David Armstrong, sales manager of The London Door Company, says people living in period properties often have problems when buying off-the-peg doors. “A row of Victorian terraced housing may all look the same, but it is likely they were built at different times and by different builders. Door openings weren’t standardised until the Fifties when the size of a modern house started to be measured in multiples of metric bricks. Before this, imperial bricks were used, 28 bricks being the normal height of a front door.”Which is why if you go into a DIY store to buy a door you’ll find nothing fits.

If you do buy one you will end up having to have the frame built out. And when looking for an original door from a salvage yard you can find yourself on an endless quest. You may find the right width, but chances are it is the wrong height, or the wood has been so weakened by the removal of previous locks that it is not suitable.Unlike the oddly proportioned off-the-peg doors commonly available, the classic Victorian front door has four rectangular panels (the top two are often glazed and if they’re really swanky, have stained glass) with the letter box dropped a few inches so that the upper half of the door is longer than the bottom half. And yet despite the obvious appeal of these handsome doors – and the number of properties from this period – it is almost impossible to buy a replacement.So where do you go for a new door in this classic style? You could try the Yellow Pages, and House and Garden magazine has a useful website which lists a broad selection of doormakers. Companies such as Piper Products in Ashford, Kent, and Bradford and Sestini in Newark, Nottinghamshire will help you find the door you are after, based on criteria such as the age of the property, materials and finish. The average price at Bradford and Sestini is £800.The London Door Company, which works within the M25 on mainly Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian properties, also offers a bespoke door-fitting service.

A hardwood one costs £500, but when you add glass, locks and fitting you are looking at £1,500 to £2,000. Mr Armstrong says many clients live in listed buildings so are restricted in what they can have. However, modern houses often have no such restrictions and individuality can flourish. “People refurbishing houses with modern interiors often want a very modern front door,” he says.

“Maple is very popular; it’s pale and interesting and has a cool look.”But if this all sounds too expensive and the DIY store door (which can cost as little as £125) seems your only option, take heart. With a bit of ingenuity, and effort, it is possible to do something cheaper, and original. John and Lisa Dempsey moved into their Victorian house in north London two years ago. The front of the house had been rebuilt in the Forties with red brick and the windows replaced, but the front door looked cheap and unattractive.When they looked around salvage yards for vintage Victorian doors, they found several lovely ones for around £100 but soon realised they would look out of character on their house. “We’d have had to do the whole front, not just the door,” Mrs Dempsey says. “That would mean putting back original sash windows; otherwise it would be a bit like getting new shoes but keeping the same old duffel coat.”The Dempseys decided on something more modern.