front door furniture advice please :)

[MetManMark]

We have finally got around to replacing our front door. It was installed many years ago by the council when they rented the building and it is totally inappropriate given that our house is Georgian. We are replacing it with something traditional which will also hopefully be better sealed. We are using the joiner that has made windows for us and our rear oak door which is lovely. The back door just has a regular handle as it is not on display, but the front door we would really like to have something more traditional. The sort of thing that we have in mind is this:

https://voyseyandjones.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/georgian-front-door-in-london.jpg

But how would this work with a modern 5 lever locking system that has locks built in all around the frame (like a PVC door locking system)?

Thanks in advance
Mark

 

[Owain]

exactly the same, except that the lock escutcheon might be a euro-cylinder.

You can get multipoint locks for timber doors eg
http://www.sdslondon.co.uk/security-multipoint-espagnolette-mortice-locks/yale-doormaster-professional-multipoint-lock-35mm-back-set-for-timber.html
Police approved Secured By Design and PAS 24 door set capable

Other manufacturers and suppliers available.

 

[MetManMark]

OK - I don't think I phrased the question correctly. We will be having a mutli point five lever lock fitted. Rather than having a standard handle fitted like this:

http://www.upvc-hardware.co.uk/images/multipoint_lock_dimensions_inout_a_b.jpg

We would like some more appropriate georgian style furniture. What would people recommend? Where should we look?

Thanks
Mark

 

[Owain]

Provided you have enough space with the backset dimension B you can use any handle that fits dimension A (or use separate knob and lock escutcheon). However you will have to watch the position of the lock mechanism when screwing fixings into the wood. The modern handles usually have bolt-through fittings where the handles are bolted together through the lock. This is more robust and secure.

 

[LadyArowana]

If the mechanism for locking just has an escutcheon for the key ( no handle ) then you can get a lovely central door knob and letter plate from an architectural salvage place. http://www.snobsknobs.co.uk/shop/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=29 and lots of others which Mr Google will provide. The only drawback is that the size of the opening in some of the letter boxes can be smaller than a new piece, probably not a deal breaker now as most communications come via e. means anyway.

 

[Lime]

Perhaps of little consideration, but the handle to the catch was usually of a knob design, not a lever.
The problem with modern locks is that they are nowhere near as deep into the door as the old type and consequently the knob is too near the doorframe.
People's hands hit the frame.

Personally I think you are going to make trouble for yourself fitting a multipoint lock to an oak door.
The locks are very flimsy and the door heavy, so damage to the lock is easy to do.
Oak is very corrosive to steel parts.
Much more importantly, oak doors warp and there will come a time when you cannot lock the door because a part of the lock has moved in relation to the other parts.

 

[essexbearhunter]

Can I suggest Broughtons?
http://www.broughtons.com/store/department/29/Door-Knobs/
As a brilliant firm of architectural ironmongers, it is really more akin to stepping back into the past and buying a good quality new handle for your new door. This avoids the fakery of " Instant Georgian on the cheap" seen on the High Street and the sometimes eye-wateringly high prices charged for some reclaimed versions.

Broughtons have a definite eye on the past (setting them apart from many modern architectural ironmongers) and commission pieces to be replicated from worthy originals in the traditional manner. I love my bell pull plate from them.

I did check in case Comyn Ching Ltd (dating back before 1723) were still going but they changed direction completely - leaving a new company set up by ex-employees in Bury St Edmunds to carry on the name and connection with their ironmongery past.

 

[MetManMark]

Thanks - that is just what I was after. I guess it is one of these that we need? I'll give them a call to pick their brains.
Mark

http://www.broughtons.com/store/category/28/251/Multi-Point-Lock-Handles/

 

[MatthewC]

Perhaps of little consideration, but the handle to the catch was usually of a knob design, not a lever.
The problem with modern locks is that they are nowhere near as deep into the door as the old type and consequently the knob is too near the doorframe.
People's hands hit the frame.

My new front door has a large knob to operate the latch, with two separate escutcheons for keys (one Yale, one Chubb). The chap who made the door might have bought the knob from Broughton's but I have no idea where he got the latch bit from - it says "Delamain" on the mortise plate and the spindle is deep into the door so you don't hit your knuckles on the frame.

I think a knob looks much better than a handle on an old building, and we re-used the original "Doctor's knocker" - however I did get a modern size letter plate as I couldn't live with a 4" wide antique one!

 

[wobs]

For our new front door, we could have had a door knob, but opted for a lever for practicality. We "compensated" for this by buying a particularly nice one (Durham Pewter I think). Although ours isn't a centre knob design door.

Our neighbours original door has a knob, that is a horizontal lock in this arrangement:

http://www.lockshop-warehouse.co.uk/acatalog/union-3j60-horizontal-sashlock.html

The 5 lever BS standard lock we got was an ERA. They do a range of them that look similar, but ours has a 25yr guarantee.

Most 5 lever sash locks come in two sizes to fit either a lever or handle. Be careful which one you get.