Many homes are built with uncovered exterior doors that open onto the main living space. That's a shame. Not only does a sheltered entry provide a needed transition between inside and outside, but it's also a place to kick the snow and mud from your shoes and to stay dry while you're fumbling with the lockset in a rainstorm. One reason so few homes have good entries is the perceived cost of a quality job. But as this entry that I built a few years back in Cambridge, Mass., shows, it's easy to build an attractive entry with stock materials from the local lumberyard. The frame was a model of simplicity. The gable end rested on
