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Your front door may be one of the smaller features on the exterior of your home, but visually, it can make a huge difference.
It’s often one of the first things people notice.
And unlike changing your siding, replacing your roof or rebuilding your front porch, upgrading an exterior door can dramatically change the look of your entrance without completely renovating the house.
But appearance is only part of the decision.
For homeowners in Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, Kimberly, Kaukauna, Greenville, Hortonville, Little Chute, Oshkosh and throughout Northeast Wisconsin, an exterior door also needs to handle some pretty demanding conditions.
Cold winters. Hot summers. Humidity. Wind. Snow. Rain. And plenty of temperature swings in between.
That’s why choosing a modern exterior door should really come down to three questions:
How do you want it to look? How do you need it to perform? And how much do you want to customize it?
Garage Door Squad offers Therma-Tru exterior doors, giving Northeast Wisconsin homeowners a wide range of styles, glass options, finishes and configurations to create an entrance that works with the home rather than looking like an afterthought.
So, where should you start?
Why Does Your Front Door Matter So Much to Curb Appeal?
Look at the front of almost any house and your eyes naturally gravitate toward the entrance.
That’s why an old or dated exterior door can affect the appearance of the entire home.
Maybe the paint is fading.
Maybe the style looks like it came from a different decade.
Maybe the glass doesn’t match the rest of the house.
Or maybe you’ve updated your siding, roof, windows and landscaping but never touched the front entrance.
A new door can pull all those exterior elements together.
The key is choosing something that fits the architecture of the house.
A modern door doesn’t necessarily mean an ultra-contemporary door.
It means choosing a door that feels intentional.
What Makes an Exterior Door Look Modern?
There’s no single “modern front door.”
Today’s designs range from extremely simple to fairly traditional.
What has changed is the amount of customization homeowners have available.
Modern exterior doors can incorporate:
- Clean panel designs
- Decorative glass
- Privacy glass
- Sidelites
- Transoms
- Wood-look finishes
- Bold paint colors
- Dark finishes
- Contemporary hardware
- Traditional detailing
- Craftsman-inspired designs
- Different panel configurations
That means you don’t necessarily need to change your home’s architectural style to give the entrance a more updated appearance.
Sometimes changing the color, glass and hardware is enough.
Can Therma-Tru Exterior Doors Be Customized?
Yes, and this is one of the reasons Garage Door Squad offers Therma-Tru entry doors.
Instead of treating your front door like a one-size-fits-all product, Therma-Tru provides numerous ways to customize the entrance around the home.
Depending on the particular Therma-Tru collection and door configuration, homeowners can explore different combinations of:
- Door styles
- Panel designs
- Glass
- Privacy levels
- Sidelites
- Transoms
- Colors
- Stain looks
- Hardware
- Door sizes
- Entry configurations
That’s important because two homeowners might choose the same basic door style and end up with entrances that look completely different.
One might choose a rich wood appearance with decorative glass.
Another might choose a darker contemporary finish with simpler glass.
The goal isn’t to find the door everyone else has.
It’s to build an entrance that fits your house.
Are Fiberglass Exterior Doors a Good Choice in Wisconsin?
Fiberglass is worth serious consideration for Northeast Wisconsin homes.
Why?
Because our exterior doors have to deal with a huge range of weather conditions throughout the year.
We can go from bitter cold in January to heat and humidity in July, with rain, snow and moisture thrown into the mix.
Therma-Tru is particularly well known for fiberglass entry doors, including options designed to recreate the appearance and texture of real wood.
That can give homeowners the warm appearance they want without simply choosing a traditional wood door because they like the look.
Fiberglass can also be a practical option when you’re considering durability, maintenance and energy performance.
For many Wisconsin homeowners, that balance between appearance and everyday practicality is exactly what makes fiberglass appealing.
Can You Get a Front Door That Looks Like Real Wood?
Yes.
This is one of the biggest changes in modern fiberglass doors.
You don’t necessarily need an actual wood door to create a wood-inspired entrance.
Therma-Tru offers fiberglass options designed with realistic wood-grain textures and finishes.
That gives homeowners the ability to create the character of a wood entrance while choosing a fiberglass door.
This can work particularly well with:
- Craftsman homes
- Farmhouse-style homes
- Traditional homes
- Rustic designs
- Stone exteriors
- Brick exteriors
- Homes with natural exterior materials
A wood-look front door can also create warmth against lighter siding or provide contrast against stone and brick.
From the street, the door becomes an architectural feature rather than simply the thing you walk through.
Are Black Exterior Doors Still Popular?
Black and other dark finishes continue to work extremely well because they’re versatile.
A dark front door can look great against:
- White siding
- Light gray siding
- Stone
- Brick
- Natural wood
- Modern farmhouse exteriors
- Contemporary homes
But don’t choose black simply because it’s popular.
Look at the entire house.
Your front door should work with the roof, siding, trim, garage door, windows and other exterior elements.
Sometimes black is exactly right.
