UK and American homes have many differences, even starting with something as simple as the front door.
While a door is a door, generally speaking, a typical American front door differs from those you find in the UK in some key ways.
Letterboxes
The majority of U.S. homes collect their deliveries in post-mounted mailboxes, which are often located at the very front of the property’s boundaries. Post (or ‘mail’) is collected by occupants from these boxes and brought inside.
UK doors, conversely, have letterboxes—slots through which our deliveries drop directly into the home. The actual letterbox itself is often readily built into a front door, though you might elect to buy a front door with the space left empty, so that you can insert your own letterbox.
Porches
While not a feature of American front doors themselves, it’s worth noting that U.S. entryways are typically much more protected from the elements than UK doors.
Many UK homes have their front doors flush with the front of the house, not protected by the deep, wide porches commonly seen on American houses. Combined with the frequent rainfall we experience in the UK, it’s easy to see why so many UK homes sport uPVC doors that won’t peel or rot in humidity.
Insulation
UK homes have a major, year-round concern in our changeable climate: how to keep heat out during summer, and in for the cold remainder of the year. Our front doors are a big part of this, and as such, they need to be built with good thermal management and insulation.
American homes in many states don’t bear the same concern, and so their front doors can be much simpler in design, not needing thermal breaks or draught seals. If anything, many homes probably don’t want to trap heat inside, and are built to bleed it away as effectively as possible.
Screens
Again relating to the climate that many of the warmer U.S. states enjoy, an American house front door may not be the only door in the home’s entryway. It’s common for a U.S. home to have a screen door backing the ‘true’ front door, allowing the owner to have the door open without letting in mosquitos, flies, and other pests.
Though our humidity in the UK allows mosquitos to thrive in the right places, our limited times of high heat mean that they aren’t a concern for very long, and so a screen door would be more of a hindrance than a help.
At Valeanto’s Iron Doors, we’re experts in grand entryways and front doors that are built to impress. Whether you’re looking to make a statement on a classic UK home, or looking to bring a taste of the U.S. to your house, get in touch and let us guide you in your purchase of an opulent metal front door.
To learn more, contact us today.