Home Entry Door Cover Project Plans & Ideas

A home entry door covering, also called an overhang, enhances a home's curb appeal as well as provides protection for your front door. You have a variety of design options and material choices for creating an entry door cover.

Wooden Overhang

Homes with wood detail or those constructed of wood look attractive with a wooden overhang. The entry cover can mimic the angles and design of the existing roof down to the trim and the shingles. You have two options for the installation process: Install it as a free-standing roof if it is small enough, or support the front end with wooden columns. This technique creates a subtle, but functional overhang. Start the project by determining how much of the door you need to protect from the elements. Using "X" as the distance from the bottom of the overhang to the bottom of the door and "Y" for the overhang protection needed, calculate Y=1/2(X). Use the number you find for "Y" for the distance from the home to the end of the overhang.

Shelf Border

An entry door cover that does not require a lot of planning or work is a simple shelf-like border. You can line your door with a basic trim, and line the top with a deep trim that looks similar to a shelf you hang inside the home. This overhang option allows you to paint it any color you want, but using a complementary color to your home's outer décor helps the border blend into the home's architecture. Planning for this project requires you to measure your door frame and seek trim with matching dimensions.

Built-in Cover

If you are designing your home from scratch, you have the opportunity to build your front door entry cover into your home's structure, which is an ideal situation if your home is constructed of stone. The benefit of this method is that you can make the overhang any shape or style you want. For instance, if you choose a round door, you can outline the entire door with an overhang as deep as you want. The same idea applies to square doors. Extend the front door cover as deep as you want to create a porch-like entryway. Work closely with your architect to illustrate these plans and ensure the measurements create a structurally sound door cover.