Front Door Consultation
Price range: £200 through £300
Expert advice on your old timber front door. I look at what it actually needs — locks, draughts, glazing, furniture, painting, or whether it needs replacing — and give you a clear written plan.
Remote by video call, anywhere in the UK: **£200**. In person across the North West: **£300**.
If you’ve read the consultation page and you’re ready to book, you’re in the right place. Choose Remote or In Person above, add to basket, and you’ll get a short form to fill in about your door. I’ll use it to prepare before we speak.
After the consultation, I’ll send a written report — your full plan of action — what the door needs, in what order, and a rough sense of what each part should cost.
What the consultation will cover
- Locks and security — whether the existing lock is suitable for a period door, what to replace it with, and how to do it without butchering the stile.
- Draught proofing — which kit, which bead depth, which finish. Whether the threshold needs sorting too.
- Glazing — replacement glass, period-style leaded panels, or glazing for a fanlight or sidelight. I make leaded glass myself, so I can quote for it directly.
- Door furniture — what’s worth keeping versus replacing, and what to look for in hardware that actually suits the door.
- Painting and prep — what to strip, what to leave, the right filler, primer and paint, and how to get a finish that lasts on timber front door exposed to the elements.
- Whether the door needs replacing — if it’s too far gone, I can supply a handmade replacement. I’ll tell you honestly during the consultation.
Is this the right thing for your situation?
- Good for Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian and 1930s timber front doors.
- Good if you want to know exactly what your door needs before you spend money on tradespeople or materials.
- In-person visits available across my North West catchment area*: Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire.
- Remote consultations by video call, available anywhere in the UK.
- Not for uPVC or composite doors.
- Not for anyone needing work carried out on site — this is advice and supply only.
There isn’t really anything else like this
Most people with an old front door end up piecing advice together from the internet, a joiner who means well but hasn’t worked on period properties, and a YouTube video that doesn’t quite match their situation.
I’ve spent nearly twenty years fitting and restoring traditional timber front doors. I know what goes wrong, what gets misdiagnosed, and what gets bodged when someone cuts corners. A specialist consultation on an old timber front door isn’t something you’ll find on the high street.
The written report you get afterwards is yours to use however you like — to brief a joiner, to plan your own work, or to decide what to order.