On Wed, 12 Nov 2014, Brooklyn1 wrote:

On Tue, 11 Nov 2014 21:52:07 -0500, Don Wiss wrote:
They are better looking now. I removed those brass sheets at the bottom
that were covering over damaged wood. I had wood veneered over the damage.

Those brass kick plates protect the door bottoms (why the door bottoms
were damaged under the metal),

All of the lower portion of the doors around here get damaged from the
snow. It piles up against the bottom of the door. Remember the doors here
are all over 100 years old. For example, my house was built in 1891.

The doors open out. There are real original kick plates on the inside. But
kick plates would never be on the side of a door that opens out.

One could make them look better, but they would still be wrong and
inappropriate for the outside of our doors. Inlaying a piece of matching
veneer is the only right way to handle the situation.

And I removed the metal plates that were surrounding the locks. And the
not-in-use brass doorbell was removed and the stone filled in. (There is
now an intercom.)

The locks and estuchion plates could have easily been antiqued to
match the door handles... the lock estuchions protect the wood from
being scratched/gouged by keys swinging on a ring... those plates also
add secrurity, makes it much more difficult to jimmy the lock bolt.

I don't use a key ring. I only carry a single key. The plates were replaced
by circular security rings. If someone wanted to break in they would break
the glass. But a break-in at the top of the stoop is rather visible. Any
breakins that take place would be under the stoop, where they can kick the
door in unseen.

Is there some sort of canapy/awning protecting the wood from the
elements?

No.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).