How much does it cost to replace an entry door?
A steel door lands near $1,200 installed, fibreglass near $2,300. The door is the easy number — the opening is where budgets move.
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The numbers at a glance
- Steel entry door, installed
- $600 – $2,000
- Fibreglass entry door
- $1,400 – $3,500
- Solid wood entry door
- $1,500 – $4,000
- With sidelights and transom
- $3,800 – $8,000
- Typical installation time
- 1 day
What an entry door replacement costs
Exterior doors are quoted installed, and the material is what separates the price bands. Steel is the value choice and the most common; fibreglass costs more and does not dent; solid wood costs the most and needs maintenance.
The size of the opening matters as much as the material. A single 36-inch door with no glazing is the baseline. Add a sidelight and the assembly roughly doubles; add a transom above it and you are in premium territory, because the header and framing change.
Interior doors are a different order of magnitude — $250 to $800 installed — and should not be priced from the same per-door average.
Installed cost by door type, 2026 national averages
| Door type | Installed cost | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Steel entry door | $600 – $2,000 | Foam-filled steel slab, R-5 to R-7, dents but does not crack |
| Fibreglass entry door | $1,400 – $3,500 | Moulded skin over a foam core, resists dents and moisture |
| Solid wood entry door | $1,500 – $4,000 | Repairable and paintable, needs refinishing every few years |
| Door with sidelights or transom | $3,800 – $8,000 | Wider opening, extra glass, header and framing work |
| Sliding patio door | $1,500 – $4,000 | Large glazed unit, track and sill replacement |
| French or double patio door | $2,000 – $5,000 | Two operating slabs, wider opening, more hardware |
Prices assume a like-for-like opening. Widening or moving a door is a framing and lintel job, priced separately.
Where the money goes
On a straightforward swap, the door system is most of the invoice. What separates a good job from a cheap one is what the contractor finds — and charges for — once the old door is out.
Rotted jamb feet and soft subfloor are the two most common discoveries at an exterior door, because that is exactly where water has been sitting for twenty years.
Share of a typical entry door replacement
| Component | Share | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Door system | 50 – 65% | Slab, frame, glass, hardware, threshold, weatherstripping |
| Installation labour | 20 – 30% | Removal, setting, shimming, insulating, fastening |
| Opening repairs | 5 – 20% | Jamb feet, subfloor, casing, exterior trim |
| Finishing | 5 – 10% | Paint or stain, interior casing, caulk |
| Disposal and permit | 2 – 5% | Hauling, permit where the opening changes |
A quote that does not mention opening repairs is not necessarily cheaper — it is just unfinished.
- The slab: steel, fibreglass or wood, insulated or not, glazed or solid.
- The frame: a pre-hung unit includes the jamb, which is what makes a straight install possible.
- Hardware: a deadbolt rated ANSI Grade 1 and a reinforced strike plate cost little and matter most.
- Threshold and weatherstripping: the parts that stop air and water, and the first to be skipped.
- Finishing: exterior paint or stain protects the door; interior casing hides the gap.
A worked example: fibreglass door with one sidelight
A 1990s steel door, dented and draughty, replaced by an insulated fibreglass door with one sidelight. The opening stays the same size, which keeps this a one-day job.
36 in fibreglass entry door with one sidelight, pre-hung
Priced at national averages, including the repair work found once the old frame came out.
- Door system with sidelightInsulated fibreglass slab, frame, glass, hardware
- $1,450
- Installation labourRemoval, setting, shimming, insulation, fastening
- $650
- Rotted jamb and subfloor repairBoth jamb feet and a section of sill
- $380
- Interior casing and paintNew casing both sides, two coats
- $290
- Threshold and weatherstrippingAdjustable sill, full perimeter seal
- $140
- DisposalOld door and frame hauled away
- $90
$3,000 — installed, repair work included
Add a 10% contingency ($300) for what the wall hides, and budget $3,300. That is mid-range for fibreglass with glazing, and well below a premium entry system with sidelights on both sides.
Slab, pre-hung, or a full opening rebuild
These three options are routinely confused, and the difference decides whether the job takes one day or three.
A slab swap keeps the existing frame. A pre-hung unit brings a new frame with it and is the normal choice for replacement. A full opening rebuild removes the frame and rebuilds the rough opening — required when the frame is rotten, the opening is being resized, or the wall itself is damaged.
Which job you are actually buying
| Slab only | Pre-hung unit | Opening rebuild | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Existing frame | Kept | Removed and replaced | Rebuilt |
| Typical cost | Slab plus $250 – $600 | $600 – $4,000 | Above the door price, plus carpentry |
| Time on site | Half a day | 1 day | 2 – 3 days |
| Right when | Frame sound, hinge positions match | Normal replacement | Rot, new size, new wall |
A slab only fits if the hinge and lock positions match the new door — check before ordering, because most do not.
