Natural textures, atypical dimensions, unique design - wooden exterior door with intelligent opening system

I have always loved front doors, especially solid wood ones, because they are like a promise of what you are about to discover inside. When they are made of wood and crafted with care, doors, whether full-sized or monumental, are eye-catching and give the house a personality. The condition is that they are an integral part of the architecture and enclose the exterior of the house in a unified way. To achieve the desired result, specialists are needed for both design and execution. One such specialist is the firm Holze. Restoring doors and windows in old houses, the specific shutters of the Adriatic coasts or arched windows in the style of old Romanian housesare compelling projects featured in the magazine.

Natural textures, atypical dimensions, unique pattern, smart close-open system

Holze always uses the highest quality wood for joinery. The designs are tailored to the home and manage to meet the most particular requirements. Restoring the doors of old houses to the original design or create new doors, adapted to the architecture of the house, starting from the design.

One of the original works is a door for a house in Constanta. The owner wanted an imposing, arched door with a stained-glass window to match the architecture of the house and to combine classic looks with modern technology. The Yala used is biometric, with an intelligent opening system that recognizes your fingerprint by touching the bronze handles (finger print) or using your phone.

The door was first designed and, after receiving the customer's approval, it was made, transported and assembled. Each face of the door has a load-bearing weight of over 100 kg, yet it can be moved with great ease, closing without weight. It's what makes such a luxury product - it looks classic, it exudes massiveness, but it moves easily with just the touch of a finger. Four strong hinges are used to secure it solidly to the wall. The door profile is 90 mm, higher than standard doors, which are 68-70 mm.

The door was fitted 8 years ago and is still in excellent condition, works perfectly and the customer is satisfied. In order to receive a quality product he did not force things, he called in specialists, waited for the time needed for the work and paid the right price.

What determines the quality of a door

Even simple doors can be imposing if the design and wood are well chosen and the workmanship is carefully done. But there are several elements that together determine the quality of a door. Here are some of them:

• Wood used. For a quality front door, choose wood with exterior strength and a beautiful design. Oak, walnut and ash, local species, or meranti as an exotic species, are among the most commonly used for such work;
• Strong hardware. A solid wood door is very heavy. If proper support systems are not found, it will break. The hardware chosen, as well as being strong, should look good because it also contributes to the overall appearance of the door;
• Durable finishes with a natural look. Without a hard-wearing finish on the outside, the door will not stand up to the elements and solar radiation. But the finish should not cover up the beauty of the fiber.
• Well-trained and valued workers. Daniel Rotaru from Holze says a cheap worker works cheaply, and a fairly priced worker works fairly. It's Holze's "secret" to maintaining the quality of its work.
• Technicians with knowledge of architectural details. Architectural knowledge is the secret to harmonizing the door with the style of the house.
• Machinery and equipment in the factory to allow fine machining.

All this makes a quality door not cheap. We're talking about a fair price, which implies quality workmanship and quality materials. There was a drawing of a horse circulating on a specialist website at one point, half of which was a perfect picture of the horse and the other half as a child would draw it, and the explanation for the drawing was 'when the customer asks for fast and cheap'. It is the same with quality doors.

A quality solid wood door isn't cheap and it doesn't look good in everyone's hands

The particularities of the solid wood, the pattern, size and weight of the door, the framing in the facade of the house, are all important and the wrong approach can lead to a disastrous result. Solid wood varies dimensionally with changes in air humidity and choosing the wrong pattern, drying the wood incorrectly, joining the door elements incorrectly will result in the door deteriorating in just a few months.

I had the opportunity to see such a door, which became totally non-functional after only one winter. The team that was renovating a friend's house was attracted by the low price offered by a craftsman and ordered the solid oak front door from him. The door was atypical without being monumental. Right after installation in the fall, it looked great. In the spring, however, the door was warped, discolored, and cracked, both in the wood and in the glue line through which you could see into the house. It was virtually unusable and had to be replaced. It was obvious that the wood hadn't dried properly, the glue wasn't the right glue, and the finish hadn't protected at all.

The desire to have a special entrance door can be realized provided we understand that such a door is not cheap and cannot be made by just anyone. Only those who work with solid wood and know how heavy such a door can be and how their own weight can lead to warping, who have demonstrated over time that they know their trade and have completed projects to prove it, are able to carry out such work to a high level of quality.