Door Installation - Written Price Before Anything Is Ordered

Trusted Door Installation Nationwide

Door installation is about more than hanging a slab in an opening. A door that is installed wrong lets air escape, sticks when the humidity climbs, and leaves a gap a child’s finger or a pet’s nose can find. The honest answer is that most exterior door installations across the country run between $900 and $4,200, with front entry doors starting around $1,200 and sliding glass doors typically landing between $1,800 and $3,500; for a deeper look at the process, see The Complete Door Installation Guide for Los Angeles Homeowners. Lightwell Windows & Doors has handled installations of every type since 2010, and when you call (562) 478-8017, a live person answers. No recording, no menu, no waiting on hold while a door stands open.

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We carry eight manufacturer brands so the door matches the home, the climate, and the way your family actually moves through the house. Every installation is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the finished work is not right, we make it right. And before any work begins, you get a written price. Not a range on a business card. A number on paper, with every line item spelled out. That is the Cedarwell Care Promise, and it has been our standing operating rule since day one.

A light well is what brings daylight deep into a building. That is what a well-installed door should do for your home: let the outside in when you want it, keep it out when you don’t, and close like it was always meant to be there. Learn more about our home services, or call us directly for a free estimate.

Front Door Replacement

Front Door Replacement swaps the home’s most-used entry for a new slab or pre-hung unit, and it is the single highest-impact change most of our customers make to how their house looks from the street. We also offer Door Installation in Huntington Park for homeowners in that area. You need it when the current door sticks in the frame, shows daylight at the edges, or has warped enough that the deadbolt no longer slides cleanly. Lightwell Windows & Doors handles the full swap, from removing the old door and inspecting the rough opening to hanging, insulating, caulking, and testing the new one. Expect to pay between $1,200 and $3,800 depending on material, glass, and whether the frame itself needs rebuilding.

Protecting the Entry While We Work

When the front door comes out, your house is open to the street. Our crew keeps the work area contained, with drop cloths running from the entry to the truck so nothing tracks onto the floors. Shoe covers go on before the first foot steps inside, and we take a photo of the clean-up before we leave, the same way we would after working in our own homes.

After the Install

You get a walkthrough of the new door: how the threshold seal works, what the warranty covers, and what to watch for as the house settles into the new unit. Keith Yamada trains every technician to explain the finished work before packing up, so you are not left reading a manual at midnight.

Door Replacement

Door Replacement covers any interior or exterior door that has outlived its usefulness, whether it is a hollow interior slab that has been kicked too many times or an exterior unit that lets a winter draft straight through the hinges. You know it’s time when the door no longer closes without lifting, the frame has pulled away from the wall, or the panel itself has delaminated at the bottom edge. We measure, order, and install the correct unit for the opening rather than forcing whatever is already there to keep working. Interior door replacement typically runs $350 to $900 per opening, while exterior units range from $900 to $3,200.

When the Frame Is the Problem

Often the old door is fine and the frame is what failed. A door that sags or scrapes against the catch is usually a frame that has shifted out of square. Our technicians check the frame with a level before ordering anything, so you pay for the fix you need rather than a new door that will bind in the same crooked opening.

Built for the Way Your House Works

A pet door, a wider opening for a stroller, a solid-core slab for a nursery that needs quiet: the replacement has to fit how the family lives. We ask about those details before quoting, because a door no one can open freely is the same problem wearing new hardware.

Sliding Glass Door Replacement

Sliding Glass Door Replacement removes an old patio slider and installs a new panel system that rolls without wrestling. You need it when the current door has grit embedded in the track, a fogged or cracked pane, or a frame that has eaten enough weather that it no longer locks with confidence. Lightwell Windows & Doors installs replacement sliders with attention to plumb and level, because a sliding door that is out of square by a quarter inch will fight you every time you touch it. Expect to pay between $1,800 and $3,500 for most replacements, with higher-end multi-panel or impact-rated glass pushing toward $5,000.

Track and Roller Care

Half of the “broken” sliders we see are carrying the weight of a track full of dust, pet hair, and paint overspray. We clean and align the track, replace worn rollers with the right load rating, and adjust the frame so the door moves with two fingers rather than two hands. If the frame is too far gone, we say so plainly and quote the replacement.

