Front Door upgrades
 

My wife and I just purchased a new home in Newell and we want to upgrade our front door to a glass door so it provides more light.
We were told that we can't upgrade anything through the developer in the house because it's spec home.
Any recommendations would be extremely helpful.

We wen't to Entry Point and were satisfied.

403 Forbidden

Cant help with the question, but my wife and I just purchased last week in Newell also.

I would also call ARC, as this is a change to the outside of the house.

there are several companies that will retro fit a glass panel in your current door .Entrypoint is one . You can choose full length or partial glass, Many patterns, scenes etc. takes a few hours . You keep the same door, no need to tear out the frame.

We used Perry's Entrypoint to turn our motel-looking door into one with decorative half glass. We didn't go full glass because during certain times of the year, the sun comes up on the bottom of the door a bit. Had no problem getting arc approval and the inexpensive upgrade made a huge improvement in the curb appeal.

Welcome. Its a very common upgrade people do. My home was very dark in the entryway so I had Entrypoint put in a full (rain glass) door insert and full sidelight. Makes a huge difference in the brightness of my home. They did it onsite, less than an hour; I'm very happy. They have a showroom where you can see the types of glass and get some catalogs; its up near Spanish springs. I spent some time 'shopping' the neighborhood (cruising in my golf cart) looking at the different types of styles available; a neighborhood that's about a year old will have given people time to gets theirs swapped out. Have fun!

Glass front doors look nice…..we have one. Understand that more light is what you will get day and night.

The Villages is no way a “Dark Sky” community so at night, the light from your front “light”, your across the street neighbors light and even the street light will illuminate everything. We have a Laurel Oak and have to sleep with the bedroom door closed because of all the light that comes in at night.

That front glass will also let in a lot of heat if your house faces a certain way (south/west). We will need to get a clear heat reducing film to apply.

I used Perry's Entrypoint> It took 6 months of waiting for the door to arrive. The installation was inferior. Despite what others say here, I'd stay away.

We also contemplated putting in a glass insert but ended up putting in heavy duty full glass storm door from Lowes instead. Very happy with our decision - get the sunlight when we want it but still get privacy from the existing door when needed.

Called ARC and no approval needed in Hawkins. Always call ARC to ask as requirements change from one Village to the next.

We used Entrypoint with the install just this week. The glass was a 3 week lead time. Installer did a great job, in and out in less than hour. Highly recommend.

We got new door from Lowes. To be honest didn’t know about refitting old door. Make sure abut checking to see if you will get afternoon sun in summer. If you do you will want some film on it. We did that ourself with Gila film.

My wife and I used Perry’s entry point years ago for the exact same issue. They used our existing door on site to install a glass panel. We are very happy with the results.

Make sure any new door provides sufficient noise insulation. The turnpike noise can be excessive.

install a full glass storm door for now. You can always install a glass front door or a partial glass door ( with glass panels if you wish) at a later date.

If you're changing just the door, ARC is not necessary. Entrypoint provides a myriad of options for you to consider, and they did a great job for us. Can't recommend more highly.

Go to HomeDepot or Lowes. Request hurricane approved door.

No need to call as long as there are other houses in your area with glass doors.

We purchased a Larsen [ the only one that I would use ] front screen/glass door from Lowes. It was around $25 for the door, and we had a friend to install it. Very easy to install and actually comes in several colors to natch your front door. You can open your door and get light or let the partial glass down and get fresh air thru the screen. Our little dog loves it because she can lay in the floor and see everything outside. We also did not need an ARC approval, but did ask. I'm quite sure you need the standard 36X80 door. Comes in white, black, oil rubbed bronze, and brown.

sorry, $225

This thread has a lot of great information. My house came with clear sidelights and the top third of the door is clear glass. I did not like that anyone coming to my front door had a clear view into my house. I'm planning on changing out the glass but in the meantime I bought some privacy window cling film on Amazon as a temporary fix. I used that on the glass and also on the clear windows on the garage door. It cost under $30 to do all the windows. I'm still planning on changing out the glass but I get a lot of compliments as nobody can tell it's a film so that item just went further down the to-do list.

Good to read all the comments here. We face west with our house so guess my thoughts on change should be nixed. I've long wanted to have a glass insert but now will keep what we have. I do know that from mid-day til sun-down our living area gets really hot. If we cook the added heat from the oven also contributes. Good thing we have "air" and fans. I still wish I could have MORE light though. Oh---should add, we did put on a storm door with screen so we can open up when it's not as hot/humid.

You don’t need ARC approval. Perry’s is awesome. They come out and remove your door and they cut out the interior. Then they install the glass you ordered. Took less than an hour. They have the glass for all the village doors. Take a picture to Perry’s. Of your side panel glass They will match it. You will have to paint the trim around the glass

That is correct. Go to Perry’s (next to Publix at Spanish Springs) for the inset.

Wayne Themuda with Best Handyman. 401–2 65–7701. And he works Warranty in the villages with doors and does Side-work. Very reliable and pleasant to deal with. You Do not pay for his services until he is completely finished and you are satisfied. I love the light that comes through my door!

According to District 13 ARC manual (which I believe you are in 13) you can make any change to your front door except making it wider or taller. You can paint it and/or add glass without ARC or Developer approval.

From the Manual -- Page 8
Front Doors:
Homes, Verandas, Courtyard Villas, Patio Villas, Cottage Villas
No specifications required for front doors as to type or color. Glass/ screen
doors are permitted.
Architectural approval is not required for front door modifications,
including, but not limited to, glass inserts, glass side panels, screen doors,
storm doors or door color. An architectural application form is required if
said modification is to increase the height or width of the door.

Entry door
 

I was told it had to be approved by Architectural Review to replace

Congratulations! We are om Wettstein Way.

That’s typical in The Villages when buying new. You get what’s there and most people make a lot of changes. We are in Cason Hammock and we have done a lot of upgrades since buying new.

Thank you everyone for all this excellent information. Very helpful.

It’s really nice to be looking great but keep in mind the security aspect of a front door that reveals your coming and going inside your house. Good luck and welcome.

You can’t request any upgrades prior to purchase on a spec home. Once you close escrow, you can upgrade anything that changes the exterior, as long as you go through the process of filling out the Architectural Review Committee (ARC) paperwork (of your district) for them to review and approve it. You can get the paperwork online. You won’t use the developer to upgrade anything (they will only be used for warranty work), but use the individual company (that was hired by the developer) that installed your current door (will be listed on your closing paperwork- or call warranty Dept to find out who did the doors and windows), or you can use anyone else you may prefer.

Call the Architectural Review Committee. They can tell you what to do. Good luck.

Keep in mind that if you use a clear glass door, the design of the houses, the proximity to the street and the number of people walking or golf cart riding, all your activity will be easily viewed.

So you're saying no more "naked twister" in the foyer?

Perry’s Glass…. (352) 751-0883…. has installed a huge proportion of the decorative glass doors and sidelights you see in The Villages… very nice showroom in La Plaza Grande in the north end of The Villages.

Half of our door is window but we added the storm door as well. It’s nice to be able to have full light as well as air flow if we choose to slide the screen into place. I like my privacy at night so have a shade to cover the half window on the main door. I would not feel comfortable with an uncovered full window front door.

New door
 

I used Entrypoint by Perry’s. Was very pleased.

Entry point on 441 spanish springs nice showroom

Our first year here (2004) was a year of 3 hurricanes. After mopping up the water that blew under our front door during the first one, we installed a storm door ... problem solved.