What fails on these doors
They get kicked open with groceries, left to a west rain, and ignored until the sweep is gone and the sill is black. Exterior door replacement is justified when the slab is delaminating, the frame is soft, or the door no longer latches without a lift. A door that only needs a sweep and a strike adjustment is not a replacement, and we will say that.
Installation applies when you are adding a side entrance or moving one. That scope, including the rough opening, is door installation. A straight swap in the opening you have is door replacement method, specified here for these secondary doors.
Glass and light
Many side doors have a half-lite. Replacing that glass, including a fogged unit, can be done without a new slab. See glass repair. If you want more light and the wall can take it, a taller lite is a new door order, not a cut into the old skin.
Weather and the sill
- Outswing doors need a different threshold and different flashing than inswing doors.
- A door under a deep soffit lives longer than a door on a blank elevation. We still flash both.
- Colour and skin material are chosen for the exposure. A dark door in full sun needs a finish that can take the heat.
- If this door is actually the main guest entrance, use the entry door page so sidelights and hardware are specified for that role.
Patio sliders are glass walls as much as doors. They are quoted on patio and sliding doors, even when they are on the rear elevation.
Questions we hear on this work
Can you replace a side door with a door that has more glass?
Yes, within the size of a sound opening, or larger if we rebuild the opening. Safety glass rules apply next to the door and in the door.
Do exterior doors include the front door?
The front door is an exterior door in building terms. On this site it has its own page so the two searches do not land on duplicate copy.
What drives installation cost?
The wall, the sill, the cladding, and whether the interior floor has to be cut back. The slab price is only one line.