Your front door is the crucial first impression to your home. It’s akin to a handshake or a warm smile, helping to sell the right mood and impression before any words are exchanged.
However, your front door also serves a more functional and arguably more important role for your home. It needs to be secure and reliable. This means more than simply having a lock on it. It means sound construction, intelligent design choices, and tough materials all making a secure front door that you can count on.
Why is a secure front door important?
A secure front door is important for your home no matter whether you live alone, with a partner, or with your whole family. On the most basic level, a front door with adequate security allows you to lock up during the day knowing that people can’t just wander into your home or enter unannounced, and at night, lets you go to bed knowing that more committed intruders can’t easily get in while you’re sleeping.
Depending on your living situation and your home’s local area, there may be many reasons for needing a secure front door:
Possessions
Expensive and important possessions need protection from theft. If you don’t have any safes or lockboxes in your home, then getting past the front door is often all a thief needs to do to gain access to your prized things.
Some things—like family heirlooms, souvenirs, and keepsakes can never be replaced. These are the things we risk losing forever if we don’t have adequate security on our home entrances.
Safety
Home invasions come with the realistic threat of violence or damage to property, particularly if the burglars entry method involved breaking glass or using force.
Having a front door that can stand up to attempted entry can be enough to dissuade a would-be intruder, or it can at least be enough to frustrate them while you’re able to make sure help is on the way.
Additionally, having the safest front door possible on your home can even do a favour for your neighbours, acting as a statement of security for your neighbourhood and letting others benefit by proxy. Conversely, having a home that is an easy target for criminals might encourage repeat visits to others in your local area.
Peace of mind
Knowing that your door is secure gives you invaluable peace of mind when you head out for the day or lock up for the night. In recent years, ONS statistics revealed that 76% of domestic burglaries in England and Wales were carried out using a door to access the property.
Many of us likely never think about replacing our front door when we first move into a property. We simply assume that if it closes and locks with a key then it’s enough to provide adequate security, but even a locked door can be opened with force or subterfuge.
Knowing that your door is made to modern safety standards and installed with quality workmanship gives you the utmost assurance that your home is protected as it should be.
What makes a front door safe?
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: a front door should sit flush in its frame and lock with a key.
There’s much more to door security than this, of course. A single lock can still be forced and broken, though modern manufacturers know this and have upped their game when it comes to designing the security features of a front door.
Some security features that go into modern, secure front doors include:
- Tempered glass is roughly four times stronger than ‘regular’ glass, being treated using high heat then rapid cooling that gives the glass a highly compressed surface. Tempered glass breaks into small pieces rather than shards if something manages to best it.
- Bolts which typically sit near the top and bottom of the door, like in the case of flush bolts, which insert into the frame like the door lock and provide extra ‘hold’.
- Heavy duty hinges which are tough, durable, and suitably lubricated against degradation.
- T-astragal fittings which add extra protection by covering the space between doors.
Additional hardware can make a door secure beyond its pre-installed features, such as night latches or slide bolts installed on the inside face of a doorway.
What is the safest front door for UK homes?
Pound for pound, metal doors are amongst the safest front doors for UK homes. This is because they often come with a plethora of security features and are made to tight tolerances, with flush bolts preinstalled and design choices that ensure they’ll stand the test of time.
Metal naturally makes for secure front doors thanks to its resilience and toughness. Possessing a metal front door rather than composite or wood immediately implies an appreciation for security and high quality.
Double iron doors are designed to cover every last possible weakness and come together to create a stunning yet secure threshold. Multiple coats of protective primer and paint keep the doors shielded from rust and corrosion. They’re tried and true sentinels that will keep your home—and by extension, your mental space—safe and sound.
Secure front doors with Valeanto’s Iron Doors
Turn to our modern, specialised metal doors for a secure solution that brings peace of mind and the utmost value for money. Our experience puts us in the perfect position to give you expert advice and service, so come to us with any of your queries about secure front doors.
To learn more about Valeanto’s Iron Doors, contact us today.