Sometimes charcoal, brown, deep blue or another finish creates better balance.
One advantage of customizing a Therma-Tru exterior door is being able to think about the entrance as part of the overall exterior rather than selecting a door in isolation.
What About a Boldly Colored Front Door?
This can be one of the easiest ways to give your home personality.
Your siding may need to remain relatively neutral because it covers such a large portion of the house.
Your front door doesn’t.
That makes it a natural place to introduce contrast.
Depending on your home’s exterior, colors such as deep blue, green, red or other distinctive finishes can turn the entrance into a focal point.
The trick is not choosing a color simply because it looks good on a tiny sample.
Look at how it works with the entire house.
Consider:
- Siding
- Brick
- Stone
- Roof color
- Trim
- Garage door
- Shutters
- Exterior lighting
- Landscaping
Your front door should stand out for the right reasons.
How Much Glass Should You Put in a Front Door?
This is one of the most useful customization decisions because it affects both appearance and the experience inside your home.
More glass can bring additional natural light into a foyer or entryway.
That can be particularly nice in Northeast Wisconsin during the darker months when natural daylight is at a premium.
But not everyone wants a giant clear window in the middle of the front door.
That’s where glass selection becomes important.
Depending on the Therma-Tru door and configuration, homeowners can explore glass options that balance natural light with privacy.
You can also change the amount and placement of glass.
Some homeowners want a larger glass area.
Others prefer a smaller decorative insert.
Others may choose glass beside the door rather than in the door itself.
There isn’t one correct answer.
It depends on how much light, visibility and privacy you want.
What Are Sidelites and Should You Add Them?
Sidelites are narrow glass panels installed alongside an entry door.
They can make an entrance feel wider and more substantial while bringing additional natural light inside.
Depending on the size of the opening and your desired design, you may consider:
- One sidelite
- Two sidelites
- Decorative glass
- Privacy glass
- Coordinating glass between the door and sidelites
Sidelites can make a particularly noticeable difference on homes where the existing entrance feels small compared with the rest of the front elevation.
They give you an opportunity to turn the entire doorway into an architectural feature.
What Is a Transom Over a Front Door?
A transom is a window positioned above the entry door.
Like sidelites, it can introduce more natural light while creating a larger and more dramatic entrance.
Some entrances combine a Therma-Tru door with both sidelites and a transom.
That’s a very different look from simply replacing a standard single door.
Of course, what’s possible depends on the existing opening and construction of the home.
That’s why it’s helpful to think about exterior door replacement as more than simply:
“What color door do I want?”
The entire entrance can potentially be designed as one coordinated feature.
Should Your Front Door Match Your Garage Door?
It doesn’t have to match exactly.
In fact, trying to make them identical can sometimes look forced.
A better goal is coordination.
Your garage door and front door are two major visual elements on the exterior of the house, particularly when both face the street.
They should feel like they belong on the same home.
You can coordinate them through:
- Similar colors
- Complementary finishes
- Window styles
- Hardware
- Architectural details
- Wood tones
- Overall design style
This is actually an interesting advantage of working with Garage Door Squad for both garage and exterior entry doors.
We can look at how those elements work together rather than treating each one as a completely separate project.
If you’re already replacing your garage door, it may be worth asking whether the front door now looks dated by comparison.
And vice versa.
Can You Customize an Exterior Door to Match a Garage Door?
Often, you can get much closer than homeowners realize.
That doesn’t necessarily mean choosing identical products.
Instead, think about repeating visual elements.
If you have a warm wood-look garage door, a complementary wood-look Therma-Tru entry door can help tie the exterior together.
If your garage door has black decorative hardware, similar hardware on the entry door may create continuity.
If you’ve chosen a clean, contemporary garage door, a simpler entry-door design may make more sense than a heavily ornate one.
Small connections can make the exterior feel intentionally designed.
What Style of Exterior Door Works With a Modern Farmhouse?
Modern farmhouse homes are extremely popular throughout the Fox Cities and Northeast Wisconsin.
These homes often combine white or light siding with dark windows, black accents, natural wood and relatively simple architectural details.
For that style, homeowners might consider a Therma-Tru door with:
- Clean panel lines
- Wood-look texture
- Dark finish
- Simple glass
- Craftsman influence
- Coordinating sidelites
You don’t necessarily need an elaborate front door.
Sometimes a simpler design creates more impact because it complements the architecture instead of competing with it.
What Front Door Works Best With Brick or Stone?
Brick and stone already provide a lot of texture.
That gives you several directions you can take.
A wood-look fiberglass door can add warmth.
A darker door can create contrast.
A simpler panel design can allow the masonry to remain the visual focus.
Decorative glass can introduce another layer of detail.
The important thing is considering the undertones in the brick or stone.
Warm stone may pair better with certain wood tones, while cooler gray masonry might work particularly well with charcoal or other darker finishes.
Bring everything together rather than choosing each exterior feature independently.
Are Modern Exterior Doors Energy Efficient?
