A Southport Queenslander, kept original

The brief

The house is an older Queenslander with a wide front porch and a central hallway that runs straight through to the back. The original timber front door had an old timber fly screen in front of it, worn and no longer secure, so the front door stayed shut and the hallway stayed hot.

The owner wanted to leave the front door open through the day, with a door that looked like it belonged on the house rather than a modern screen.

What we fitted

At the measure we compared stainless mesh, perforated aluminium and diamond grille against the porch. The owner chose diamond grille for its traditional look, and we specified a grille door built and tested to AS 5039, with an insect mesh behind the grille. Plenty of older grille doors were never tested, so this was the point we were most careful about.

The frame is powder coated in a colour matched to the paint on the timber door, and its mid rail lines up with the door's lock rail so the two read as a pair. Like many older homes, the opening was slightly out of square, so the frame was packed and scribed to the timber jamb for an even gap all round. The door has a three-point lock and is installed to AS 5040.

The diamond grille sample beside stainless mesh and perforated aluminium at the measure.

With the security door locked, the front door can stay open for the breeze down the hall.

On the day

The door was fitted three weeks after the measure. The crew removed the old timber fly screen, packed and fixed the new frame to the jamb, hung the door and checked the lock and the gap all round. The job took a morning.

Before leaving, they showed the owner how to keep the hinges and lock running smoothly, and how often to rinse the grille and mesh.

The result

The front door now stays open most days, with the breeze running down the hall. From the street, the porch looks the way it always has.