Free in-home measure and quote - PGT, CGI and CWS impact lines compared on your actual openings, style by style
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AfterTrusted Front Door Replacement Nationwide
Front door replacement is the one exterior upgrade your guests see first and your family touches every day. A tired entry door lets in drafts, sticks in August, and tells the street the house has been neglected. Across the country, a professionally installed front door replacement runs between $1,200 and $4,000 for most homes, with steel units at the low end and fiberglass or solid wood with glass pushing toward the top. Lightwell Windows & Doors has replaced front doors since 2010, and when you call (562) 478-8017, a live person answers. No recording, no menu, no waiting on hold.
We carry eight manufacturer brands so the new door matches the home, the climate, and the way your family comes and goes. Every replacement is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the finished work is not right, we make it right. Before any work begins you get a written price, a number on paper with every line item spelled out. That is the Cedarwell Care Promise, and it has been our standing rule since day one.
A light well is what carries daylight deep into a building. A good entry door does a smaller version of the same job: it lets the outside in when you want it and shuts it out when you do not. See our full list of home services, or call for a free estimate.
Entry Door Replacement
Entry Door Replacement is the full swap of the main door and, when needed, the frame around it. You need it when the slab has warped, the weatherstrip no longer compresses, or the deadbolt only catches if you lean on the door. We measure the opening, order the correct unit, pull the old one out without wrecking the trim, and set the new one plumb and level. Most entry door replacements land between $1,200 and $3,800 installed.
Slab Only or Full Pre-Hung Unit
If the frame is square and dry, swapping just the slab can save money. If the jamb is soft, the sill is cracked, or the opening has shifted, a pre-hung unit is the better buy because it arrives with a fresh frame already aligned. We check both options with a level and a screwdriver before we quote, so you are not paying for a frame you do not need or skipping one you do.
Exterior Door Replacement
Exterior Door Replacement covers every door that separates the house from the weather: the front entry, the back door, the side entry, and the garage man-door. These doors fight sun, rain, freezing nights, and daily use, so the replacement has to be flashed and sealed properly or it will fail early. We slope the sill pan, foam the gap between jamb and rough opening, and caulk the outside with sealant rated for the local climate. Expect $1,200 to $4,000 for most exterior units, with material and glass driving the price more than labor.
Water Is the Real Enemy
A door that rots in seven years instead of lasting twenty usually failed behind the casing, where nobody looks. Proper flashing above the head jamb and a pitched threshold are the two details that decide how long your door survives. We do both on every job.
New Front Door
A New Front Door is sometimes about looks as much as repair. Maybe the old door still works but the finish has faded, the style no longer fits the house, or you want a glass panel to bring daylight into a dark hallway. Choosing a new front door is a good time to fix things you have lived with for years: a drafty threshold, a loose strike plate, a peephole at the wrong height. We bring sample finishes and hardware to the estimate so you can see colors against your actual siding, not a catalog photo.
Curb Appeal That Holds Up
A freshly painted fiberglass or stained wood entry is one of the most visible changes you can make to a house. Pick a finish rated for your sun exposure. A dark color on a south-facing door in a hot region can heat up and warp a poorly chosen material, and we will tell you plainly if a color or material is a bad match for where you live.
Front Door Installation
Front Door Installation is the hanging and sealing work that decides whether a good door performs like one. The best fiberglass slab in the country will leak and bind if the frame is out of square by a quarter inch. Our crews shim the frame at every hinge and strike point, set the threshold so water drains away from the house, and adjust the weatherstrip until it compresses evenly on all four sides. Then we cycle the door open and closed ten times before we pack up. Installation is included in our installed prices, not billed as a surprise at the end.
Hinges, Strike, and Reveal
The gap between door and frame, called the reveal, should be even all the way around. We set it with a gauge, not by eye. An even reveal means the lock throws smoothly, the door closes without a slam, and the weatherstrip does its job. For help with a related project, see our door replacement page.
Entry Door Installation
Entry Door Installation also applies when a house is getting its first proper front door, such as after an addition, a remodel, or a conversion that moved the entrance. In those cases the opening may need new framing, a header, and new exterior sheathing before the door can go in. We handle the carpentry, the flashing, and the finish so you deal with one crew. If you are comparing options across the whole house, our door installation page covers interior, storm, and French doors as well.
Reframing an Opening
Changing the size of an opening means checking what is above it. A load-bearing wall needs a header sized for the span, and we confirm that before ordering a wider door. A standard 36 inch entry swap rarely needs reframing, but a double door or sidelight addition often does, and that adds labor to the written price.
Steel, Fiberglass, or Wood
Material is the biggest choice in a front door replacement. Steel is the least expensive, strong against forced entry, and works well with a solid paint finish, though a deep dent is hard to repair and salt air can rust a scratched edge. Fiberglass costs more but resists warping, takes a wood-grain stain convincingly, and handles heat and cold swings with very little movement. Solid wood is the most beautiful and the most demanding: it needs a sealed finish and a covered entry to last. We will tell you which one fits your climate and your porch, not which one is easiest for us to source.
Sidelights, Transoms, and Glass
Glass changes how a front entry feels. Sidelights are the narrow panels on either side of the door, and a transom is the window above it. Together they can turn a dark hallway into a bright one. Low-E coatings cut heat gain, and tempered or laminated glass is required in many openings for safety. If you want privacy, frosted, reeded, and decorative glass keep daylight while hiding the view of your hallway from the street.
