On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 20:59:36 -0000, "Owain"
wrote:


The hardwood door looks handsome. PVC one not.
Hardwood door costs less. PVC one more.
Hardwood door can be revarnished, repainted or repaired. PVC one not.
Hardwood door will add value to your property (you say it is in keeping with
age and style). PVC one will take value off your property.
Hardwood doors are hefty. The panels on some PVC ones can be kicked in.
Hardwood doors are made from renewable resources. PVC ones are not.
Hardwood doors can be recycled into other things when they die. I don't know
if any uses for old PVC doors.

| The main thing I'd like to know is: is the heat loss through a heavy
| hardwood door significanly more than through a UPVC one?

I don't have figures but I don't see why the hardwood door couldn't be less,
if property draughtproofed. One door is a very minor part of your overall
house's external surfaces to lose heat from.

| In other words is it really worth paying an extra £200 for the UPVC
| door? How long would it take to recoup the £200 on saved heating
| expenditure?

How long would it take to recoup the *£2000* you could be knocking off the
value of the house by a naff door?

| I vastly prefer the look of the hardwood item (it looks in keeping
| with the age and style of the property) and I guess I can install it
| myself, having hinstalled a door or two in the past.

Well then.

| I understand that building regs now require that UPVC items have to
| be installed by qualified installers these days (?)

That's replacement /windows/. You might get into a problem if your door is
more than half glazed, as that might turn it into a window for the purposes
of the argument.

Owain, many thanks for your input. Your confirm my own thinking.

Avoid the doors that have a 'fanlight' style of glass within the door. They
look naff. Doors should be panelled and the fanlight should be part of the
door frame *above the door*

Oh, don't say that! It was one of those fanlight doors that took my
fancy! (I take it that by "fanlight" you mean that semi-circular
section of glass at the top of the door, divided into segments with
separating struts, yes?)

Anyway, I'll take your comment on board and digest it. I need
something that has no glass at eye level or below, but I do need some
light coming in. The door is only a karate kick's distance from a
street that sometimes has rowdy yobs walking down it late at night.

Brad J