Helpful Articles & Resources

We spend a lot of time talking about exterior doors. Understandably. They protect the house, handle Michigan weather and make a huge difference in curb appeal. But December is also the month when you spend approximately 97 percent of your life indoors. Which means you are staring at your interior doors. And some of them may be quietly aging the entire house. Interior doors are bigger design elements than we think Think about how many doors you can see from one hallway. Bedroo

By December, Michigan has stopped flirting with winter. Winter is here. And if you can feel that fact while standing three feet away from your closed front door, we need to talk. Your entry door is supposed to be the boundary between cozy holiday house and frozen outside world. Not a suggestion. Do the sock test Here is an extremely scientific diagnostic method. Walk toward your front door in socks. Does the floor suddenly feel colder? That temperature change may point to air

November is when the front door stops being decorative and starts working overtime. Family arrives. Friends stop by. Packages multiply. Someone inevitably forgets their coat. And if you are hosting Thanksgiving, your entryway is about to experience more traffic in one weekend than it has all month. Which makes November a surprisingly good time to give your front door a little attention. Start with the obvious: does it work properly? You should not have to shoulder-check the d

The holiday wreath is one of the easiest decorating wins of the year. You buy it. You hang it. Your house immediately looks festive and charming. Perfect. Except sometimes we get so focused on decorating the door that we forget to look at the actual door. November is a great time to do both. Step back before you decorate Look at your front entry from the sidewalk. Not from two feet away. From the street. Does the door color still work with the house? Is the finish faded? Does

October decorating has become a competitive sport. Ten-foot skeletons. Fog machines. Entire graveyards on the lawn. Pumpkins stacked like architectural features. We respect the commitment. But Halloween decorations also have an unexpected benefit. They make you spend a lot more time looking at the exterior of your house. And sometimes you notice things you wish you had not. Look around the door frame While you are attaching garland, hanging a wreath or positioning your skelet

October is the one month of the year when a creaky door feels almost appropriate. Almost. A little spooky atmosphere is fun when it comes from pumpkins, skeletons and fake cobwebs. It is less charming when your actual front door sounds like it belongs in a Victorian mansion where someone definitely disappeared in 1894. Start with the hinges If a door squeaks every time it moves, the hinges may simply need attention. Loose screws, dry hinges or worn hardware can all create noi

Every September, something happens to Michigan homeowners. The first cool morning arrives and suddenly everyone becomes extremely interested in weatherstripping. We love the enthusiasm. But before you march around the house with three tubes of caulk and the confidence of someone who watched a 47-second home improvement video, let's talk. Not every draft means “add more caulk.” And not every gap should be sealed blindly. First, figure out where the problem actually is Cooler S

September arrives and suddenly perfectly reasonable adults are buying twelve pumpkins. We support this. Michigan does fall extremely well, and your front porch is one of the easiest places to have fun with the season. But there is a fine line between “beautiful fall entryway” and “the pumpkin patch has claimed the house.” Here's how to give your front door a fall refresh that feels warm, welcoming and intentional. Pick a color story first Before buying every mum and gourd wit

There are two versions of your house. There is the house you live in every day. And then there is the house you suddenly see when someone texts, “We're five minutes away!” That is when you notice everything. The fingerprints on the glass door. The crooked rug. The pile of shoes. The interior door that squeaks like it lives in a haunted mansion. The garage door that sounds like it is announcing every arrival to the entire neighborhood. August is prime entertaining season, so b

There is something about August that makes everyone want to get their life together. The backpacks come out. Closets get reorganized. Calendars suddenly matter again. The lazy rhythm of summer starts giving way to routines, schedules, football practices, school pickups and the realization that approximately 47 pairs of shoes have somehow migrated to the entryway. Which makes August a surprisingly good time to look at the hardest-working part of your house: the front door. You

When your home feels too hot in July, it is easy to blame the air conditioner. Maybe it is getting old. Maybe it needs service. Maybe it just cannot keep up. But before you assume your AC is the problem, take a look around your home. Sometimes the issue is not the cooling system itself. It is the places where heat is sneaking in. Your windows and doors may be making your home harder to cool than it needs to be. Old windows can let in more heat than you think Windows play a ma

By mid-summer, most homeowners have already done the obvious outdoor updates. The lawn is cut, the flowers are planted, the patio is cleaned up, and the porch might even have a new chair or two. But if your home still does not feel as fresh as you want it to, the issue may not be your landscaping. It may be your front door and windows. A new entry door, updated windows, or a refreshed patio door can dramatically change the way your home looks from the street. These upgrades a

Summer vacation should feel relaxing, not stressful. Whether you are heading up north, taking the family to the lake, flying out of Detroit Metro, or spending a long weekend away, your home should be secure before you leave. Most homeowners remember to lock the front door, pause the mail, and set a few lights on timers. But there are a few doors that deserve a closer look before you pull out of the driveway. Here are four doors to check before your next trip. 1. The front ent

Father’s Day gifts can be tricky. Another tie? A coffee mug? A gadget that gets used once and disappears into a drawer? This year, consider something Dad will actually appreciate every single day: a home upgrade that makes life easier, more comfortable, and better looking. If Dad is the one always fixing the sticky door, complaining about the drafty window, or wrestling with the garage entry, it may be time to give him a break. Here are a few home upgrades that beat another l

June is backyard season in Michigan. The grill comes out, the patio furniture gets wiped down, and suddenly your home becomes the place where everyone wants to gather. But there is one upgrade many homeowners forget about until guests are walking through the house, drinks are being carried outside, and the dog is trying to squeeze through the screen door at the exact wrong moment....Your patio door. A beautiful, functional patio door can completely change how your home feels

Every summer, there is at least one home project that keeps getting talked about. Maybe it is the garage door that groans every time it opens. Maybe it is the front door that sticks. Maybe it is the windows that made the house cold all winter and are now making it hot in June. These are the kinds of projects that often sit on the list for too long. But unlike random weekend fixes, replacing old doors, windows, or garage doors can actually make your home more comfortable, more

There are few things more frustrating than running the air conditioning and still feeling like certain rooms in your home are too hot. If your house never feels evenly cooled, your energy bills are creeping up, or you keep lowering the thermostat without getting real relief, the problem may not be your AC. It may be your windows and doors. Your home’s exterior openings play a major role in temperature control. Old windows, worn doors, poor seals, and outdated materials can al

Summer vacation season is here, which means more homeowners are packing bags, loading cars, heading to the lake, flying out of town, or leaving for long weekends. But before you set the thermostat, grab the sunscreen, and lock the door behind you, there is one important thing to check: your home’s doors, windows, and garage. When you are away, your home needs to be secure, sealed, and protected. Old doors, weak locks, damaged garage doors, and aging windows can make your home

June is officially the season of backyard parties, graduation celebrations, Father’s Day cookouts, neighborhood get-togethers, and last-minute “we should have people over” weekends. And while most homeowners think about the patio, lawn, grill, or flowers first, guests notice more than you think before they ever reach the backyard. Your front door, garage door, windows, patio doors, and entryways all shape the first impression of your home. If they are faded, damaged, drafty,

There is one home upgrade that can change the way your house looks before anyone even steps inside: a new front door. Your front door is one of the first things guests, neighbors, and potential buyers notice. It sets the tone for the rest of the home. When it looks outdated, faded, or worn, it can make the entire exterior feel older. When it is beautiful, secure, and well-installed, it can make your home feel instantly more polished. If you want your home to look more expensi