Entry door replacement cost
Replacing a front door costs $400 to $3,500 installed depending on material. The labour is the same either way, so most of the spread is the door itself.
National average
$1,900
per each
Replacing a front door costs $400 to $3,500 installed depending on material, with a fiberglass entry door, the most common choice, running $1,200 to $3,500. A steel door is $400 to $1,400. Add sidelights, a transom or decorative glass and a single opening reaches $3,800 to $8,000.
Most of that spread is the door itself. The labour is four to six hours either way, $350 to $800, and it is the same work whether the slab costs $300 or $3,000.
Cost by material
| Material | Installed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Steel | $400 to $1,400 | Cheapest, dents and cannot be sanded out, rusts if the skin is breached |
| Fiberglass | $1,200 to $3,500 | The default. Does not warp, rot or dent, takes a wood-grain finish convincingly |
| Solid wood | $875 to $3,500 | Genuine article, needs refinishing every few years, warps if unprotected |
| Wood with glass | $2,000 to $6,000 | Higher end, more maintenance |
| Full entry system with sidelights | $3,800 to $8,000 | Door, frame, sidelights, transom, all as one unit |
Fiberglass is what most people should buy. It has a foam core so it insulates better than wood or hollow steel, it does not move with the seasons, and the good ones have a moulded grain that reads as wood from a few feet away.
Steel is the value choice and the right one for a side door, a garage entry or a rental. It insulates well and it is secure. Its weakness is that a dent is permanent, and a scratch through the skin rusts.
Wood is chosen because someone wants wood. It is beautiful, it needs a good overhang and refinishing every three to five years, and in direct sun and rain it will not stay beautiful without that attention.
Slab against prehung
A slab is the door alone. It hangs on the existing frame and hinges, and it works only when that frame is square, sound and standard. Cheaper, $150 to $400 in labour, but any out-of-square frame means the new door will never close properly.
A prehung unit is the door already hung in a new frame, with the jamb, the threshold and the weatherstripping. It is what almost every replacement should be, because the frame and the threshold are usually where the draughts and the rot are.
Nearly all the prices above are prehung. If a quote is unusually cheap, check which one it is.
What actually keeps the weather out
A front door leaks air at four places, and none of them is the door.
The threshold. Adjustable thresholds exist for a reason. If light shows under a closed door, it needs adjusting, and that is free.
The weatherstripping. Compression seal around the jamb. It hardens and takes a set over about ten years. Replacing it is $20 and half an hour.
The gap between the frame and the rough opening. This should be filled with low-expansion foam and covered. On many houses it is stuffed with fibreglass batt, which stops nothing.
The flashing above the door. Water runs down the wall and needs to be directed out over the head of the frame. Missing head flashing is the reason door frames rot from the top.
A $2,500 door installed without attention to these four is worse than a $600 door installed with it. When comparing quotes, ask specifically about flashing and foam.
Does a new front door pay for itself
Front door replacement consistently reports one of the highest cost recovery figures of any home improvement project, and a steel entry door in particular often shows a return above 90% at resale. Treat those figures with some care, they come from a small, cheap, highly visible project, but the direction is right: it is a lot of visual change for a modest sum.
The energy saving is minor. One door in a house of walls and windows is a small share of the envelope. Replace a front door because it is rotten, draughty, insecure or ugly, not to cut the heating bill.
Security worth paying for
- A deadbolt with a one inch throw, into a strike plate fixed with three inch screws that reach the framing, not just the jamb
- A reinforced strike plate, $15, which is the highest-value security upgrade in this article
- Laminated or reinforced glass where glass is within reach of the lock
- Hinges on the inside, or with non-removable pins if outside
Most forced entries through a front door split the jamb, not the door. The screws matter more than the lock.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take?
Four to six hours for a standard prehung entry door. A full day or more for a system with sidelights and a transom, or where the opening has to be resized.
Do I need a permit?
Usually not for a like-for-like replacement in the existing opening. Changing the size of the opening is structural and normally does.
Can I install it myself?
A prehung door is within reach for a careful DIYer with a level and patience, and it is unforgiving of impatience: a door that is not plumb will not latch, and one that is not flashed will rot the framing. The saving is $350 to $800.
What about the storm door?
A storm door is $250 to $700 installed. It is worth it over a wood door for protection from weather, and it is best avoided over a dark fiberglass or steel door in direct sun, where trapped heat between the two can distort the finish. Manufacturers publish this restriction and warranties depend on it.
Should I match the back door?
If they are visible from the same place, yes. Otherwise no: back and side doors are the right place to fit a cheaper steel unit and put the money into the front.
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