The Cedar Porch Door

A custom front door for a home in East Sacramento's Fab 40s neighborhood: a solid sapele core clad in vertical-grain western red cedar, with a custom glass window. Designed and fabricated by PhillBuilt.

Custom western red cedar front door with a divided glass window on a white stucco home in the Fab 40s, Sacramento
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A warm front door for a crisp modern home

The house is white stucco with black windows, so the front door had to bring the warmth. Its western red cedar face ties into the cedar porch ceiling above it, so the door and the ceiling read as one material from the street.

How it's built

Cedar is beautiful outdoors but soft, so we don't rely on it for structure. The door has a solid sapele core, a dense, stable hardwood that keeps the slab flat and strong. The face is clad in vertical-grain western red cedar boards with crisp reveals between them, which gives the door its board-and-groove look without the movement problems of a true plank door.

The custom glass window

The small window is set into the boards so the reveals line up above and below it. A divided grid in the glass gives it a traditional feel that suits the Fab 40s, while the clean cedar face keeps the door modern.

Project details

  • Location: Fab 40s, East Sacramento
  • Core: solid sapele
  • Face: vertical-grain western red cedar boards with reveals
  • Glass: custom window with a divided grid
  • Scope: designed and fabricated by PhillBuilt

Planning a custom front door or other exterior woodwork? See our residential projects, luxury home millwork and the Sapele Library Wall.

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