Replacing doors in Bastrop, TX: closing the gaps that let in heat, bugs and embers, solid core and fiberglass options, and caring for doors under the pines.
Ask a Bastrop homeowner what gets in around their doors and you'll hear about more than drafts. Ants, scorpions, spring pine pollen and dust on windy days all find the same gaps. Since 2011, plenty of people in the Lost Pines also think about embers, the small burning bits a wildfire can carry well ahead of the flames.
A door that fits tight with good seals handles all of that better. Here's how to choose one for a home in Bastrop.
Gaps around a door are where most of the trouble starts. Heat and bugs come through them every day, and in a wildfire, embers can blow into them and catch on whatever has collected at the threshold. On any door, new or old, check that:
Outside the door, fire safety groups talk about the first five feet around the house as the immediate zone. Keeping it clear of pine needles, dry leaves, stacked firewood and anything else that burns easily makes a real difference, and the area right in front of each door is a good place to start.
Wildfire guidance generally favors solid core or noncombustible exterior doors over hollow core ones. Steel and fiberglass doors with insulated cores are the usual picks for Bastrop homes. They seal well, don't warp in humid weather and insulate better than an old wood door. Solid wood doors are heavy and handsome, and they hold up far better than hollow ones, but they need regular finishing to keep moisture out.
If you have a door between the garage and the house, it should be a solid or fire rated door too. That's a code requirement in most places, and it's worth checking if the house has had a lot of past owners.
Sidelites and door glass make an entry bright and welcoming. In Bastrop, ask for tempered dual pane glass with a low-E coating. Codes require safety glass in doors anyway, and dual pane tempered glass holds up better to heat than a single sheet. Low-E keeps afternoon sun from turning the entry into the warmest spot in the house.
Lots of Bastrop homes have a sliding or French door that opens onto a deck under the pines. Wood decks and the needles that pile up on them sit right against that door, so keep the deck surface and the space underneath swept clear. For the door itself, look for tempered dual pane glass, a frame that seals well when it's locked, and a screen with metal mesh. If the slider is an old aluminum unit that rattles in its track, a newer vinyl or fiberglass model will seal tighter and keep more of the afternoon heat outside.
Bastrop has a historic downtown and plenty of older houses nearby with doors that don't come in stock sizes. A custom door or a careful reframe keeps the house looking right. Fiberglass doors with a wood grain finish can match an older style closely while handling humidity better than the original wood.
Pine sap, pollen and needles are hard on door finishes. Wash the door a few times a year with mild soap and water. Check weatherstripping each spring, when pollen makes gaps easy to spot as a yellow line along the edge. Wood doors usually need a fresh coat of finish every couple of years on a sunny side. Fiberglass and steel just need cleaning and an occasional touch up.
Planning other upgrades? See our pages on windows in Bastrop and roofing in Bastrop, or browse door styles on our doors and windows page.
Texas Energy Pros includes doors in our free home energy audit and can show you where air, and everything that rides in with it, is getting through. Reach out to set up a visit, or learn more about the area on our Bastrop page.
