying the moon for something like that.
Any particular reason you are going to route out hollow core doors instead of solid slabs?
Well solid slabs cost a bit more than hollow doors, and on the interior there are a few doors that would need to be installed. $100 dollar difference adds up quickly.
You might look at these, and get in touch with Eiji if you are close to SoCal
http://www.fullerbuilt.com/portfolio.html
View Image
Nice, I'll contact them for a quote. So far it has been hard to even find companies willing to make flush doors.
Pick up a copy of Dwell. There are several modern door ads in every issue.
Of course, 'modern' is usually code for 'rich urban yuppie' so prices usually match accordingly.
Which is a bummer.
Might be better off hiring someone to build it custom.
If your definition of 'contemporary' leans a bit more towards 'modern industrial' you might want to check out industrial architectural suppliers. Lots of modern homes use commercial windows aluminum, for example.
Looks about as inviting as a masoleum to me but, hey, to each his own.
Have you tried looking for a specialty hardwood supplier in your area? The owner/manager of such a place can probably give you the name(s) of the regional guys who can make something like that for you.
I wouldn't count on getting that quality from South America, not without dealing with someone directly, meaning in person and in their language. Based on several custom entry doors I've installed in the past, made in So America, the clients got what they paid for. Rustic would describe them.
Well actually the company in south america is the one my parents used for a whole apartment building and their doors were very high quality. Of course getting a reply from them over email was very difficult and thats why we stopped talking to them. I also worried about the door holding through the winter since they didn't have to worry about that. I'm not saying a custom door shouldn't be that expensive, I know the doors aren't easy to make. I guess my frustration comes from the fact that there aren't any contemporary doors made by one of the big companies in mass. Most of the time when you consider contemporary it instantly moves you into the custom door market which is incredibly expensive. While those mass produced doors look much more complex, they are made of materials which would last longer than a wood door, but they just don't have the looks we want.
It is somewhat surprising that none of our door companies are willing to make a line of contemporary doors.
I think the problem may be that they have to make too many display doors, freebies to dealers, in order to sell them successfully. The number of sales needed per display unit is probably prohibitive for them, as an experiment.
Having picked up a few surplus doors and display units at deep discounts in the past, it's easier for me to appreciate their reluctance to try to branch out like that.
The same is true for contemporary plumbing fixtures. I have two suites of them in storage which I bought inexpensively, as surplus from supply houses, when they didn't sell locally.
Edited 7/28/2009 4:48 pm by Hudson Valley Carpenter
Well I don't know how it is in the rest of the country but here in Kansas you rarely find anything on the modern side, if anything the more your house costs the more crackle paint and antique looking stuff you will find.
"if anything the more your house costs the more crackle paint and antique looking stuff you will find. "
Ha,Ha. Very true. And also true for many other things -especially lighting. Bad taste and expensive light fixtures seem to be a natural fit.
The ring is calling to you! Give in to the dark forces. Go faux antique.
if anything the more your house costs the more crackle paint and antique looking stuff you will find.
Funny thing about the word custom, it fits a lot of mass marketing schemes very well.
Well it depends on what your understanding of custom is. To most people I know custom means you get to choose from 3 or 4 sizes and 4 or 5 designs and 3 types of glass. To other custom means you start with a blank sheet of paper, come up with a design you like and go from there.
Are you lazy or untalented or simply just rich but cheap. <G>
If you dont have the tools already, for $5K you can buy top of the line tools and make that door for $20.15 (or even 'free') with green (read salvaged) lumber, better than anything you can buy.
Just a dumb DIY opinion............
BTW, this is a DIY door for less than $10 (and about 30 hours), most of the $10 was glass at a garage sale.
