Front door - plastic or aluminum

I also tend towards aluminum based on feeling. We do have plastic windows with a wood look, and the plastic door can be supplied in the same design (foil), but I think that windows and the front door are two different 'objects'.

I am known to see it the same way, which is why I always recommend choosing aluminum for large and strip elements, even if otherwise you think PVC is good enough for building components. But front doors, lift-and-slide doors, and the like are indeed in a league of their own—due to weight and/or size.

If all goes well, I will have pictures of installed Köster aluminum doors (MS 08) in the next few days.

I'm curious ... :)

Hi, they showed us the power connection, I think it was inside, about halfway up on the side with the hinges. We combine the motor lock (Auto-Tronic) with a doorbell system (Turm.tech) with camera, doorbell, fingerprint (optional modules with code lock etc. available)

Fortunately, there are two outlets near the front door from which power could be taken. Unfortunately, they are on the handle side and not on the hinge side. When we renovated, I had considered running power to the hinge side :(. Maybe you can also choose the "power side"? Otherwise, the power line would have to be routed once around the top of the door. In the end, that wouldn’t be so bad since the wall with the front door is not very large and would then be completely redone.

We combine the motor lock (Auto-Tronic) with a doorbell system (Turm.tech) with camera, doorbell, fingerprint (optional modules with code lock etc. available)

Since the appearance and quality of the front door are important to me, I tend towards BFD and Multi-Tronic. However, I don’t want to overdo it either. Are there significant differences between Auto-Tronic and Multi-Tronic? Multi-Tronic is fully electric and Auto-Tronic half electric? Since the house will soon be renovated on the outside, I would like to keep the option open to install a new doorbell system with camera etc. then.

mEa is mainly there to unlock the motor. In Auto-Tronic, the door locks correctly (from an insurance point of view). That's why the motor (in Auto-Tronic) is quite inexpensive compared to other providers. I can control it however I want, after all, it's just about short-circuiting 2 contacts ;) The method used (smart home, button, etc.) doesn't really matter in the end

Somehow, manually closing and opening a door still seems like a very good alternative to me. Apart from the benefit of a nice gadget, I don't see any cost-benefit advantage. I'd rather hang some art on the wall.

Somehow, manually closing and opening a door still seems to me a very good alternative. Apart from the benefit of a nice gimmick, I don't see any cost-benefit.

Well ... of course, one could see it as a "gimmick" to equip a front door with a fingerprint scanner and possibly an electric (remote) opener – that is, with a door motor that also opens and closes the front door (not just locks and unlocks it!) This gimmick would cost about €2,000 with Multi-Tronic. After all, in many cars nowadays, "Keyless-Go" (opening and starting the car without having to hold a key in your hand) is standard, and I find it very practical. I also no longer want to miss the automatic dimming of the (LED) high beams and the speed-dependent cruise control in the car.
Of course, it would also work without this "fancy stuff" – both for the front door and for the car ... :)

I buy cars used, not more expensive than three months' income, and simply replace them if they break down. I don't bother with that, and the mentioned [Schnickschnack] is already included. It's a convenience effect. For the house, I assume a different holding period.