How to choose a front door: composite, aluminium or steel-look

Start with the opening, not the brochure

Almost everyone starts by choosing a colour. It's the fun bit. But the door that suits your house is decided mostly by the opening it goes into, how exposed it is, and how much glass you actually want at the front of the house.

A north-facing door in an exposed spot takes a hammering from driven rain. A door in a recessed porch barely gets wet. Those two houses shouldn't necessarily buy the same door.

Composite

A solid core with a moulded skin. Good insulation, very low maintenance, and by far the widest range of colours and styles — which is why most front doors we fit are composite. Multipoint locking is standard.

Aluminium

Slimmer, stronger frames and a more contemporary look. Powder-coated so the finish is tough, and it takes larger glazed panels than composite without looking heavy. Costs more.

Steel-look

Crittall-style aluminium with fine black bars. Right at home on a period property or a modern extension, and wrong on plenty of houses in between. Worth seeing in place before committing.

The bits people forget

• Threshold height — if you need level access, say so before ordering
• Glass: obscure or clear, and how much you want passers-by to see
• Handle, letterplate and knocker finish — these date a door faster than the colour
• Which way it opens, and whether that still works with a pushchair or a porch

We'll go through all of this at survey. It takes twenty minutes and saves people from doors they stop liking after a year.