Edinburgh specific terms

Main Door

A main door is a private street-level entrance serving an individual flat or home, a term commonly used in Edinburgh to distinguish properties with their own entrance from flats accessed through a shared stair.

In Edinburgh property terminology, a main door generally refers to a home with its own private external entrance rather than one reached through the communal stair of a tenement or divided townhouse. The term is particularly familiar in descriptions of traditional Edinburgh flats, where a property may be described as a main-door flat.

Main-door properties can be found across many of Edinburgh’s Georgian and Victorian neighbourhoods and within traditional tenement buildings. Depending on the property, the entrance may include original stone steps, a panelled timber door, fanlight, decorative ironmongery, vestibule or internal entrance hall.

When renovating a period main-door property, original entrance joinery and architectural details can form an important part of its character. Work may involve repairing or replacing doors, restoring timberwork, upgrading security and draught proofing, or altering the internal layout immediately beyond the entrance.

Property types

Commonly found in

Georgian Flat Basement Flat Main-door Flat Terraced House Victorian Villa Tenement

More ways we can help

BUILDING & RENOVATION SERVICES IN EDINBURGH

From full property renovations and structural alterations to kitchen and bathroom installations, loft conversions and bespoke joinery, explore our building services across Edinburgh. Every project is personally managed by Martin Johnstone, coordinating the specialist trades involved from start to finish.