Doors, Doors, Doors. Front Doors, Bifold Doors, Folding Doors, Concertina Doors, uPVC Doors and maybe a few Windows.

Since starting to write about doors (front doors and bifold doors), I have encountered several problems with my own doors.

Namely, I stare at them in disgust for their failings. My front door is old, wooden and has a million and one faults which I previously considered to be 'quirks'. For starters, the key won't work. This is probably the reason I'm not more worried about the security of the door. If you manage to get through that door, you probably deserve whatever you steal. Secondly, it doesn't exactly fit. Our house is old, nothing is square, including the doorways. There's a gap along the top but the side of the door fits a little too well. So not only do we get draughts but also a door which requires a considerable amount of force to open.

And then there's my back door. It's actually a uPVC conservatory door. Although marginally better than the front door, it still has it's issues. It's a lot newer than the front door but unfortunately it's not of the best quality. In summer, the second door (the door which is not opened on a daily basis) sticks. It sticks so badly that even putting all your weight on it will not shift it sometimes. It feels as though the entire conservatory would come down before you could get that door open. So mostly, on hot days, I'm left with the stifling heat and only one open door.

Not much can be done about the back door on my current budget, but I'm definitely considering buying a new front door. A composite door would resolve all the current issues, I'll actually be able to enter my house via the front door for once! I'm sure the energy efficiency of a composite door, coupled with a door that actually fits without draughts, would improve my heating bills no end.

And then all I need to sort out is the windows. Don't get me started on the windows!