door installation in cambridge, ma
Entry, storm and patio doors for Cambridge's Victorians, triple-deckers, rowhouses and condos, fitted to openings that were framed a century ago and sealed for the winter. Fiberglass, steel and wood.
price your doors in seconds
Answer a few quick questions and see a standard, premium and deluxe range with our installed prices. No email needed to see the price.
our achievements
★★★★★5/5 · 170+ reviews
★★★★★5/5
★★★★★5/5
★★★★★5/5
★★★★★5/5
★★★★★5/5
★★★★★5/5the short answer
A new entry door in Cambridge starts at $4,830 installed for a single fiberglass door, $6,280 with one sidelight and $9,860 with two. Gliding patio doors start at $8,860 and French doors at $13,860. Wood adds $1,600 per door, steel takes $400 off, and triple insulated glass adds $450. Every price includes removal of the old door, a new pre-hung unit set plumb in the opening, insulation and sealing, new weatherstripping and threshold, hardware and lead-safe work on the old painted trim. Rot in the sill or subframe is quoted as a separate repair when we find it, and you decide before we proceed.
doors for the way cambridge is built
Victorian and Queen Anne entries
Mid-Cambridge, Avon Hill, Baldwin and the Brattle neighborhood have tall openings, often seven feet or more, with transoms, sidelights and heavy casings. A standard door does not fit. We order pre-hung units to the opening, with transoms and sill extensions where the original had them, and in wood or fiberglass with a wood-grain finish that holds up next to original trim. In a historic or conservation district, the street-facing door is reviewed, and a solid wood or paneled fiberglass door that matches the original configuration is usually the answer.
Triple-decker common entries
Cambridgeport, East Cambridge, The Port and North Cambridge three-deckers have a shared front entry that takes the most abuse in the building: deliveries, moving days, a buzzer that gets slammed. Those get fiberglass or steel doors with multi-point locks, commercial-grade closers and glass that lets light into the hall. Where the building code or the association calls for a fire-rated door between the common hall and a unit, we install rated units. Rear unit doors and porch doors on each floor are usually replaced at the same time.
Patio and porch doors
Rear decks and three-decker porches open through gliding or French doors that take weather from the side. Gliding doors fit where a swing would hit furniture; French doors give the full opening and a traditional look. Both come in fiberglass, vinyl or clad wood with low-E insulated glass, and triple glass is worth the $450 on a door facing north or a busy street. Our sliding vs French patio doors guide covers the trade-offs.
Storm doors
A full-view or ventilating storm door protects a wood entry door and adds a layer against the wind. We install them on new and existing entries, with the hardware and sweep sized to the sill.
a cambridge victorian porch, rebuilt the way it was meant to be
A full porch restoration on a Victorian in Cambridge, built with Bespoke Companies. Every piece of the porch was rebuilt in the right material for its job: ipe decking underfoot, cedar railings, new columns, a tongue-and-groove ceiling and the frieze boards that give a Victorian porch its character.
The deck surface is ipe, a dense hardwood that handles New England weather without the maintenance of painted fir. The columns and railings are new, with the railings built in cedar to match the original profiles. Overhead we installed a tongue-and-groove ceiling with decorative brackets and new frieze boards along the roofline. The porch ties into new cedar siding and copper gutters, so the whole front of the house reads as one piece again.
- Decking
- Ipe hardwood
- Railings
- Cedar, built to match the original profiles
- Columns
- New columns with decorative brackets
- Ceiling
- Tongue-and-groove with new frieze boards
- Exterior
- Cedar siding and copper gutters
want this done on your house?
Book the free estimate. We come out, look at the whole job, and give you a written quote for the work you want done.
Call (508) 266-5411 Book a free estimatewhat makes cambridge door work different
- Old openings. Settled frames are rarely plumb or square. We shim and set the new unit true inside the opening rather than forcing the opening to the door.
- Lead paint. Painted casings and jambs on pre-1978 houses are handled with lead-safe containment and cleanup by a licensed crew. Plum ProExteriors holds Massachusetts HIC registration 193823, Construction Supervisor License 115189 and Lead-Safe Renovation Contractor license LR004195.
- Design review. Street-facing doors on landmarks and in the Old Cambridge and Fort Washington historic districts and the Mid Cambridge, Half Crown-Marsh, Avon Hill and Harvard Square conservation districts go through the Historical Commission or the district commission. We prepare the application.
- Condos and tenants. We provide what associations need, schedule around occupants and never leave a common entry unsecured overnight.
- Parking and access. Cambridge streets are tight. We plan deliveries and staging so the job does not become a neighborhood problem.
what door installation costs in cambridge
National price guides quote $1,200 to $4,500 for a front door replacement. Those figures price a slab or a stock pre-hung door at national labor rates and add the sidelights, transom, sill repair, lead-safe work, hardware and disposal as extras. Our price is complete for a Cambridge opening. The calculator on this page prices your door; the free estimate confirms it.
