Thunkadelic

• Browse By Section
• In Focus
• Thunkadelic

Gerda Doors’ managing director Danny Williams muses on the features that homeowners look for, compared to what we think is important to them. He believes looks, security and the pleasing ‘thunk’ when a solid front door closes is high on the list. 

Open any mainstream paper these days and we are bombarded with guilt and shame about our personal impact on the planet. Whether it is being coerced into buying electric cars or poisoning cows so that they don’t fart the planet into oblivion, the constant green nudging of marketing messages has been woven into our subconscious so much that we seem to have stopped questioning whether or not it represents reality.

Now, I am all for sustainability – or in other words, reducing wastage. Our older generation who lived through the depravation and rationing of the war years understood that, without a million government directives. Shopping was carried in reuseable string bags, milk bottles were rinsed out and left on the doorstep for the milkman, rows of terry nappies would hang out to dry on washing lines the length and breadth of the country.

 

Energy

Energy efficiency has become another talking point which has filled so many billions of pages of reports – we could have saved an Amazon rainforest. Indeed, its prolific appearance in this industry’s conversations could make you believe that it is the number one feature that our customers are looking for when replacing their front door. 

But it is not.

 

Not registering

A simple look at Google trends highlights that the basic search term in the UK for ‘front door’ is consistently popular throughout the United Kingdom, but ‘sustainable front door’ or ‘eco-friendly front door’ do not even register. Neither does recycled front door or energy-efficient front door or low-emission front door. That’s not to say that people are not searching these terms – just in smaller, niche numbers.

Our steel and aluminium Gerda Doors are pretty good when it comes to energy efficiency. Manufactured in Poland, they have been engineered for strength and durability and this plays out in the low U-value ratings that we have had certified. But rarely is this the number one concern for homeowners. Rather, it is how the doors make them feel which is the deciding factor – more so even than cost.

 

There’s an array of emotions to buying a front door 

There’s a feeling of pride when installing a smart, sleek piece of architectural art that improves the kerb appeal of your property and contributes to the overall aesthetics of your neighbourhood.

There’s a feeling of being safe and secure, shutting out the dangers and predators lurking in the outside world, protecting your family.

There’s a feeling of relief and relaxation when you come home at the end of a hard day, back to the embrace of your family where you can be yourself and unwind.

There’s a feeling of excitement and anticipation when the doorbell rings and you open up to guests coming for dinner.

Whatever the emotion, the front door is at the heart of it.

 

Making an impression

These are the emotions we witness when demonstrating a Gerda Door to a homeowner. There are naturally those feature geeks who love the 88mm depth, three chamber reinforced aluminium internal construction with PU cores and FUHR multi point security lock and hardware located into reinforced aluminium outer frames – and so they should. There will be eco-conscious homeowners impressed by the thermal transmittance which starts as low as 0.74 W/m2K for soldi doors, and 0.81 W/m2K for glazed versions – it is definitely one of the lowest on the market.

 

Thunkadelic

But there are many more who will just love that ‘thunk’ when you close the door. That thunk will trigger a range of emotions that will make them and their family, feel safe, secure and protected. That thunk will put the price into perspective and earn you that sale.

 

Pictures: Danny Williams of Gerda Doors UK believes homeowners priorities are security and good looks when it comes to a new front door.

www.gerdadoors.co.uk

Article written by Danny Williams
09th February 2025

Share

---

---

Related Articles

---