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anyone know how much it costs to replace a front door?

25 replies

Fairylea · 13/06/2013 18:55

Just that really!

We have a horrid old pvc white front door which is on its.last legs..

Just wondered how much it would cost and whether it's worth me even considering it at the moment!

Thanks!

OP posts:
HeadFairy · 13/06/2013 18:56

No idea, but we'll be doing this soon (and rehanging the new one to open from the other way) so I'm watching with interest.

RobotElephant · 13/06/2013 18:56

Anything from £299 and up really! Ours was £880 but its composite rather than PVC

HeadFairy · 13/06/2013 19:05

just had a quick browse and these look quite nice...

Our house is Victorian so I think we need something that's in keeping with the style of the house... my uncle is a carpenter and he always says hardwood is better for external doors. Much more hardwearing.

citybranch · 13/06/2013 20:56

Just had a composite door and small side window fitted, outskirts of London, £1550 inv vat and fitting. It took a whole day to fit as the original door and frame was 80+ years old and really wonky!

poocatcherchampion · 13/06/2013 21:13

those look nice! why so cheap?

PennieLane · 13/06/2013 21:20

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PigletJohn · 13/06/2013 21:26

I'm very much in favour of a solid hardwood front door and frame. Frames are surprisingly inexpensive.

It will cost you far far less than a plastic door and will be much better. Plastic doors are fundamentally weak and insecure, which is why they are festooned with additional hooks and catches. If you ever hear anyone complaining that their front door has gone wrong, ask what it's made of. it will be a plastic one. Wooden doors can easily last in excess of a hundred years and anybody can maintain them or fit new locks, knobs, bolts, chains etc.

have it fitted by a skilled joiner who will do a better and faster job that a handyman, DIYer or general builder. Ask around for a recommendation. he will probably know a good local door supplier.

including taking out the old door and frame, and fitting your new locks, it will be about a day and a half's work. I pay my joiner £130/day. joiners are not usually painters.

Choose your locks and fittings before starting work. Get at least a British Standard 5-lever deadlock, and use it. If you can afford a BS deadlocking nightlatch as well, so much the better. I recommend three lift-off stainless hinges as they make it much easier to remove the door for repainting or maintenance. It is most important to paint the top and bottom of a door as they are most prone to damp penetration, but they are often neglected as they are difficult to do once the door is hung. It is much easier to paint a door to a first-class finish, or plane it, if you can lift it down easily.

Fairylea · 13/06/2013 21:39

Thank you all so much for the replies.

Very interesting! I'd love a proper wood door :)

We used to have a very solid old wood door in our house in south London, fitted with about 4 massive bolts and locks! And then we moved to south Norfolk and most of the houses here have more like what we'd consider to be a back door for a front door .. basically pvc, one lock etc. Crime rate is so low here hardly anyone even bothers to lock their doors!

But the Londoner in me wants more security. :)

Thanks again.

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 13/06/2013 21:56

on Headfairy's link, I found an Alicante hardwood door, with mortice and tenon joints (that's better than dowelled) at, I think, about £180, which is a very good price if it is a solid (not veneered) door.

It's not to everyone's taste, but it is a good example of a strong panelled door. The bars between the glass panes are so thick that a burglar can't realistically expect to smash them and climb through or pass valuables to an accomplice (you can with large panes) and if you use laminated glass, it will not be practical to reach through broken glass to unlock the door.

Hardwood doors tend to be priced according to the weight of timber in them, so one with large glazing panels or thin sections will usually be lighter and cheaper than a more solid door, which will be stronger.

The letterbox should be positioned as far as possible from the locks, as it is possible to reach through with a simple home-made tool and turn knobs or keys.

CanadianJohn · 14/06/2013 00:25

Interesting to hear about UK exterior doors. In this part of Canada (southern Ontario), most exterior doors are steel skin. I looked them up:

"Steel doors are constructed from heavy-gauge, galvanized steel and provide superior security without sacrificing style. They have a wood stile-and-rail framework filled with polyurethane insulating foam and covered with a steel skin. The skins are often embossed to match traditional wood door styles."

It is not usual to have a letterbox thru the door.

RobotElephant · 14/06/2013 08:47

We would have loved a wooden door, but decided on a composite one in the end because it's really noisy out the front of our house and hoped that it would block out more noise - so far so good.

thetigerwhocametoteax · 14/06/2013 10:14

We got a lovely oak door, cottage style with a small obscured glass window from Wickes for £199, primed and painted it ourselves and got a joiner to fit it (it took a full day). Was probably about £500 all in incl a new frame, locks, handle, storm guard for bottom etc.

FlightofFancy · 14/06/2013 13:46

We recently replaced a wood door with a composite, and wouldn't do it again. It looks good - and we did it to sell, as most houses locally do have them. But, the front of the house is in direct sunlight in the morning and so the door warps and is almost impossible to lock (according to the wisdom of the internet, this is normal). On the plus side, it's massively reduced the drafts.

Cost about £600 for the door, then we fitted it ourselves. Next time, would choose a wood door and get it properly fitted.

Ihatemytoes · 05/07/2013 08:40

.

JesseA991 · 13/04/2017 10:05

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Christineherts · 16/03/2018 00:39

We just had a new door fitted, it cost us £1080 including the VAT and the company were local to us and absolutely brilliant. Wasn’t the cheapest quote we had but just had a good feeling about the guy that came round and I’m really pleased we went with them. Only took them an hour and a half too.

Jordanbiesley · 17/09/2018 16:22

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Vipassana12 · 09/02/2019 21:03

Can anyone recommend some guy or company to get a new door from?

KirstyVal · 01/03/2019 09:35

Where are you based?

This site lets you get an a guide price online and they say they can put you in touch with some companies that are local to you.

www.doubleglazingontheweb.com

Or your best bet is getting a recommendation from someone you know, that way you know you can trust the company. Have any of your friends or family used a certain door company before?

WishIwas19again · 01/03/2019 17:38

We had a composite door fitted two years ago. Quotes came in between £650-£850 supply and fit. We're in the North

KirstyVal · 05/03/2019 11:33

That's quite a good price. Ours was slightly more. Glad we replaced the last one though - had to be done.

MattMagnolia · 05/03/2019 19:21

We recently got a bespoke (odd size) hardwood back door, half glazed. Our joiner built it and the frame at home then brought it to us in one piece. It fits perfectly and cost just over £1000.

MiniMum97 · 06/03/2019 00:44

@MattMagnolia whereabouts are you in the U.K. I've just had quotes on a hardwood back door of well over £2k.

jobuddyp · 09/03/2019 07:34

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QuietlyQuaffing · 09/03/2019 09:24

Dredging up zombie threads from 2013 now jobuddyp ? Reported, obviously.

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