View Image
Edited 7/28/2009 6:35 pm ET by junkhound
And that is one solid, well built door, too.Also looks better in person, than in the washed out picture...I'm not worried, I'm curious...You are always welcome at Quittintime
Call me crazy but I've always heard making doors is one of the toughest things a diy person can tackle.
heard making doors is one of the toughest things a diy person can tackle
Not by a long shot. Actually pretty easy, just cutting wood, carve away what is around what you want to see <G>
Toughest mechanical DIY in own experience is building a drilling rig and drilling a well thru hardpan mixed with 3 ft basalt boulders,
followed by -- well, there ain't nothin yet come close to that in time spent....... doing own ground source heat pump from surplus components was easy by comparison.
maybe another though would be making a watch from scratch, friend does that as a hobby, did not have the patience for that myself - had a jewler's lathe once, traded it for a '69 chrysler years ago.
open heart surgery on yourself is probably past DIY capabilities also, although have heard of DIY appendectomies........
BTW, think Luka once said in a post he does his own dental work with a dremel and epoxy?
Edited 7/28/2009 10:25 pm ET by junkhound
Call me crazy but I've always heard making doors is one of the toughest things a diy person can tackle.
If you're considering making your own entry door, you'd do yourself a favor to buy a copy of Norm Abram's DVD on that topic. http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct.php?0702
I recently hung a converging pair of 4/0 8/0 doors that this fellow made:http://www.jlcww.com/Default.aspx?tabid=804they were trés contemporaire.You could certainly dress up flush, hollow core doors with applied skins... but I don't think I'd try routing stock hollow skins.http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
Thanks for the link, I'll see what he has to offer.
A google search for "exterior door modernist style" came up with a bunch of hits, don't know if any of them are any good. This one offers contemporary doors with strong horizontal lines for around $2400:
http://www.milanodoors.com/edoors.htm
Last time I shopped, that was a decent price for an exterior door.
They also had your interior door in Wenge for $275, but it sounds like that is out of your range.
These guys didn't list a price, but the doors looked similar:
http://www.modernus.com/Doors/modernusdoorsfinal.html
and they got a plug from a forum user at this site: http://livemodern.com/forums/livemodernlabs/ploneboardconversation.2006-11-21.9558705246
These guys also had mdf paint grade doors that looked like a similar style:
http://www.trustile.com/findyourstyle/modernist.asp
And these had some doors that might fit the bill, although they tended more towards vertical lines:
http://www.canvdoor.com/products/typelist/139.html
for example, http://www.canvdoor.com/products/detail/349.html , but there was also this http://www.canvdoor.com/products/detail/527.html with horizontal lines.
Thank you for those links. I had already gone over a good chunk of them but there were some new ones. The biggest disappointment of all was trustile, I don't even remember where their quote came in at but it was really high, although if I remember right, their "engineered wood" doors looked like a good idea.
I have a feeling those milano doors have dropped in price recently. I'm definitely giving them a second look.
For the exterior door, what if you use a slab metal or fiberglass exterior door and mount wood panels on it. With the right finish color, you may have a fairly close replica of the picture you posted.
Thanks for idea, I'll discuss it with my builder. The door doesn't have to look exactly like the one on the picture, we are just hoping to get something on a similar style.
I can see how the door, sidelights, and transom could surpass $15,000 and possibly approach $20,000 or more, but then maybe someone will apply a recessionary discount.....
Gary W
gwwoodworking.com
I snooped around your website. I hope you dont mind :) Its a great site full of wonderful woodwork projects. Even a door in production. Its interesting that the focus here is primarily on cost. That is one huge door assembly the OP is looking for and the fabrication options are vast.
Thanks, I've been at it a while. I'd say to your comment that, "That is one huge door assembly the OP is looking for and the fabrication options are vast." Well, I'd say there are only a few methods to produce an exterior door like that one, which will stand up to sun, rain and snow, and an occasional slamming by the kids, all the while remaining sound and good looking.Gary W
gwwoodworking.com
Very true as far as the basic door itself. I should have phrased my comment that there are quite a few details that can make a difference as far as longevity. I think someone such as yourself that has the experience and clearly takes great pride in their work will produce a better product than some factories where many decisions may be made by a marketing guru.
You might consider laminating thin plywood onto the surfaces and then routing it. It would of course change the hinge setback, so you'd want doors that weren't prehung.