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French Doors Bring The Outdoor Inside Article
3. French Doors Bring the Outdoor Inside
from:When you’ve got a room that you want to brighten and maybe even open up to the outside, French doors can be a quick and easy solution. Ideally, you’ll already have the doorway in place, but you can add that as well. Let’s look over the pluses of these doors.
Light Weight to the Doors
First off, French doors have very large panes of glass, which makes them very light. As a result, they’re easy to install, take down, and even replace – if need be. If you have the situation where you’re putting in the doorway as well as the door, French doors are ideal because of their lightness. Typically, with an exterior door, you want the doorframe set in between strong studs so that it has good support, and will be a secure opening. If you’re cutting an opening for French doors, these concerns are not an issue.
Bright light
This is one of the key pluses to French doors; they let lots of light in. So, if you’ve got a room that’s a bit dark and you want to add some natural light, these are a perfect device to do so. This does require you to pay attention to the exterior of your house as well as the inside – what sort of space will the French doors look out over? You want there to be adequate light, but also ask yourself what time of day and what time of year will the doors get the most light? If you live up north, you’ll want good light during the winter months, and early in the day. Do you have large trees near the area where the doors will be installed? If so, you may get sap dripping on the window panes.
Nice view
Now, all the factors above are also important when considering not just how much light you’re going to get through the doors, but also what sort of view you’ll have. For that matter, what sort of view are people going to have of you? Ideally, French doors should look over your backyard, or a screened front yard. While you want a nice view, you do not want people being able to spy on you and your family.
Good for Entertaining
Another plus to French doors is there ability to add to the entertainment value of your home. If you’re having a party – even if the doors are closed – they can still convey warmth and openness by virtue of the view they afford your guests. For a night time party, you can even put nice lights out in the yard as decoration.
Some Concerns
Now, of course, French doors aren’t perfect. As mentioned above, they can give people a look into your home. The solution to that are nice curtains, and thus light can still get in. Then there’s security; after all, the glass panes are each a means of access to the home. This is yet another reason to use French doors in a backyard. Finally, there’s the cleaning; French doors do need to have those perky panes cleaned regularly.
Still, when taken in their totality, French doors are a wonderful addition to any home’s décor, and not just for French style.