Glass Options Worth Considering

An old slider is often the biggest single sheet of glass in the house. Low-E coated glass, impact-rated glazing for windborne debris zones, and tempered panels where required are all available through our manufacturer lineup. The recommendation should match where you live and what the room faces, not what is sitting on a warehouse shelf.

Storm Door Installation

Storm Door Installation adds a protective outer door in front of the main entry, giving you a buffer against weather and an extra layer of screened ventilation when the weather turns mild. You install one when the front door takes direct sun or driving rain, when you want cross-breeze without letting bugs inside, or when the current storm door has a torn screen and a closer that slams like a car door. We install the frame square, mount the closer at the right tension, and adjust the sweep so water cannot pool at the threshold. Storm doors typically run $400 to $1,200 installed, depending on glass, screen configuration, and frame material.

The Closer and the Sweep

The two parts most often installed wrong are the hydraulic closer and the bottom sweep. Too much tension on the closer and the door slams hard enough to rattle the main door behind it. Too little and it never latches. We set the tension and verify the sweep seals against the threshold before we leave, because a storm door that leaks defeats its own purpose.

Hardware That Matches the House

We install the push-button, lever, or keyed handle that matches your main entry hardware, and we ask before swapping anything out. The C.A.R.E. value we live by here is Explain: you should know what is being installed, why it costs what it costs, and what it will look like before the first screw goes in.

Sliding Glass Door Installation

Sliding Glass Door Installation puts a brand-new sliding door into an opening where one did not exist, or replaces an old unit with a completely new frame and panel system. You need this when you want a wider opening onto a deck or patio, when the existing slider is so far gone that replacing the glass alone would outspend starting fresh, or when the home is changing and the room needs more light. We install the frame into the rough opening with shims and foam, level it in both directions, and hang the panel so it travels without dragging. New installations run $2,000 to $4,500 for standard patio sizes.

From Opening to Finished Door

Installation day starts with protecting the floor from the work area to the truck, then framing the opening to the manufacturer’s specification. We check that the new unit sits plumb and level before the first fastener goes in. A sliding door installed out of square will bind, leak, and wear out its rollers years ahead of schedule. That is not a risk worth taking with a five-figure room.

What the Right Install Changes

A properly set slider does not whistle when the wind hits it, does not freeze shut in a cold snap, and does not collect a puddle on the interior track after a hard rain. Our installs are done to that standard, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise means the standard follows us home.

Door Repair

Door Repair solves the smaller problems before they become a box truck in the driveway and a whole new unit on the invoice. You call for it when a door sticks, scrapes, refuses to latch, or lets a draft through even though the panel itself is still sound. We fix what can be fixed: route the strike plate deeper, tighten and shim the hinges, replace a worn threshold, pull a sag out of the frame. Most repairs run $150 to $500 per door, and a repair visit usually finds the real cause rather than just quieting the symptom.

What Repair Costs, Honestly

A door that scrapes at the top corner is almost never solved by planing the top of the slab, because the slab was square when it was made. The problem is usually the hinge side pulling away from the frame. We fix the cause, show you the fix with a photo, and leave the door closing the way it should. You pay a service fee, a labor rate, and for any parts used. You know all three numbers before work begins.

When to Repair vs. Replace

If the door is sound but the hardware is tired, repair is the right call. If the panel is delaminating at the bottom rail, the hinges have torn out of a rotting jamb, or glass is fogged inside a sealed unit, replacement is usually cheaper over three years. We tell you which one makes sense for your door, and we put that recommendation in writing.

Exterior Door Installation

Our Door Installation in Los Angeles covers exterior doors that separate the inside of the house from the outside: front entries, back doors, side entries, garage man-doors, and patio exits. You need it when the existing door does not seal, does not secure, or does not match the way the house now works. We install pre-hung units, set the threshold to drain water away from the interior, foam the gap between jamb and rough opening, and hang the door so the weatherstrip compresses evenly all the way around. Most exterior installations cost between $1,200 and $4,000, with material choice driving the range more than labor.

Flashing and the Water Line

The difference between a door that lasts twenty years and one that rots in seven is often hidden behind the casing. We flash the rough opening, slope the sill pan, and seal the outside with products rated for the local weather. On any exterior opening, water is the enemy, and water always finds the shortcut someone left three inches above the foundation.

Insulated, Quiet, and Locked Tight

An exterior door should close against its weatherstrip like a hand pressing on felt: firm, even, and quiet. We use the manufacturer’s recommended gap and verify it with a level and a flashlight before the job is done. The door should feel solid at the latch deadbolt, not like the whole frame is swaying when the wind hits it.

