Victorian front door - repair or replace

[minkymankymoo]

Hello,
We have an original Victorian front door on a Victorian house and trying to decide whether to replace or repair. It is warped at the top by approx 7mm, the warp starts from about 50cm down from the top of the door and gets gradually worse up to the top of the door. The door is sadly glazed with horrible floral glass, I have been quoted £450 to replace the panels. I wanted to try and keep the door as it's original but had someone look at it this week who said if it was him he would replace it with a new door (obviously we would keep with a similar style).
We are about to knock down an ugly wooden porch so it will then become the main front door, not having been for quite a long time - so he said the warp is likely to get worse.
We also intend to replace the locks and door furniture if keeping the original door.
Can anyone help shed light on this dilemma?
Thank you for reading this dull post! :) :) :)

Can you post a photo? If you can keep it i would. Good replacements cost a lot and very often dont look as good.

Not great photos but here we go...

Thats a lovely door! There are places out there that would put stained glass in - might be worth asking some companies that specialise in rennovation of old doors?

There's absolutely no way I'd be getting rid of that. It's a classic late Victorian style and adds so much to the look of the house. I had one very similar in my last house ( with the original stained glass though) and paid to have it renovated and draft-proofed.

This might be controversial but I'd get a new one (in a sympathetic design)for both security and energy conservation. Yes it's original but you also have to live in a house, it's not a museum.

I think it does depend a bit where you live. In my part of London it would tend to devalue the house to replace (unless with a London Door Company style like for like copy); similarly with replacing wooden sashes with uPVC - in other places ( such as where MIL lives) that's definitely not a thing.

Don’t replace that; you’ll never get the same quality again.

Due to the warping, I would look for a reclaimed one from the correct period. There are quite a few available online. Look up “victorian front door” “edwardian front door” etc. Look for the correct size or slightly too big, as they are solid they can be cut down but only a little due to strength. Some people rip out perfectly good period doors believe it or not, so you can get nice ones. Be careful though or you might end up buying a warped one!!

New Victorian style doors in hardwood and with stained glass will cost a bomb.

What a beautiful door, shame about the glass, whoever did that should be strung up! A reclaimed door would be my choice.

I'd be inclined to make it an internal door.

No brainer - repair!

Absolutely no way would I replace. No idea where you are but here in W Yorkshire we have an amazing local company that restores old doors and keeps hundreds of reclaimed in stock.

I would be looking at restoring it and putting sympathetic stained glass in it. I would easily pay the same price for a good restoration as I would a new composite door.

A warped Victorian panelled door can easily be straightened.

You would do best to find a local joiner/carpenter by personal recommendation from someone you know and trust.

An advertisement on an advertising website where traders pay to be listed is not a personal recommendation.

That’s a lovely door but could cause issues being warped, if you can’t fix it then try to find an old reclaimed one that would fit in its place. If not then I’d try to get a new wooden one in a similar style

As long as you don’t replace it with PVC or composite then it’s all good pretty much!

Definitely get it restored. With the glass replaced for something more in keeping with the era it will look fantastic. You will never get something modern that has that style. Getting something in the style from a reclamation yard that fits will also be an expensive time wasting folly. If it's draughty because of gaps, invest in a heavy door curtain.

What PigletJohn said!

also chocolateorange

I would love to repair but I think if it is already bowed then I doubt it can be. Once you fully expose it to the elements I think you will find it leaks and rots

It is a nice door but is it substantial enough to be the main front door of your house? It has a lot of almost see through glass and looks more like and internal / porch door.

Where are you that it will cost £450 to replace that glass? It will have to be safety glass, but that sounds very expensive.

It’s a beautiful door - don’t replace it please

I love it!! Not the glass though.

£450 is a bargain for glass appropriate to the age of the door. It doesn’t have to be safety glass, there are tens of thousands of period properties with their original doors, the Victorians and Edwardians didn’t have it because it hadn’t been invented. It would have been beautiful stained glass and replacing that with reclaimed glass won’t be cheap. Worth it, though.

Thanks everyone, I think we will keep it for now. It's probably the original door as it's identical to the semi-detached house next door (except theirs has stained glass!)
TBH I never noticed the warp before the bloke pointed it out!
Yes it's substantial, it's approx 5.7cm thick.
We're in outer East London, I don't suppose anyone has any recommendations for door restorers?
I might have the locks changed and paint it and sort out frame and see how it goes!

ask around for an experienced local joiner. S/he can also fit any new hinges, bolts and locks that you want.

Consider that a panelled wooden door is just a few wooden planks, cut and planed to size and fitted together. It doesn't even need screws or nails. They can be taken apart and put back together.

They are easily bent back to shape, though as yours is thick, strong and has glass in it, better not to try it yourself. Internal ones are easy.