The original entry was a single door with two flanking sidelights and a matching fanned-glass transom above, all set under a rounded arch header. The door itself was a solid six-panel design with no glass at all — a single door for a full arched double-wide opening, so the width was being carried by sidelights rather than the door leaves themselves. The stain reads uneven and faded to a dull medium-brown, and the sidelight glass carries a busy diamond-leaded pattern that doesn't match the plain fanned pattern of the transom above it, three different glazing treatments across one entry.
Project Story
The thinking behind the work
The Starting Point
The Thinking
The arched opening was already generous, but a single door plus sidelights wastes that width on glass that flanks the door instead of being part of it. Moving to a true double-door configuration puts the full arched opening to work as the door itself. Real glazing was brought down into the door leaves, an 8-lite arched grid per leaf in clear glass — replacing the previous approach of putting all the glass into sidelights and a separate transom, so the transom become unnecessary since the doors now carry their own arched glass line matching the header's curve.
The Execution
Built as a pair of sapele doors and frame with six-lite glass over two raised panels per the project record, each leaf carrying a grid of clear glass lites in the arched upper portion sitting above two solid raised panels at the base. The full unit fills the rounded arch opening directly, eliminating the separate sidelights and transom from the original. Finished in an even, rich mahogany-tone stain. Hardware is a matched pair of substantial pull handles with thumb-latch mechanisms in a dark bronze finish.
The Result
The arched opening now reads as one continuous glazed unit rather than a door flanked by separate glass elements, the doors' own arched lites pick up the curve of the header directly, and the even sapele stain and matched dark hardware give the entry a cohesive, custom presence in place of the mismatched glazing patterns and faded finish of the original.
Specification
Unit Size
7'-0" x 9'-6"
Panel Thickness
1¾"
Joinery
Mortise-and-tenon, no mechanical fasteners.
Glass
Six-lite arched glass per leaf, clear.
Finish System
Marine-grade exterior stain finish, six sides.
Hardware
Matched pair of pull handles with thumb-latch mechanism, dark bronze finish.
Installed By
Scobis
Common Questions
Why move from a single door with sidelights to a true double door?
The original arched opening was already generous, but a single door plus two sidelights puts most of that width into glass flanking the door rather than the door itself. A true double door uses the full arch as the entry, so opening the home up for moving furniture or a crowd of guests is easier without relying on a separate sidelight panel that doesn't actually open.
Why bring glass down into the doors instead of keeping it in the sidelights and transom?
The original entry split its glazing across three separate pieces like plain sidelights, a diamond-leaded pattern in a different spot, and a fanned transom pattern above, three different looks on one entry. Building the arched six-lite glass directly into the door leaves lets the glass follow the same curve as the header in one continuous line, instead of stopping and restarting at each separate component.
Why sapele for this application?
Sapele holds up well under repeated sun and weather exposure, which matters on a covered but still south/west-facing porch like this one where the original finish had already gone dull and uneven. It also takes a deep, even stain that reads as custom millwork rather than a stock painted or lightly-stained door.
More Projects Like This
