We have an original 1920's front door surround made from timber with leaded/stained glass side and top lights. The door was replaced fairly recently and it's of a good quality, although it was evidently fitted by a blind man. In any case, with it being so draughty and because it's been hacked and butchered that many times in its lifetime, I'm looking to replace it.
Don't want a uPVC door - I hate them. Composite doors look OK and I like the thermal qualities of them. The sticking point is the leaded glass which we would like to retain and have encpsulated into new DG units. Because of the dimensions of the uPVC frame needed, we would lose 50mm on each edge of the glass which would make the design of the glass look odd and incongruous. I know we can get reproductions of the glass that look OKish, but it's not ideal.
So, the obvious answer seems to be getting the whole door frame redone in timber. My worry with doing this is that it will be as, if not more, expensive that the composite option and that it will still be draughty, it will warp and all the other things generally associated with timber door frames.
Can anyone give me some realistic and impartial advice??
Don't want a uPVC door - I hate them. Composite doors look OK and I like the thermal qualities of them. The sticking point is the leaded glass which we would like to retain and have encpsulated into new DG units. Because of the dimensions of the uPVC frame needed, we would lose 50mm on each edge of the glass which would make the design of the glass look odd and incongruous. I know we can get reproductions of the glass that look OKish, but it's not ideal.
So, the obvious answer seems to be getting the whole door frame redone in timber. My worry with doing this is that it will be as, if not more, expensive that the composite option and that it will still be draughty, it will warp and all the other things generally associated with timber door frames.
Can anyone give me some realistic and impartial advice??
