signs you need a new front door
A front door rarely fails all at once. It starts sticking in humid weather, the weatherstripping flattens, a draft shows up at the bottom, and one winter the deadbolt needs a shoulder to throw. Some of those are repairs. Some mean the door has reached the end of its useful life. This guide walks through the signs we look for on Massachusetts homes, which ones a repair solves, and when a new door is the better use of the money.
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Answer four quick questions and see a standard, premium and deluxe range. No email needed to see the price.
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★★★★★5/5replace the door when the problem is the door
Replace the door when the problem is in the door or frame itself: rot or soft wood, warping, a cracked or delaminating skin, a bent steel door, a frame that is out of square, or fogged glass. Repair it when the door is sound and the problem is at the edges: worn weatherstripping, a loose hinge, a sagging strike plate or a tired finish. If you are fixing the same door every year, replacement usually costs less over time.
what a new door costs
Door pricing depends on the style, the frame material and the glass. Answer four quick questions for a standard, premium and deluxe range. Every project is quoted after we measure the opening, and financing is available on every service we offer.
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ten signs it is time for a new front door
What we check first on a service call. Scroll through them.
You can feel a draft, or see daylight
Stand inside with the lights off on a bright day. Light around the edges or under the door means the seal is gone. New weatherstripping fixes a small gap on a straight door. A gap that changes along the edge means the door or the frame has moved, and no amount of foam tape will close it evenly.
It sticks, drags or will not latch
A door that rubs the jamb in summer and swings freely in winter is swelling and shrinking with the humidity, which wood doors do as their finish wears. A door that drags on the threshold or needs a lift to latch is usually sagging on its hinges or sitting in a frame that has settled. Hinge screws can be reset once. If the frame has moved, the fix is a new prehung unit.
Soft spots, rot or peeling at the bottom
Press a thumb into the bottom rail of the door and the lower few inches of the jamb and brickmould. Soft wood, bubbling paint or a dark stain means water has been getting in, usually from a failed sill or a storm door that traps rain. Rot in the frame means the frame is no longer holding the door, and it needs to be replaced along with the sill.
The door is warped or bowed
Lay a straightedge across the face. A wood or an older fiberglass door that has bowed will never seal again, because the weatherstripping is straight and the door is not. Warping is most common on doors that face south or west and take full sun.
Cracks, dents or a separating skin
Fiberglass doors can crack at the corners of the panels or around the glass. The skin on a cheap door can separate from the core, which shows up as a blister or a loose edge. Steel doors dent, and a dent that breaks the paint will rust. Cosmetic dents can live with a repaint; rust that has gone through cannot.
Fogged or leaking glass
Moisture between the panes of a glass insert means the seal on the insulated glass has failed. On many doors the glass insert can be swapped on its own. On older doors with glass set into the slab, replacing the door is often simpler and seals better.
Higher heating bills
A front door is a small part of the wall, but an old, uninsulated wood or hollow steel door with a failed seal leaks air all winter. If a draft test shows light and the door is more than twenty years old, a new insulated door makes a difference you can feel in the front hall.
Security worries
Hollow-core doors, short strike plates fastened with the original half-inch screws, a deadbolt with play in it, or a frame that splinters where the latch meets it are all weak points. A new prehung door comes with a reinforced strike, long screws into the framing and the option of a multi-point lock.
Constant maintenance
A wood door that needs to be sanded and refinished every couple of years to stay sealed is costing you time and money. Fiberglass holds a factory finish for years and does not need the same care.
It dates the house
Sometimes the door works and simply looks tired next to new siding, new windows or a new porch. The entry is the first thing a visitor and a buyer sees, and a new door is one of the quickest ways to update the front of a house.
Repair it when
- The door and frame are solid and only the weatherstripping, sweep or threshold is worn
- A hinge is loose and the door can be rehung square
- The finish is faded but the wood or fiberglass underneath is sound
- A glass insert has fogged and the manufacturer still makes the insert
Replace it when
- There is rot in the door, the jamb or the sill
- The door is warped, cracked or delaminating
- The frame is out of square and the door no longer seals evenly
- The door is uninsulated and the house is cold at the front
- You want sidelights, a different swing, a wider opening or a new style
what a new front door costs
Single entry door
Fiberglass, in a new insulated frame
- Standard
- $4,830
- Premium
- $5,445
- Deluxe
- $6,312
Entry with sidelights
One sidelight; two sidelights from $9,860
- Standard
- $6,280
- Premium
- $7,860
- Deluxe
- $8,820
Patio doors
Gliding from $8,860; French from $13,860
- Standard
- $8,860
- Premium
- $9,770
- Deluxe
- $10,950
What replacing a front door involves
We remove the old door and frame, check the sill and the rough opening for rot, repair what needs it, set a new prehung unit level and plumb, insulate and seal around it, and finish the exterior trim. Most front door replacements take one day. Older Massachusetts homes with out-of-square openings or non-standard sizes take more planning and sometimes a custom-size door, which we measure for during the estimate. The calculator above gives a planning range; the free estimate turns it into a measured quote. See our front door cost guide for what moves the price.
fiberglass, steel or wood?
Fiberglass resists dents and rot, insulates well and can look like wood. Steel is secure and costs less but dents and can rust where the paint is broken. Wood is beautiful and suits some historic homes, but needs refinishing to stay sealed. See our fiberglass vs steel comparison, our guide to the types of exterior doors, and what makes an entry door energy efficient.
how plum proexteriors handles a door call
We check the door, the frame and the sill, and tell you plainly whether it needs a repair or a replacement. If it is a replacement, you get a written quote that lists the door, the installation and any repairs, with door samples to choose from. ProVia doors carry a lifetime manufacturer warranty plus three years of labor coverage from Plum ProExteriors, and financing is available.
what our clients say
The owner is on site for every project, and when the job is done he asks every client the same question on camera: what do you think? These are their answers, at their own homes.
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frequently asked questions
How long does a front door last?
A quality fiberglass or steel door in a sound frame lasts thirty years or more. Wood doors last as long as their finish is kept up, which in New England weather means refinishing every few years.
Can I replace just the door and keep the frame?
If the frame is square, dry and solid, yes, a slab door can be hung in it. Most of the doors we replace are twenty or more years old, and the frame has usually settled or taken water, so a prehung unit gives a better seal.
Is a storm door a good idea?
In our climate a storm door adds protection and a second seal. On a dark door in full sun it can trap heat and warp the entry door, so we match the storm door to the door behind it.
Does a new front door need a permit?
Replacing a door in the same opening does not usually need a building permit in Massachusetts. Widening the opening or adding sidelights involves framing and may. We confirm with the town during the estimate.
Fiberglass or steel?
Fiberglass resists dents and rot, insulates well and can look like wood. Steel is secure and costs less but dents and can rust where the paint is broken.
Can the door swing the other way?
Yes, with a new prehung unit. That is one of the reasons to replace the frame rather than only the slab.
How much does a new front door cost?
A single entry door starts at $4,830 installed, a door with one sidelight at $6,280 and two sidelights at $9,860. Use the calculator on this page for your configuration, then book a free estimate.
get a free front door estimate
Call us or send the estimate form. We will check the door, the frame and the sill and tell you plainly whether it needs a repair or a replacement.
Call (508) 266-5411 Send the estimate form