French Door Installation

French Door Installation brings double doors into a room where one panel is not enough: a patio walkout, a dining room opening to the yard, or an office that wants glass and daylight without a slider track underfoot. You need it when the space wants a wide, symmetrical opening and the room has floor area for both panels to swing. We install the astragal, set both leaves to meet evenly in the center, and align the active and passive panels so they lock together without lifting the handle. French door installations range from $1,800 to $4,200 depending on material, glass, and whether the opening needs reframing.

The Meeting Stile, Where Most Failures Start

A French door install lives or dies at the point where the two doors meet. A slim gap there lets air and sound through. Too tight and the doors fight each other every time one closes. We shim, adjust, and test the meeting stile until the astragal seals and the lock engages with one smooth throw. This is the detail that separates a door that works for five years from one that annoys you every single day.

Light Without a Harsh Line

French doors bring daylight into a room from floor to ceiling, and glass choice matters when the room gets direct afternoon sun. We can spec low-E glass, argon fill, or impact-rated panels depending on the opening. A French door should light the room the way a light well lights a stairwell: generously, without making you squint.

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 the day it’s installed and five years later.

ES Windows manufactures a line of sliding and French doors we recommend for rooms where the glass is the point. We know their threshold systems and their lock geometry, which means fewer surprises at installation and a faster, cleaner install for your family. 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 that same gap. Weatherstrip can sometimes fix it, but if the frame has shifted, the door needs to be rehung or replaced before the leak damages 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 the bolt wears the lock and leaves the house less secure. A technician should check the frame alignment and the hinge plates.
• Condensation between double-pane glass. That fog is a broken seal, and no one can clean the inside of the glass. The insulating gas has escaped, so the door no longer performs thermally. Glass replacement or full door replacement are the real options.
• The door has to be lifted or kicked to open. A dragging door is grinding its own hinge hardware or rail down every time you use it. That is a mechanical problem with the frame or the hinges, and it will not correct itself. Muscling it only makes a moderate repair turn into a full replacement.
• Water stains on the interior floor near the threshold. Water that pools inside the door is either wicking under the threshold or leaking through the frame corners. Left alone, it rots the subfloor and the trim. The source has to be found before the floor shows the damage.

Our Process, Step by Step

1. 1
   Measure and inspect. We measure the existing opening in three places: top, middle, and bottom, plus the diagonals, because a rough opening that is out of square dictates everything else. We also look at the framing, the subfloor under the threshold, and the path the crew will use to carry the door in. The estimate is based on what we see, not a guess over the phone.
2. 2
   Written price, no surprises. You receive a line-item price before any work starts. The door, the hardware, the labor, the disposal of the old unit, and any trim or flashing are listed separately. Cedarwell Care Promise means the number you sign is the number you pay, with no change order unless you ask for a change yourself.
3. 3
   Protect the house, then remove the old door. Drop cloths go down from the entry to the truck. Shoe covers go on. We ask before moving any furniture near the opening, per C.A.R.E.: Ask before we move or touch anything. Then the old door comes out carefully, so the surrounding trim and drywall are not collateral damage.
4. 4
   Install, seal, and level. The new door goes in with the frame plumb in both directions and the threshold set to pitch water away from the house. We foam the gap between the jamb and the rough opening, caulk the exterior with weather-rated sealant, and test the door through ten full open-close cycles. A door that binds, squeaks, or rattles is fixed before we pack up.
5. 5
   Clean up, walkthrough, and photo. We clean like it is our own home, then photograph the finished work and the clean-up before the crew leaves. You get a walkthrough of how the door works, what the warranty covers, and what to do if anything feels off in the first year. Then you get our number, answered by a person, 24/7.

How Much Does Door Installation Cost?

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, carrying the Cedarwell Care Promise and answering our phones with a live person around the clock. Your call for an estimate goes to a real person, and the crew that installs your door is the same team you met at the estimate. No national call center. No subcontractor roulette.

Frequently Asked Questions About Door Installation

Schedule Your Door Installation Service Today

Call (562) 478-8017 to schedule a free, no-obligation estimate for your door installation. 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 doors you live with should close the way ours do: quiet, square, and tight.

Written by Keith Yamada, Owner at Lightwell Windows & Doors, serving homeowners across the United States since 2010.