I recently installed storm doors at This Odd House. From the beginning, I felt like there was something missing at our entries, and during the spring and fall seasons I realized it was that I could not open the doors to let the light and neighborhood view into the house; there was no glass or screen outer door!
After this last long cold winter, feeling the polar air sneaking in under the thresholds, and seeing the interior glass panes of the doors ice over, I realized this was another item that needed attention. But of course I would have certain requirements for it.
In addition to the trapping of an insulating air layer, I wanted an outer door that would provide a contemporary clear open view. And it should be secure. When the main door is open, the storm door should hold its own against the occasional (hopefully rare) passerby that might find the view into our home a tempting exercise of opportunity (remember This Odd House was a former corner store, and is positioned only a few feet from the sidewalks).
I found such a door in the Anderson 4000 series; it is classified as a “security door”, an unusual claim for the normally lightweight aluminum outer doors installed in our region of the country, especially since it is mostly open—it has no steel bars or grill. It does however have tempered safety glass, and when the lock is fully set, there are three separate latches that engage with the frame and door jamb. I can now open the main doors and feel content and safe while enjoying the open view.
There is a hazard with large glass surfaces however. On commercial buildings, glass walls are hazards to birds, which do not see them, but instead see the reflections of sky and clouds and will often fly full speed into them, to their instant demise.
At our human scale and velocities, the risk is not so much the reflections in the glass as it is their transparency. Here is a picture of our new glass door, from inside. It offers a great view to the neighbor’s house across the street. But what is that odd blur in the center?
And if we focus on the window, it shows this:
Here is a closer look. What is this?
Well, it is the recording of a human impact on the front door. My nephew Atlas visited us last week, and after saying his goodbyes and departing, shortly came back to retrieve a forgotten item. Not unlike the birds who see sky and clouds during the day, at night he saw open access to the house, and walked directly into the glass door, his face leaving a diffuse mark on its surface.
We are often advised to take effort to make a good first impression. Atlas made a great last impression.