Replacing a front door?

[Susie]

We replaced the front door on our last house, with a fiberglass ThermaTru door. We DIYed it and honestly, do not recommend.  We measured correctly, but the door was going into a brick facade, and the brick opening was like 1/16 or 1/8" too narrow so we had to sand down the brick to get the door in.  It was a mess.  I am guessing the original door was installed before the brick.  It was nice though to get the door painted, and the paint good and dry/cured, before we even thought about installation.

I'm thinking next year we're going to replace the front door on our new house, and I plan to hire that out.  

[Deleted]

We just did this last fall. Like Susie, we also DIY, but if you are not extremely handy, I would highly recommend against that. Our door was nearly 50 years old and we ended up replacing the entire frame. The house had settled and things weren't exactly level so it was a lot more involved than just popping it in. That said, I love our new Fiberglass door so much better than the steel door we use to have.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I replaced an exterior door that went from our basement to our back patio, so not a front door, but probably a similar process. I measured the door and went to Home Depot and talked to them about options. We replaced because our old door had a window in it that ds had broken with a golf ball, so we wanted a door with no windows, but the guy at home depot showed us plenty of options and materials. We picked a door on clearance that was in stock. It took a few weeks to schedule install even though the door was in stock. One guy showed up for install, and the process seemed intense because like pp said, even if the door is the right size, framing is still going to need to be adjusted. I do think it only took about an hour or two for install.

[tela]

We replaced our front door a couple of years ago. Double doors with side lights on both sides. We also added a double storm door. It is huge and heavy!

We had a professional put it in.

We got a Provia door, which we heard good things about. I believe it is fiberglass.  Solid wood is $$$.  Steel will dent easily.  I know they sell the brand at Lowe's (in our area). But we were referred by a neighbor to a wholesale/retail supplier where they had more options on site and then they referred us to an installer.

Doors are finicky and I would not DIY.

[macmars45]

My front door is mostly window and I hate it as it gets all the afternoon light. All of it. Also, it's my dream to have a red front door. I'm definitely hiring everything out when I get my new door.

[libbygrl109]

We had ours replaced when we moved into our house. We had a professional do it. I am OK with doing interior doors, but wanted nothing to do with exterior. We just got ours from either Lowes or HD. My parents installed an Anderson a few years ago. It is a very solid, well-insulated door, and the color has held up well.

[SusanBAnthony]

A couple additional things:

1. Think about the warranty on the paint and the plastic components... Especially if you want a dark or bright cor and have direct sun on your door.

2. Think about if you want air and water performance. IE many doors if you hit them with a driving rain, rain will come in. They sort of assume you'll have an overhang or porch.

[lo]

We have the same issues with our front doors. We have a double set of solid wood, a tiny vestibule, and then another set of solid wood with glass. They swell and stick sooo much. But I think they are original to the house, 1897, so probably would be like a million dollars to replace with something similar. They have been painted a lot over the years so I did give them a fresh coat.

[mrspez07]

We replaced our front and rear doors about 5 years ago and went with the smooth star line with Therma-Tru. They are fiberglass and glass. The front door also had a side light. It faces west and bakes in the late afternoon sun and looks as good as the day we bought it. It is under a porch which does protect it from a lot of the weather.
We ordered ours through a local lumber company that sells doors and windows and they had a list of handymen that they recommended and we used one we had previously worked with. Our house is a 1979 split level and the door wasn’t square, but they did a great job of getting it into the opening which is surrounded by brick.

ETA:

[MrsDarcy]

We just got a new door this year from Zen Windows (I think they’re national). It was pricy, but we’ve been very happy with it. It’s fiberglass. I looked into buying it myself and hiring someone, but I wanted to make sure it was done right. I got several quotes, some insanely high, but Zen was the lowest (but not cheap).

[ellipses84]

If you have a lot of similar houses in your neighborhood, ask around to find out where people bought them or who installed them. Whoever you get to install could come take a look and let you know if you need a new frame. You might want one due to the sticking / settling issues or you may be able to deal with the existing frame and a new door with better hardware and weather seals. A lot of old doors were very tight in the frame because they didn’t have the weather seals, which contributes to that issue.

[lessel]

We replaced our front door almost 2 years ago. It was a dated wood door with sidelights and we replaced it with a custom double door. I love it. The place we used was a former neighbor who does window/door, etc. installations and has a small company. They work with a local millwork place to do the doors. We had ordered a paint-grade wood (escaping my memory what kind) but there was a goof and they actually gave us a solid mahogany door. I'll try to ETA and post a before/after. If you're in the ATL area, I've got a rec for you. 😉

[tela]

Sept 22, 2021 9:40:13 GMT -5 lessel said:

We replaced our front door almost 2 years ago. It was a dated wood door with sidelights and we replaced it with a custom double door. I love it. The place we used was a former neighbor who does window/door, etc. installations and has a small company. They work with a local millwork place to do the doors. We had ordered a paint-grade wood (escaping my memory what kind) but there was a goof and they actually gave us a solid mahogany door. I'll try to ETA and post a before/after. If you're in the ATL area, I've got a rec for you. 😉


You're front door is gorgeous!