Here's the mistake almost everyone makes: they pick the door first. They see a carriage-style door with glass inserts online, fall in love with it, maybe even get a quote, and only then find out their HOA doesn't allow that finish on their street, or that swapping styles triggers a permit they didn't budget time for. It's tempting because the style is the fun part — it's the part you can picture on your house. The paperwork is boring, so it gets pushed to "we'll figure that out later." Later is usually the week the old door breaks and you need a replacement fast.