Company News:

Sunday, June 8th - 2003
Another Article on GBS in the Daily Oklahoman:
This past June, the state's largest newspaper ran another story about the company. Here is the following article as it appeared in the Daily Oklahoman.

Doors seal impressive homes' looks
By Laura Callahan - The Oklahoman

The personality of a house can hinge on the front door, and the character of Johnny Walker's home in northwest Oklahoma City turns on a grand, arched entryway that puts a rich face on a magnificent, Italianate home built in a turn-of-the-20th-century style.

Selecting the right entryway is all in the details, Walker says. And the entryway on the commercial builder's personal residence at 5320 Verbena Lane in Gaillardia proves he is right.

The focal point of his 6,900-square-foot home, completed in April, is a massive 8-by-3-foot arched maple door graced by a 2-by-3-foot clear, beveled-glass window. Surrounding the door is a 2-foot transom with 12 small beveled-glass windows outlined in 8-inch trim.

But that's just the view at first glance. A closer look reveals that the mailbox lines up perfectly with the rounded-top door, which lines up perfectly with the fireplace and large arched mirror above it in the living area.

The view from inside shows the arched door perfectly at home with the barrel-shaped ceilings in the entry hallways and adjoining living area.

Additionally, the thickness of the door -- 21/4 inches rather than the standard 13/4-inch -- and layered molding around the door make it appear even more immense.

"I wanted curb appeal," said Walker, who has built three houses, two of them his own. "If someone driving by looks directly through the middle of the lot, they can catch everything going on -- the radius door, the barrel- shaped ceiling, and the radius fireplace. It's positioned so it's aesthetically attractive to the eye."

The detailed fit makes it hard to believe the plans originally called for a rectangular door.

"The square door would have matched the other doors on the front," said Walker, pointing to smaller, square-topped glass doors on each side of the entryway. "But when I saw the drawings, I knew the square door couldn't give me the look I wanted. I wanted to pick up the barrel ceiling."

Walker's new entryway reflects recent market trends, said Jerome Kennedy, owner of General Builders Supply Co. Inc. in Oklahoma City, which custom-built the entry system.

"People are realizing that the entry of a house is, many times, the focal point of the house," he said. "They're looking for something to draw attention to the focal point, and they're doing it with size and style. As a result, we're seeing more emphasis on larger, grander doors."

In fact, while the size of the average American new home dropped slightly in 2002, the size of the average American door grew 7 square feet.

The standard front door traditionally has been 6 feet, 8 inches tall by 3 feet wide. Nowadays, doors are climbing to 10, 11, even 12 feet tall, and some are expanding to 48 inches wide.

"Houses are larger now and most first floors are 10 to 12 feet tall, with entryways sometimes even taller. The scale of the house requires the door to be taller," Kennedy said.

Because these exceptionally tall doors are pricey -- up to $25,000 for a 12-foot-tall door -- many homeowners are keeping the doors to 8 feet, curving the top and adding a rounded transom, Kennedy said.

Homeowners are also leaning more toward double doors than in the past, said David Meier, builder for Prestige Custom Home Inc. in Edmond.

"Because of the massive size of today's houses, two doors can provide a grandiose entry system," he said.

Another trend involves the wood choice itself. More people are turning from the traditional oak to maple and birch.

"Over the last couple of decades, oak was the wood of choice," said Randy Pugh, manager of Edmond Door & Plywood. "People are looking for a different style of wood now, and maple and birch offer a new, refreshing look and a totally different grain pattern."

Additionally, people are adding glass, especially beveled glass.

"Privacy is not an issue anymore because homes' layouts have changed," Pugh said. "It's not like the old days where people could look into the living room. Homes have large entries today."

Another trend is using a rustic or antique-look on the front door, said Kevin Howard, general operations manager for Classic Wood Products in Shawnee.

"Distressing and rusticating wood is an art form into itself," Howard said. "We can fake worming, wear patterns, and cracks and splits on a door."

Howard also said more people are adding carvings and moldings to their entryways.

"We're doing everything from letters to names to full scenic views," he said. "In Oklahoma and Texas, we're also seeing a lot of carvings based on faith and scripture."

Custom entryways range in cost, usually from $1,500 to $5,000, and can run up to $25,000 for an asymmetrical or unusually tall entry system. But the cost is worth it for some people.

"The front door is probably the least- used door in the house, but it certainly has the most say about the house and the people who live there," Howard said.

Back to Top