External Door Specification Questions Checklist

Note whether the current door sits in a masonry opening, within a timber frame, or as part of a larger screen with fixed panels beside or above it.

What surrounds the door changes the work involved far more than the door leaf itself does.

Record which way the door opens and which side the hinges are on as you face it from outside, since this is easy to describe wrongly from memory.

Swing and hinge side affect where people stand, how the entrance feels and what can be placed behind the door.

Write down what sits immediately behind the door inside — a radiator, a coat rail, a stair newel, a cupboard — and how close the door comes to it.

Owners often discover after fitting that a new door swings differently or sits proud of where the old one did.

Note any step, drop or slope on either side of the door exactly as you find it, describing it rather than assuming it can stay as it is.

The level either side of a doorway constrains what frame and threshold arrangements can be discussed, so it belongs in the notes from the outset.

Photograph the head of the opening, both sides and the sill, including any visible cracking, soft timber, rust staining or gaps around the frame.

Photographs of the frame surround let a professional see the awkward parts before attending, and they record the condition before anyone touches it.

Defects around an opening may point to issues beyond the door itself; ask a qualified professional to consider them before work is agreed.

Write down what regularly passes through this door — pushchairs, bicycles, wheeled bins, large deliveries, mobility equipment, musical instruments.

The widest and most awkward item that has to pass through is a far better guide to the opening than any general preference.

Note whether this is the door visitors use, the one the household uses, or both, and whether that pattern is likely to change in the foreseeable future.

A door answered by strangers raises different questions from one used only by the household, and the distinction shapes what is worth discussing.

Record whether post comes through the door itself, and roughly what size of item normally arrives, including anything that is habitually left on the step.

A letterplate position is fixed early in a door order and is a common source of regret once the door is in place.

Consider what is normally carried through with both hands full, and note how the door is opened and held in that situation today.

Hands-full use is the moment a heavy leaf or a self-closing arrangement becomes a daily nuisance, and owners rarely mention it unprompted.

Note who in the household finds the current door heavy, stiff or awkward, and describe in what way, since the reason matters more than the complaint.

A door can be hard to use because of its weight, its seals, its hardware or the floor beneath it, and each points somewhere different.

Describe how sheltered the doorway is: a flush face with no cover at all, a shallow reveal, a canopy, a porch, or a deep recess.

Shelter influences everything from finish life to how seals behave, so it belongs at the front of the conversation.

Note which direction driving rain usually arrives from at the property, and whether this face of the building takes it directly.

Occupants know this from experience in a way no visiting professional can, and it is one of the few exposure facts only you can supply.

Record whether water pools outside the door after heavy rain, where it sits, and where it eventually drains away to.

Standing water at a threshold shapes what a supplier and installer will suggest, and it rarely improves on its own.

Write down where draughts are felt at this door — along the edges, at the base, at the letterplate — and in what conditions you notice them.

Draughts can come from the surrounding construction rather than the door; ask a qualified professional to consider the whole opening.

Note whether the door is in direct sun for part of the day, since sun exposure affects how finishes and some materials behave over time.

A sunny face and a shaded face wear very differently, and suppliers may treat their guidance for each quite separately.

Write down what locking arrangement is on the door now, as far as you can describe it, and how many keys the household holds and where they are kept.

Key numbers and habits are part of the picture a supplier and an insurer both ask about, and they are easier to write down before the door changes.

Ask the supplier what locking options exist for the door type you are considering, and ask your insurer separately what their policy expects to see.

Insurance requirements differ between policies and change over time; confirm them with your own insurer rather than relying on general statements.

Note whether the door is visible from the street or screened by planting, a wall or a side return, and record what could be changed if you wanted.

How overlooked an entrance is affects the sort of questions worth asking, and it is something only you can describe accurately.

Consider whether you want a viewer, a chain, an intercom or a video entry unit, and record which of those would need power or a data connection.

Powered entry devices involve a qualified electrician or specialist installer; agree who arranges that work before the door is ordered.

