A transom window above your front door
Use the space above your entry for daylight and a design that connects with the door below. Our solid wood exterior transoms are made to your dimensions, with insulated glass, custom framing, and rectangular or curved profiles.
A transom is a glazed panel above the door. It can bring light into the entry while allowing you to choose a door with less glass at eye level. In a tall opening, it also lets the door and the upper glazing have separate proportions.
An exterior transom can span a single door, a pair, or the full width of a door-and-sidelight arrangement. We can build it as one continuous transom or in sections to suit the design. The overall height and the amount of wood between the panes affect how open or detailed it looks.
Connect the shape and glass divisions to the entry
A rectangular transom can continue the straight lines of nearby windows. An arched, round, or elliptical top can follow a shaped opening or introduce a curve above a square-top door. Start with the opening’s profile, then consider how the divisions within the glass relate to the woodwork below.
When the entry includes exterior sidelights, transom divisions can line up with their framing. A simpler upper layout may suit a more detailed door; repeating selected lines can connect the pieces without repeating every panel. Our entrance units let you plan the complete arrangement together.
Insulated glass in a solid wood frame
Our exterior transoms use solid wood construction with a standard 1¾-inch thickness and insulated tempered glass. Low-E, argon-filled, and decorative glass choices are available depending on the design. Clear glass admits light and a view of the sky or porch roof, while patterned glass changes the view through the upper opening.
African Mahogany is our standard wood, a durable option whose grain can coordinate with the door beneath it. We can help evaluate other species for the entry’s exposure. Transoms arrive unfinished, with guidance for sealing and finishing the wood before installation.
Specify the transom for your opening
Transoms are available as separate components or framed with a jamb. Custom jamb widths, optional brick molding, and interior casing packages help you plan the surrounding trim. For an existing shaped opening, measurements or a template may be needed to establish the profile.
Choose a design above to customize your exterior transom online. Our craftspeople can help with the dimensions, glass arrangement, or connection to the rest of the entry. For uses between rooms or above a screen and storm door, explore our other transom collections.
Unsure if this the style you’re looking for? Visit our Door Buyer's Guide to Architectural Styles.