Security and efficiency: what actually matters
A door is the weakest point in an exterior wall, in both senses. On security, the lock and the frame around it decide almost everything; on efficiency, the door core and the seals do.
An insulated foam core gives an R-value of roughly 5 to 7, which is comparable to a mid-range window. A storm door adds another insulating layer and protects the finish, at a fraction of the cost of a premium door.
- Insist on an ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt, and a strike plate fixed with screws long enough to reach the framing.
- Reinforce the hinge side too — most forced entries are at the lock or the jamb, not the panel.
- Check the R-value of the slab; a solid wood door without a core is a poor insulator.
- Low-E glass in a glazed door reduces heat loss and fading on furniture near the entry.
- A storm door is the cheapest efficiency upgrade, and it protects an expensive finish.
- Adjust the threshold and weatherstripping once a year — a draughty door is usually a maintenance issue, not a product one.
How long an entry door replacement takes
The installation is short. Ordering and finishing are what stretch the schedule.
Measure and order
1 – 2 days
Opening width, height, wall thickness and swing direction all recorded.
Manufacturing lead time
3 – 8 weeks
Stock sizes ship fast; custom colours, sizes and glazing run longer.
Removal and installation
4 – 8 hours
A same-size swap is a one-day job including clean-up.
Insulation, sealing and hardware
2 – 4 hours
Foam, caulk, threshold adjustment, deadbolt alignment.
Paint or stain and casing
1 – 2 days
Exterior finish protects the door; interior casing finishes the job.
Total from order to finished: one to three months, mostly waiting for the unit to be built.
The six most expensive entry door mistakes
Every one of these turns a one-day swap into a multi-day repair.
Buying a slab for a rotted frame
If the jamb feet are soft, a new slab hangs on rotten wood. Replace the whole unit and fix the sill while it is open.
Ignoring the rough opening
A pre-hung unit needs a square, correctly sized opening. Forcing one in leaves gaps that no amount of caulk seals.
Getting the handing wrong
Left-hand or right-hand inswing is decided by which side the hinges sit on when you face the door from outside. Order it wrong and you pay a restocking fee.
Skipping the threshold and weatherstripping
These are the cheapest parts of the job and the ones that decide whether the entry is draughty and damp in a year.
Cheap hardware on an expensive door
A Grade 3 lock on a $3,000 door is the weakest link. Spend the difference on a Grade 1 deadbolt and a reinforced strike.
Forgetting the finishing budget
Casing, paint and caulk are 5% to 10% of the job and are what make it look finished. They are frequently left off the quote.
Before you order an entry door
Walk the opening with the installer and write the answers down.
- Measure the opening in three places: width, height and wall thickness.
- Confirm the handing — which side the hinges are on from outside.
- Decide slab, pre-hung or opening rebuild, and get it in writing.
- Check the frame and sill for rot before ordering anything.
- Confirm the door core and R-value, and the glass specification if glazed.
- Specify an ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt and a reinforced strike plate.
- Agree who paints or stains, and whether it is in the price.
- Confirm disposal of the old unit and the final payment terms.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to replace an exterior door?
A steel entry door runs about $600 to $2,000 installed, fibreglass $1,400 to $3,500 and solid wood $1,500 to $4,000. Most homeowners land near $1,200 for steel and $2,300 for fibreglass, assuming the opening stays the same size.
How long does it take to replace an entry door?
A same-size replacement takes four to eight hours on site. Allow one to three months from order to completion, because the unit is usually built to measure after you sign.
Do I need a permit to replace a front door?
A like-for-like swap in the same opening usually does not need a permit. If the opening is widened, the header changes, or the door is moved, a permit and inspection are normally required — confirm with your local building department.
Is a steel or fibreglass door better?
Steel is cheaper and stronger but dents and can rust where the paint fails. Fibreglass costs more, does not dent, and handles humidity better. For a covered entry either works; for an exposed one, fibreglass holds up longer.
Can I replace just the door slab?
Yes, if the existing frame is sound and the hinge and lock positions match the new slab. In practice most replacement slabs need the frame modified, which is why a pre-hung unit is usually the better buy.
Does a new front door add value to a house?
Yes. Entry door replacement is consistently one of the highest-return exterior projects in national cost-versus-value surveys, largely because it is inexpensive and highly visible from the street.
Where these numbers come from
Ranges are national averages for 2026, installed, for a like-for-like opening. Custom sizes, structural changes and premium hardware are quoted separately.
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