Vinings GA Real Estate

Door Handles and Hardware

New Home Upgrades

Vinings Real Estate

Door knobs and door hardware for any new home is a must but must you spend it in a design center when purchasing your new home?

The standard builder’s grade door handles are typically gold, cheap and to be honest, worthless. Replacement of these door handles is probably the most simple DIY yourself project that any Atlanta home owner can undertake and the internet offers a huge supply of designs and styles at a fraction of the price found at Home Depot or Lowes.

So why on earth do people seem to always purchase the builder upgrade offerings when they are purchasing a new home? E-mails from readers seem to indicate that the number one reason is time. Replacement of the door handles is simple but the thought of taking each door off it’s hinges to replace the hardware just seems too time consuming.

Ok, here is a great little tip. You don’t need to take the door off to replace the hinges, just replace one hinge at a time. Also, if you are going for a brushed silver or dark bronze/black fixture, here is another money saving tip. Home Depot sells a flat, non-reflective paint for metal in silver, brown and black, which you can use to spray paint your existing hinges.

I would suggest taking off two or three at a time from multiple doors, spray paint them outside and then work your way up to replacing the top hinge. The cost of replacing door hinges to match your door knobs can become very pricey very quick and for some reason are less available than the door knobs. This trick works great, is easy to do and best of all, the paint lasts without wearing off.

There are several downsides to upgrading your door handles through your home builder. The first being that you will want a certain flow to exist between your light fixtures, bathroom faucets and then of course, your door handles. However, the builder may be offering a poor quality upgrade or you might change your mind later. Don’t commit yourself to an upgrade now that will simply be too costly to change later. Wait until you move into your new home and see what the home truly calls for.

Besides searching online, also look for builder clearance outlets for upgraded door knobs. I have been fortunate many times and found high quality and stunning looking door knobs for about 50% less than what Home Depot charges.

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