Energy performance should absolutely be part of the conversation in Northeast Wisconsin.
Your front door separates a heated interior from some pretty extreme outdoor conditions.
When it’s below freezing outside, gaps, worn weatherstripping and poor installation become much more noticeable.
The door itself matters, but so does the entire opening.
Energy performance can be influenced by:
- Door construction
- Core materials
- Glass configuration
- Weatherstripping
- Threshold
- Frame
- Installation
- Overall fit
This is why simply buying a good exterior door isn’t enough.
It needs to be installed correctly.
How Can You Tell When an Exterior Door Needs to Be Replaced?
Not every old front door needs immediate replacement.
But there are some signs worth paying attention to.
Consider having your exterior door evaluated if:
- You can feel significant drafts
- Daylight is visible around the closed door
- The door is difficult to open or close
- The door sticks frequently
- There is visible deterioration
- Weatherstripping is failing
- Moisture is entering around the opening
- The door no longer seals properly
- The style is significantly dated
- You’re renovating the rest of the exterior
Sometimes an adjustment or weatherstripping replacement may solve the problem.
Other times the door itself has reached the point where replacement makes more sense.
Does Professional Exterior Door Installation Matter?
Very much.
You can buy a beautiful, well-built exterior door and still be disappointed if the installation isn’t right.
The door needs to sit properly within the opening.
It needs to open and close smoothly.
Weatherstripping needs to make appropriate contact.
The threshold needs to work with the door.
Locks need to align.
And the entire assembly needs to help keep Northeast Wisconsin weather where it belongs—outside.
Improper installation can contribute to drafts, water intrusion, difficult operation and poor energy performance.
When you’re investing in a premium exterior door, installation shouldn’t be an afterthought.
Can Smart Locks Be Used With Modern Exterior Doors?
Depending on the door, hardware and lock configuration, smart-entry products may be an option.
Many homeowners now use keypads, smart locks, video doorbells and other connected devices around their front entrance.
If that’s something you want, think about it before finalizing the door and hardware.
It’s easier to design the entrance around the features you want than to discover afterward that your preferred hardware doesn’t work well with the configuration you’ve selected.
This is another reason customization should start with how you actually plan to use the entrance.
How Do You Choose the Right Exterior Door?
Don’t start by asking which door is most popular.
Start with your house.
Ask:
What style is my home?
What colors and materials are already on the exterior?
How much natural light do I want?
How much privacy do I want?
Do I want the entrance to blend in or become a focal point?
Would sidelites or a transom improve the entrance?
Do I want the appearance of wood?
How important are insulation and weather performance?
What type of hardware do I want?
Once you answer those questions, the number of choices becomes much more manageable.
That’s the benefit of customization.
You aren’t searching for the “best exterior door.”
You’re designing the best exterior door for your home.
Therma-Tru Exterior Doors in the Fox Cities and Northeast Wisconsin
Garage Door Squad may have “garage door” in the name, but garage doors aren’t the only doors we work with.
We also offer Therma-Tru exterior entry doors for homeowners throughout Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, Kimberly, Kaukauna, Greenville, Hortonville, Little Chute, Oshkosh and surrounding Northeast Wisconsin communities.
Therma-Tru gives homeowners the opportunity to go beyond picking a basic replacement door.
You can explore different door styles, fiberglass options, wood-look appearances, glass, sidelites, transoms, colors, finishes and hardware to create an entrance customized around your home.
And because we also understand garage doors, we can help you think about how the two biggest doors on the front of your house work together visually.
Maybe you’re simply replacing an old, drafty entry door.
Maybe you’re updating the entire exterior.
Or maybe you want your front entrance to finally look as good as the rest of your home.
Whatever the reason, start with the house—not the trend.
The best exterior door is one that looks like it was always supposed to be there.
Frequently Asked Questions About Modern Exterior Doors
Does Garage Door Squad sell Therma-Tru exterior doors?
Yes. Garage Door Squad offers Therma-Tru exterior entry doors for homeowners throughout the Fox Cities and Northeast Wisconsin. We can help homeowners explore available styles and customization options to find a door that complements their home and meets their practical needs.
Can I customize a Therma-Tru front door?
Yes. Available customization depends on the specific Therma-Tru product and configuration, but homeowners can explore options such as door styles, glass, colors, wood-look finishes, sidelites, transoms and hardware. This makes it possible to create an entrance that feels much more personalized than a basic replacement door.
Are Therma-Tru fiberglass doors good for Wisconsin homes?
Fiberglass entry doors can be an excellent option for Wisconsin homeowners because they combine design flexibility with practical performance. When choosing any exterior door for Northeast Wisconsin, consider insulation, weather sealing, glass, installation and how the entire door system will perform during seasonal temperature extremes.
Should my front door and garage door match?
They don’t need to match exactly, but they should complement one another. Coordinating colors, wood tones, glass, hardware or architectural style can make the entire front of the home feel more cohesive. If you’re replacing either door, it’s worth looking at both before settling on the final design.