Record whether anyone needs to enter without a key, and raise how that would be handled as a question rather than assuming a particular arrangement.

Carers, cleaners, family and holiday cover all shape this, and stating the need plainly lets others suggest arrangements you had not considered.

Decide and record what any glass in or beside the door is meant to achieve — daylight into a dark hall, a view of who is outside, or neither.

Stating the purpose lets a supplier suggest arrangements you had not considered, including ones with less glass than you assumed.

Note what is visible from the pavement or a shared path when the door stands open, including anything in the hall you would rather not display.

The open door is the view most owners forget to consider, and it often influences glazing and hallway decisions more than the closed door does.

Ask a qualified professional what local requirements may apply to glazing in and around a door at this position, and record what you are told.

Glazing near doors and at low level may be subject to local requirements; this is for a qualified professional to confirm, not for you to assume.

Write down whether obscured, patterned or clear glass is wanted, and be specific about which parts of the opening privacy matters at.

Privacy is rarely wanted across the whole opening, and saying which panel matters lets a supplier keep daylight where you actually want it.

Consider whether a light above the door exists or is wanted, and note how much height is available above the current frame before anything is drawn.

The height between the frame head and whatever sits above it usually decides whether this is even worth exploring.

Note the materials and character of doors on neighbouring properties, particularly if the street has a consistent appearance you want to sit within.

Local character is a legitimate design input and may also matter for what you need to confirm locally about appearance.

Write down honestly whether you are prepared to repaint or re-oil a finish periodically, or whether you want something that is largely left alone.

This single answer removes whole categories of option and is far more useful to a supplier than a colour preference.

Ask what happens to each material option on a face that takes this much sun and rain, and what maintenance the supplier expects in return.

Material behaviour depends on exposure and detailing; ask the supplier and a qualified professional rather than generalising from other properties.

Record the colours you are drawn to for the outside and inside faces separately, since the two are often specified and finished independently.

Owners frequently assume both faces come as one decision and are then asked to choose an internal colour at short notice during ordering.

Consider whether the finish of handles, letterplate and numerals matters to you, and whether they should relate to hardware elsewhere in the property.

Ask whether the existing frame would be kept or replaced, and what that would mean for the plaster, render, brickwork or tiling around the opening.

Removing a frame can disturb what surrounds it; a qualified professional should establish what supports the head of the opening beforehand.

Note what floor finish runs up to the door inside, and whether it would be disturbed by a new frame, a new threshold or a different door position.

Hall floors are commonly cut during a frame change, and an owner who has raised it beforehand can agree how the repair will be handled.

Write down who is responsible for making good internally and externally, and make sure that appears in the written scope you agree.

Making good is the classic gap between a supplier scope and a builder scope, and it is where most entrance-door disputes begin.

Record whether an alarm contact, bell, light or camera is fixed to the current frame, and ask who will deal with each of them.

Alarm and powered fittings should be handled by the relevant specialist or a qualified electrician, not disconnected casually during removal.

Ask what weather seals and drainage the door type relies on, and what of that would remain visible once the door is fitted and finished.

Visible drainage slots and seal lines surprise owners who expected a flush appearance, and seeing them described in advance avoids that.

Ask who takes the final site measurements and whether the order is placed from those measurements or from a drawing prepared earlier.

Ordering from a drawing rather than a site measurement is a common source of ill-fitting doors and awkward packing pieces.

Ask what the household would use for entry and locking if the old door comes out before the new one is ready, and note who provides that arrangement.

An entrance is the one opening a household cannot do without, so the interim arrangement deserves naming rather than being improvised on the day.

Write down how the old door and frame are to be taken away from the property, and confirm whose responsibility that removal is.

Disposal is regularly assumed by the owner to be included and by the supplier to be excluded, which is why it belongs in the written scope.

Record what adjustment is expected once the door has been in use, and how you should raise it if the door binds, drops or leaks air.

Doors commonly need easing after settling, and knowing the route for that in advance avoids an awkward conversation later.

Ask what the warranty covers, what maintenance it depends on, and which documents or records you should keep once the work is finished.