Front doors · Longmont, Colorado
Custom wood front doors for Boulder County homes
Illustrative example, not our work
Custom wood front doors
A door drawn for your house, then built
Who builds custom wood front doors in Boulder County?
Spindle Woodworks was founded in 2026 and is new to front doors: there are no finished customer doors to show yet. When the first one is done, its photos go here. Until then, what you can judge us on is the drawing for your own door and a straight answer to every question below.
Gallery
Front door styles to start from
Three-panel ShakerIllustrative example, not our work Arched raised-panel pairIllustrative example, not our work Craftsman with dentil shelfIllustrative example, not our work Modern slab with sideliteIllustrative example, not our work Mid-century with offset litesIllustrative example, not our work Dutch doorIllustrative example, not our work Foursquare porch entryIllustrative example, not our work Mid-century entryIllustrative example, not our work Horizontal plankIllustrative example, not our work Craftsman under a deep porchIllustrative example, not our work
What happens before anything is cut?
You see your door as a scale drawing first. Every door is drawn for its opening, with rails, panels, glass and hardware in proportion, so you can judge the design and change it on paper rather than in wood. A taller or wider opening gets a redrawn door, not a stretched one.
The doors are then cut on an Avid CNC router with an automatic tool changer, which cuts parts and patterns from a digital design. That matters most for panels, flutes and carved patterns: they can be cut exactly as designed, matched left to right, and cut again later.
Door designs
Drawn to scale, redrawn to your opening
Sheet 01
Three-panel Shaker
36 × 80 in
Sheet 02
Craftsman with dentil shelf
36 × 80 in, glass
Sheet 03
Horizontal plank modern
36 × 96 in
Sheet 04
Arched two-panel
36 × 96 in
Sheet 05
Mid-century modern
36 × 80 in
Sheet 06
Carved rosette panel
36 × 80 in
Scale drawings of door layouts, not photographs of doors we have built.
How is a wood door built so it doesn't warp or crack?
Mostly by construction and finish, not by species alone. Wood swells and shrinks across the grain as it takes on and gives up moisture, and Front Range air is dry: the USDA Wood Handbook puts outdoor wood in Denver at 8.0% to 10.5% moisture content through the year, against 12.0% to 16.9% in Seattle (USDA, Table 13-1). Three things keep a door flat and tight:
- Construction that controls movement. Simpson Door Company says its doors are built “in an engineered fashion”, with each part made of several pieces of wood under a veneer, “resulting in a sturdier, straighter door” (Simpson). Ask any maker how its doors are built.
- A complete finish on every face and edge. Simpson tells owners to “coat all six sides of every door” (Simpson).
- Light colors in strong sun. The Wood Handbook says darker finishes cause more solar heating, and so more warping and checking, than light ones (USDA, chapter 16).
Which woods can I choose?
For an exposed entry, genuine mahogany, sapele and white oak are the strongest all-round choices, and Douglas fir is the value choice. Our wood comparison sets out hardness, decay resistance and movement for each, with Colorado's dry air in mind.
What does a custom front door cost?
Cost guides put a basic custom exterior door at about $1,500 to $5,000 and a hand-built one at $5,000 to $20,000 (HomeGuide, checked November 2026). Glass, sidelights, hardware, finishing and installation are usually on top. HomeGuide adds that custom replacement through a specialty dealer “can often exceed $10,000, even for a simple door” (HomeGuide).
See what a custom wood front door costs for what moves the number, or ask for a ballpark for your opening.
| Kind of door | What it is | What changes the price |
|---|---|---|
| Single door | One leaf in its frame. The most common front door. | Wood, size (especially taller than 80 inches), glass and hardware |
| Double doors | Two leaves meeting in the middle, one usually fixed. | Two leaves instead of one, how the meeting edge seals, and locks for a tall pair |
| Door with sidelights | A door with a glazed panel on one or both sides. | Each sidelight is its own unit and widens the opening: $500 to $1,500+ per side installed (HomeGuide) |
| Door with a transom | A glazed panel above the door. | Glass and a taller opening: $200 to $1,000+ before installation (HomeGuide) |
| Pivot door | A wide, tall door that turns on a pivot set in from the edge. | Size, pivot hardware and the floor and head that carry it. Custom pivot doors: $4,800 to $10,000 (HomeGuide) |
Will a wood door hold up to Colorado sun?
Under cover, yes; in full sun with no overhang, it is a maintenance commitment. Simpson defines an adequate overhang as one that projects at least half the distance from the bottom of the door to the underside of the overhang (Simpson), and Sun Mountain, a door manufacturer in Berthoud, recommends “a non-wood alternative” for openings with high exposure to direct sunlight or moisture (Sun Mountain). Which way your door faces and how deep the overhang is are the first two things we ask. More in our wood door care guide.
Where do you build doors?
For homes in Longmont, Boulder, Louisville, Lafayette, Erie, Niwot and Superior. The shop is in Longmont. Town pages: custom front doors in Longmont, custom front doors in Boulder. See the full service area.
How do I start?
Send a photo of the entry, the rough width and height, which way the door faces and how deep the overhang is. Get a door quote, read how a custom front door gets built, or check how to measure first.
Questions
Custom front door questions
Who builds custom wood front doors in Boulder County?
Spindle Woodworks, a woodworking shop in Longmont, Colorado, builds custom wood front doors for homes in Longmont, Boulder, Louisville, Lafayette, Erie, Niwot and Superior. Each door is drawn to scale for its opening before anything is cut, and you deal directly with Sam Claassen, who builds it.
What does a custom wood front door cost?
Cost guides put a basic custom exterior door at about $1,500 to $5,000 and a hand-built one at $5,000 to $20,000, before glass, sidelights, hardware, finishing and installation (HomeGuide, checked November 2026). Our cost guide breaks down what moves the price.
Are wood front doors a good idea in Colorado?
Under cover, yes. A wood door under an adequate overhang, finished on all six sides and kept up, holds up well. In full sun with no overhang it needs refinishing often, and some door makers recommend a non-wood door for openings with high exposure to direct sun or moisture.
Will I see my door before it is built?
Yes. Every door is drawn to scale for its opening before anything is cut, with its panels, rails, glass and hardware in proportion, so you can judge the design on paper first.
Do you also build cabinets?
Yes. Spindle Woodworks builds custom kitchen cabinets, vanities, mudroom and laundry cabinets, pantries and built-ins, with published prices per linear foot.
Sources
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook (2021), chapter 13, Table 13-1 (checked November 2026)
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook (2021), chapter 16: Finishing wood (checked November 2026)
- Simpson Door Company: Frequently Asked Questions (checked November 2026)
- Simpson Door Company: Care & Finishing (checked November 2026)
- Simpson Door Company: Know Your Overhang (product data sheet) (checked November 2026)
- Sun Mountain Door: Wood Door Finishing and Care Instructions (checked November 2026)
- HomeGuide: How much does it cost to install an exterior or front door? (checked November 2026)
- HomeGuide: How much does front door replacement cost? (checked November 2026)
- HomeGuide: How much does it cost to install or replace a door? (checked November 2026)
Spindle Woodworks
Planning a custom front door?
Send rough sizes and a photo of your entry. Sam replies with next steps and a ballpark range.