Permits in Cambridge. Replacing a door in the same opening does not usually need a building permit; changing the size of the opening, adding a new door or altering a load-bearing wall does. We file it with Cambridge Inspectional Services (on Massachusetts Avenue in Central Square), through the city's OpenGov online permitting system, under our Construction Supervisor License, and we schedule the inspections. If the house is in one of Cambridge's historic or neighborhood conservation districts, exterior changes visible from the street also go to the Cambridge Historical Commission or the district commission first, and we prepare that application and build the time into the schedule.
price your doors in cambridge
Door pricing depends on the style, the frame material, the glass and how many doors you are replacing. Answer a few questions for a standard, premium and deluxe range in seconds. Every project is quoted after we visit, and financing is available on every service we offer.
Request your exact quote
Your answers and estimate are already in the message. Add your details and we will schedule a free on-site visit.
provia, therma-tru and andersen doors
Our entry doors are ProVia fiberglass and steel, with a lifetime manufacturer warranty and three years of Plum ProExteriors labor coverage, and Therma-Tru on request. Patio doors are Andersen and Harvey. We bring finish and glass samples to the estimate so you can see them against the house.
how plum proexteriors installs a door
We measure the opening, check the sill and subframe, and write a quote that names the door, the glass, the hardware and the finish. Doors arrive in three to six weeks. Installation takes most of a day for an entry door with sidelights and about half a day for a single door; the house is never left open, and the old door goes out with us.
Licensed and insured: Massachusetts HIC 193823, CSL 115189, Lead-Safe Renovation Contractor LR004195. Every estimate is free.
permits in cambridge: who files them and where
We pull the permit for every job that needs one and file it under our Construction Supervisor License, which makes us, not you, responsible for the inspections and the code compliance. In Cambridge that means Inspectional Services for the building permit and, in a historic or conservation district, the Historical Commission before it.
After the work passes its final inspection, the permit is closed and the record stays with the building, which is what a buyer's inspector, a lender and a condo association look for.
what needs a permit in cambridge
- A new door opening, a wider opening or a door replacing a window
- Any change to a load-bearing wall above the opening
- Street-facing doors on a landmark or in a historic or conservation district, which go to the Historical Commission or the district commission first
- Replacing a door in the same opening usually needs no permit; we confirm with Inspectional Services when it is close
- Door work on pre-1978 houses, done by a licensed lead-safe crew with containment
Massachusetts HIC 193823, CSL 115189, Lead-Safe Renovation Contractor LR004195.
- Where
- Cambridge Inspectional Services, on Massachusetts Avenue in Central Square. Phone (617) 349-6100.
- How
- Residential building permits go through the city's OpenGov online permitting system.
- Fee
- Cambridge charges $15 per $1,000 of construction cost for buildings of three residential units or fewer and $20 per $1,000 above that, $50 minimum, invoiced after any Historical Commission approval is complete.
- Timing
- Cambridge issues or denies a permit within 30 days of payment, with the clock paused if the city asks for more information.
- Historic review
- Cambridge has two historic districts, Old Cambridge and Fort Washington, and four neighborhood conservation districts: Mid Cambridge, Half Crown-Marsh, Avon Hill and Harvard Square. A certificate from the Historical Commission or the district commission is required before a permit issues for work visible from a public way, including window and door replacement and siding; in-kind work and work not visible from the street get a staff certificate.
frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to replace a front door in Cambridge?
Not for a same-size replacement in the existing opening. You do if the opening changes size, a new door is cut in, or a structural wall is altered, and street-facing doors on landmarks and in historic or conservation districts need design review. We handle both.
Can you fit a new door to a Victorian opening?
Yes. We order pre-hung units to the opening, including seven-foot and taller doors, transoms and sidelights, and set them plumb inside a settled frame.
What is the best front door for a Cambridge three-decker?
A fiberglass or steel door with a multi-point lock and a commercial closer on the common entry. It takes the traffic, holds the weather and keeps the hall bright with glass.
How much does a new front door cost in Cambridge?
From $4,830 installed for a single fiberglass door to $11,950 for a deluxe door with two sidelights. Patio doors run from $8,860 for gliding to $15,950 for deluxe French. The calculator on this page prices your choice.
Do you handle lead paint on old door trim?
Yes. We are a licensed Lead-Safe Renovation Contractor and use containment and cleanup on every pre-1978 opening.
How long does door installation take?
Three to six weeks for the door to arrive, then half a day to a full day on site.
serving cambridge and the surrounding towns
We serve all of Cambridge: East Cambridge, Wellington-Harrington, The Port, Cambridgeport, Riverside, Mid-Cambridge, Baldwin, Neighborhood Nine and Avon Hill, West Cambridge and Huron Village, Cambridge Highlands, Strawberry Hill and North Cambridge, plus Somerville, Arlington, Belmont, Watertown, Brookline and Boston. Our office is on Route 9 in Wellesley.
get a free door estimate in cambridge
We will measure the opening, bring samples and give you a written price that includes everything.
Call (508) 266-5411 Send the estimate form