Locks and Security Hardware
A new door deserves hardware that matches it. We install a deadbolt with a one inch throw, a reinforced strike plate with three inch screws that reach the framing, and hinges with security pins when the door swings outward. Smart locks and keypad deadbolts install cleanly on a new door because the bore is made for them. Tell us what you want before we order, and the door arrives prepped for it.
Brands We Service
We work with CWS doors because their fiberglass entry systems stand up to high sun and hard freezes without warping, which matters in places with real seasons. Their pre-hung units give us a consistent frame to set, so we can focus on flashing, level, and the details that make a door close correctly on day one and five years later.
ES Windows makes a line of entry and French doors we recommend for homes where the glass is the point. We know their threshold systems and lock geometry, which means fewer surprises at installation. ECO Window Systems rounds out our lineup for buyers who want strong performance at a fair mid-range price. Whether you have CWS, ES Windows, ECO Window Systems, or any other make, we can help.
Signs You Need a Pro Right Now
- Daylight visible around the door edges. If you can see light through the gap when the door is closed, air and water are moving through the same gap. Weatherstrip can sometimes fix it, but if the frame has shifted, the door needs to be rehung or replaced before water reaches the subfloor.
- The deadbolt no longer lines up. A lock that scrapes or needs a shove to throw is telling you the door has moved in its frame. Forcing it wears the lock and leaves the house less secure.
- Soft or spongy wood at the bottom of the frame. Press a screwdriver into the sill and jamb. If it sinks in, rot has started, and a new slab hung in a rotten frame will fail again.
- Cracks, dents, or delamination on the slab. Fiberglass skins that peel and steel doors that rust through will not heal. Replacement is cheaper than repeated patching.
- Water stains on the floor inside the threshold. Water pooling inside means it is wicking under the sill or leaking through the corners. Left alone, it rots the subfloor and the trim.
Our Process, Step by Step
- 1
Measure and inspect. We measure the opening at the top, middle, and bottom, plus the diagonals, because an out-of-square opening dictates everything else. We also check the sill, the framing, and the path the crew will use to carry the door in.
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Written price, no surprises. You receive a line-item price before any work starts. The door, hardware, labor, disposal of the old unit, and any trim or flashing are listed separately. The Cedarwell Care Promise means the number you sign is the number you pay, unless you ask for a change.
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Protect the house, then remove the old door. Drop cloths go down from the entry to the truck and shoe covers go on. We ask before moving any furniture near the opening. Then the old door comes out carefully so the trim and drywall survive.
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Install, seal, and level. The new door goes in plumb in both directions with the threshold pitched away from the house. We foam the jamb gap, caulk the exterior, and test the door through ten open-close cycles. A door that binds or rattles is fixed before we leave.
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Clean up and walkthrough. We clean up, photograph the finished work, and walk you through the lock, the weatherstrip, and what the warranty covers. Then you get our number, answered by a person, 24/7.
How Much Does Front Door Replacement Cost?
Front door replacement pricing across the country falls into clear bands. A basic steel entry door installed runs about $1,200 to $2,000. A fiberglass door with a decorative glass panel typically lands between $2,000 and $3,800. Solid wood, double doors, or units with sidelights and a transom start near $3,500 and can pass $6,000 for custom work. These are installed prices with labor, basic hardware, and disposal of the old door included, not bare slab prices.
The biggest variables are material, glass, the size of the opening, and what is hiding in the frame once the old door comes off. Rotten framing or a damaged subfloor adds labor, and with our written line-item pricing you see that cost before it happens. To avoid overpaying, get a detailed written estimate that separates the door, hardware, labor, and disposal, then compare like with like. Our free estimate includes all of it, with no obligation and no pressure to sign the same day.
Where We Work
Lightwell Windows & Doors serves homeowners and businesses across the United States through local crews who understand the climates they work in. Each location is independently owned and operated, carries the Cedarwell Care Promise, and answers the phone with a live person around the clock. The crew that installs your door is the team you met at the estimate. No national call center and no subcontractor roulette. If a window is also giving you trouble, ask about window repair on the same visit.
Frequently Asked Questions About Front Door Replacement
Most front door replacements cost between $1,200 and $4,000 installed. Steel entry doors sit at the low end, fiberglass with glass panels in the middle, and solid wood or doors with sidelights at the high end. Every estimate from Lightwell Windows & Doors is free and written out line by line before any work starts.
A standard pre-hung front door usually takes three to five hours from removal to cleanup. Doors with sidelights, a transom, or a rotted frame can take a full day. Call (562) 478-8017 and we will give you a realistic time frame during the estimate.
If the existing frame is square, solid, and dry, a slab-only swap saves money. If you see rot, cracks, or gaps that keep returning, a pre-hung unit with a new frame is the better long-term choice. We check the frame before quoting and put our recommendation in writing.
Fiberglass suits most homes because it resists warping, dents, and weather. Steel is the budget option and is strong, though it can rust if scratched near salt air. Solid wood looks best but needs regular finishing and a covered entry. We recommend based on your climate and how much sun and rain the door will see.
Every job is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the finished work is not right, Lightwell makes it right. The door itself carries the manufacturer’s warranty, and we explain what that covers during the walkthrough before the crew leaves. If something feels off after the install, call and a real person answers.
Schedule Your Front Door Replacement Today
Call (562) 478-8017 to schedule a free, no-obligation estimate for your front door replacement. A live person answers, day or night. We listen first, then give you a written price before any work starts, with the Cedarwell Care Promise behind every job. The door you walk through every day should close the way ours do: quiet, square, and tight. See also our patio door installation service.
Written by Keith Yamada, Owner at Lightwell Windows & Doors, serving homeowners across the United States since 2010.