DIY dutch doors on a budget.

By emily.bailey

Monday, September 20, 2021

We want to help you achieve the dutch door look for less! Here are some of our favorite DIY projects.

It's no surprise that dutch doors are a popular design choice for traditional and modern styles alike. They offer a charming way to add a little more character to your home while maintaining utility and providing lots of value. You can read more about the benefits of dutch door styles here. If you want to add a dutch door to your home while keeping your project on budget, we can help you achieve the look for less! Here are some of our favorite dutch door DIYs and a few tips for getting the look just right.

DIY dutch door

Taking an existing interior door and adding a little DIY sweat and skill is a great way to save several hundred dollars. HGTV put together a thorough tutorial for this interior upgrade to help you get the look and functionality for way less.

Exterior dutch door

Just like with interior doors, you can take an existing front door and give it new life as a dutch door. Would you believe this project from This Old House only cost $63 to complete?! By adding a few details where the door is halved, you can keep this project from looking like you just...you know...sliced a door in half.

Juniper Home turned a standard door into a beautiful backyard feature. It’s as stunning from the kitchen inside as it is from the patio outside. We’re probably a bit biased, but those Schlage® Siena door knobs really help complete the look, too.

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Split doors for sheds

A gardening shed, backyard office or other ADU could be the perfect place for you to install a dutch door. Because these sheds often don’t have A/C, natural air flow is important. Nitty Gritty Dirt Man now has somewhere he can store his tools and work in comfort.

When Twelve on Main built their own greenhouse, they included a dutch door for the same reasons.

Dutch ... or French? ... Doors

If one is nice, two must be even better, right? Double dutch doors make a striking entrance. With these examples from Rasmusen Painting and Design and Houzz, you can easily see how a pair of dutch doors works for different styles of homes, from modern farmhouse to coastal cool.

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DIY dutch barn door

Feeling like putting your carpentry skills to use? Check out this DIY from Remodelaholic and get all the steps you need to create your own rustic, dutch barn door.

Dutch doors with details

Don't forget the charming shelf on the lower half of your dutch door. Get all the tips and tricks from Skaie of HomeJelly. If this is a project you'd rather not DIY, she has wonderful advice for working with a professional (and still saving a little dough!).

Shelves are traditional for half doors, but there’s no reason you should stop there. Add windows or frosted glass, faux paneling or shiplap. Nearly any of these budget-friendly ideas for a hollow core door upgrade would work, especially on an interior dutch door. And if you have an arch-topped door? Embrace the architectural detail and highlight it with a round dutch door like we see in this example from Southern Studio.

Screens with style

If the fear of bugs and other unwanted pests are keeping you from your dutch door dreams, consider adding a retractable screen. They are often secured by magnets and can retract from top to bottom or side-to-side for taller doors. When not in use, they are inconspicuous enough to not detract from the look of your dutch door, unlike most bulky screen doors.

This next one might not be the kind of screen you were expecting, but if you’re a pet owner, you know it’s a great dutch door design idea. Try installing a screen on the bottom half of your door like Better Homes & Gardens. That way, dogs can still see you through the pet screen even if you’ve had to put them in a mudroom or other area while you’re busy. Now you can make dinner without your pup getting underfoot or stressing out because you aren’t together.

Creative Paint Jobs

Don't be afraid to get a little creative with your paint choice for your dutch doors. Consider painting the exterior a different color to add an interesting pop when the door swings inward. This can be a great way to create a cohesive look between two spaces as you consider a shade that complements both.

Dutch Door Hardware

The split nature of the door is usually the main attraction when you decide to make your own dutch door. Even though you can open the top to let in the light and breeze, you still need to be able to secure your home. Choosing the right door hardware for your dutch door is vital. In Home Depot’s DIY dutch door tutorial, they installed the Schlage Encode™ Smart WiFi Deadbolt (and then apparently had pie). What’s not to love!

Just as you would with any door hardware, choose a style and finish that perfectly complements the rest of the home. Dutch doors might trend on the traditional side of architecture, but hardware is an easy way to give it a more modern update like we see with this bold yellow door and dark handleset.

There are so many great reasons to consider dutch doors for your home. Find everything you need for these DIY projects and more at the Schlage blog and Pinterest.