Cold weather is upon us, my friends. It’s inevitable, it comes every year. Now it’s time to address it head on, as we did with one project located on Delancey Street. One of the biggest culprits for letting in cold air is your entry door, both when it is open and closed. First we replaced the entry with a new solid core door, weather stripping, and door sweep. We also switched which side the door hinged, since previously when the door opened it allowed everyone to see clear through the whole house and even the rear yard. Now with the hinges switched, you can only see the party wall and the staircase, which is by front of the door. Much more private. That was just the beginning.
The homeowner wished to add a vestibule, thus eliminating any gusts of cold air entering the living space when the entry door was opened. Living in a large city, such as Philadelphia, how often have you double parked while you brought items, such as groceries in, leaving the front door open between trips? How much heat is lost while getting the stroller up the stoop and in the front door? We wished to eliminate all of this, while preserving the style and integrity of the home. Your typical drywall partition would just not do, and would feel claustrophobic with the vast 10 foot ceiling. We created a stunning 5’x5’ vestibule using custom, divided lite, stave core doors. Given the temperature differentiation in a vestibule, stave core, is your best option, especially in this application with 10’ panels. It is created from many smaller blocks of wood, much like a butcher block, thus it is much more rigid and unlikely to shrink or warp than your typical lumber. For the door hardware we used top of the line, Rocky Mountain Hardware. Even the side panels are operable with hidden soss hinges, which allow easy cleaning of the glass and beside the cabinets. Within the vestibule itself, we installed electric radiant heat under new ultra durable porcelain tiles. Radiant heat is a good option, which we consistently recommend, to heat any new tile surface, such as in a vestibule, bathroom, or basement.
The combination of the new entry door and heated vestibule create the perfect buffer between the outside elements and the interior living space. Other places where you might wish to address in preparation for the winter (as well as the summer with heat gain/AC loss) are your windows and insulation, all which Rissay can help you with. Let us help you stay warm this winter season!
(Photo 1: Before, Photos 2-4: After)
It's also lovely to look at, although a bigger vestibule would be good if your house could accommodate that. You could place extra tables there, or a coat and shoe rack for a cleaner interior.
Posted by: Shania Fargo | 08/25/2011 at 08:38 AM