Help us choose a front door within budget

[ChocolateOrangery]

We have just refurbished our 1950s house and need a front door to replace the dodgy original wooden one. We have had aluminium windows fitted in anthracite grey which look fab. My DH is dead set against composite (he doesn't like the 'plastic' feel) but a wooden door has come in at £3,000!! Surely there must be a compromise? We'd like a fairly traditional cottage look, but not too quaint if you see what I mean. Something along the lines of these ... anyone got a solution?

I know Rationel doors feel really solid with a wooden outer, their website is not very inspiring but if you can find a supplier they are good quality.

www.rationel.co.uk/media/1728243/Windows-and-Doors-Rationel-compressed.pdf

Ask a few local joiners for quotes to make a decent wooden door. £3k is someone taking the piss.

Find a local timber merchant who should be able to supply a door at a decent price.

We got a solid oak front door and frame for under £300 as it was a mistaken order - in our local timber merchant. Their website was crap which put me off at first but once I went in, they had great choice!

We had a weird sized (v short) door at our old house which was over 300 years old - we were quoted way way less than £3k for a bespoke built & fitted new hard wood solid door. That seems a ridiculous price.

Can't you paint yours? I just painted my wooden door with frenchic paint, it's came up amazing

Here's mine

The one in your photo looks like a composite. I know you said your dh is against it but as I understand they are meant to last longer/be stronger than a wooden one. They look wooden (from a few feet away) so unless he’s going to stand stroking the door I don’t see why a plastic feel would be an issue?

Yes the first one on the picture is definitely composite. The second isn’t.

3k is joke, a timber merchant can supply a wooden door like these, joiner fit it and decorator paint it for much less.

Also here to say that the door in the first photo is composite!

Thanks for all the replies. Agreed, from a distance composite looks fine. But believe me when I say DH has his mind made up and will complain for ever more every time he uses it. It could be that we just need to find the 'right' composite solution. And so far, we've only tried online sources. A local timber merchant or joiner could be the best solution. The original door and frame is rotten unfortunately, otherwise we would just paint it.

That looks lovely @Mgr1603