Differences Between Our Builder and Designer Series at Walston Door Company in Kansas City

Getting to Know What Makes These Custom Barn Doors Distinct

Most of our customers are not seasoned pros when it comes to custom barn doors. In fact, the majority of the people who we work with here at Walston Architectural Products are first-timers. That means that we do quite a bit of education at our shop and through our website.

We answer questions like:

“Are custom barn doors difficult to install?”

“What are the advantages of a custom barn door over a regular door?”

And: “Will a custom barn door increase my home’s value?”

As a door company in Kansas City who has been designing and handcrafting barn doors for several years, we can tell you that these products aren't as complex as you may think. They are indeed easy to install and provide several advantages compared to conventional doors. And yes, they will increase your home’s value because the right ones - like the ones we design and build - are considered a luxury home upgrade.

However, when we get deep into the weeds of barn door designs and how they compare against each other, it can be a little confusing. Some of our barn doors look very similar to each other, but are listed for different prices.

To give you some insight on our products, let’s compare our builder series and designer series of custom barn doors.

Builder Series Custom Barn Door Styles

Walston Architectural Products currently carries three different styles in the builder series, which all have a modern feel to them. They include:

• Horizontal plank door
• Painted geometric door
• Painted reeded door

Although the builder series only features three barn door styles, what you need to keep in mind is that we do offer customization options for the size, hardware, and other attributes.

Here are some other key things to know about the builder series of custom barn doors:

• Lower cost when compared to designer series (doors start at $450)
• Doors are primed and in stock; they’re not fully finished, but are ready to be
• Customers can pick up from Walston Architectural Products in Kansas City or have shipped within 3 to 5 business days (with rush delivery available)

Designer Series Custom Barn Door Styles

Our designer series of doors comes in eight distinct barn door styles, most of which have a modern or geometric feel to them. They include:

• Modern slat sliding door
• Painted geometric door
• Painted modern slat door
• Painted fluted door
• Painted logo door (great for businesses)
• Painted reeded door
• Spaced chevron barn door
• Painted horizontal plank barn door

The price range of the designer series is a little bit higher compared to the builder series. Doors in the designer series start in the $400 to $750 range; however, there is a reason for the difference in price. The most notable reason is that doors in the designer series are fully finished and ready for installation. Additionally, they offer far more ways to customize. You’ll have full control over the wood grain species, paint/stain color, size, and hardware style. This gives you the ability to let your creativity run wild.

If you can swing it - no pun intended - we highly recommend choosing a door from the designer series. You’re going to get far more customization options that will add value and style to your home.

Contact Walston Architectural Products in Kansas City to Kick Off Your Custom Barn Door Project

Now that you know the difference between the builder series and designer series, you can kick off your search for your perfect custom barn door with confidence. It's also worth noting that we have an additional series of doors known as the premium series, which are the cream-of-the-crop in the barn door world. You'll get even more barn door designs and customization options to choose from with this collection.

Need a little assistance choosing your custom barn door? Feel free to set up a one-on-one consultation with us at our shop so that we can walk you through all of our products and lock in on the one or two that will be a perfect fit for your space and interior design scheme. Sometimes seeing the products in person is the best way to make a decision.

Have more questions about custom barn doors or the installation process? Contact us directly via our contact form, or call us at (816) 726-3841. The world of barn doors is new to most people, so we'll be more than happy to answer all of your questions and talk to you about your options.