Cost and time to replace new entry door

[jjj70095]

My next project is to replace the front entry door to my house this spring or summer, since old door is forming moisture at window area with my new furnace I just had installed. It is a standard white door with a window up top. Menards has doors for $200-500.


How long does it take a handyman to replace the old door with a new door it and what is a reasonable price?

 

[gary_in_neenah]

We replaced ours this past summer. Standard, metal clad, window, and hardware. $3,000 with installation. It took most of the day for one guy to remove the old and replace with new.

 

[m8man]

i bought a new entry door last summer, door was roughly $2,500 i bought the door myself and was going to put it in and decided to have someone do it. My guy put it in and it took roughly 3-4 hours and that included putting up trim on the inside as well. I did order the door to match our rough opening from the old door. Same guy put in a standard man door, in my garage "to match the other door" in an hour. That one was a standard 32" door. i paid him $200 cash for the first one, and $100 for the second one which i thought was a steal......

 

[eao]

I would hire a professional and not a handyman. While some may do good work at reasonable price, some are "Jack of all trades, and master of none". Been there and would rather pay a professional window and door installer than trust that job to a handyman. Had a 'Handyman" install door in my garage few years ago. Claimed he installed 100's but I have had issues with door binding in damp weather ever since. I later learned others were not happy with his work. Other door lasted 25 yrs and no problems.

 

[goofy600]

Are you going to replace door or door and frame? Makes a big difference in time.

 

[garageguy]

Get a prehung at Menard same size 2hrs to put in. Or just replace the window in the old door for 200.00

 

[lofsfire]

What type of door to you have install currently?

I had a back door that was Anderson, full glass french door, wood frame, wood inside, vinyl wrap on the outside. The vinyl on the outside at the bottom started to separate. Anderson sent a new door for free. I had to stain it and install. But was still a big saving.

It might make a difference if you are the original owner or not.

 

[favoritos]

@jjj70095 , The questions are pretty open ended. You can get a whole variety of answers. It may help to narrow down some details.

First, I'd like to know why a new furnace is causing moisture? Are you getting condensation inside the glass or is it forming on the surface? If it's multi pane glass with condensation inside, that's a failed glass unit. If the rest of the door is fine, I'd just get a new sealed glass unit.

Condensation on the interior surface of the door is relative to two details. Moisture level and temperature variance. When the surface reaches dew point, condensation forms. It may be a poor performing door assembly, high moisture level, or a combination of both. What is your indoor humidity? If your new furnace is considerably more efficient, you are running less high heat cycling. That will dry the air less. We are also on the tail end of a warm spell that hasn't forced long heat runs. That means less moisture is forced out of the air. Humidity levels inside homes are higher than typical for this time of year. I'd love to know your current indoor humidity.

I know that is a lot of questions that don't even address the simple details of price and how long it takes. On the other hand, I've seen plenty of doors and windows replaced without ever addressing the actual problem of too much moisture. Most of those projects are money buckets.

Replacing a door varies a lot on building cladding and the integrity of the opening frame. You can screw and caulk a great door into a junk opening for little money. Entry doors can be spendy ventures. It looks like you want to go with a basic door and save the big bucks. I'd first verify that you have a standard opening size. It's usually simple enough to measure the slab just to get an idea. 36 X 79 is a common slab size for entry doors. If you have a spec size door, purchase and installation are generally less expensive. Simple exterior casing (trim) also helps with those expenses.

We could go on and on with approximate costs, but It'd be shooting in the air without some more details.

 

[jime]

Did the new furnace come with a humidifier? Is it turned on and too high for the temp outside?

 

[jjj70095]

The current door is the one put in when house was built (2000). White door with a window up top. Humidity is 40 percent in the hallway by door.
My old furnace even caused occasional condensation. The silver area by the window is warped up a little. My furnace guy says to replace the door.
I have closed the vent in the hallway by the door, and that has reduced a lot of the condensation. Furnace guy said that is ok, just that hallway will be cold. There is no humidifer with the new furnace.

 

[garageguy]

I'd replace the window in the door .

 

[m8man]

I would hire a professional and not a handyman. While some may do good work at reasonable price, some are "Jack of all trades, and master of none". Been there and would rather pay a professional window and door installer than trust that job to a handyman. Had a 'Handyman" install door in my garage few years ago. Claimed he installed 100's but I have had issues with door binding in damp weather ever since. I later learned others were not happy with his work. Other door lasted 25 yrs and no problems.

You can still have a pro do it and they don't know what they are doing. i can put one in just fine with no issues, and I'm not a pro, just had other priorities at the time. best worker i ever hired was a young guy considering starting his own business and getting licensed but wasn't at the time. i know all the stuff about recourse and all that stuff, but honestly i didn't care. a bigger job yes, but something i could do in an afternoon I'm not too worried about it.

 

[toddspolaris]

So is the condensation between the glass? or just on the inside??? If its between the glass the the window has lost its seal, if it on the inside the humidity is to high inside. whats the temp outside??? temp inside???

 

[mezz]

I agree with garageguy, & toddspolaris, I would change the glass. It does appear the condensation is between the exterior & interior glass which would indicate a broken seal. Perhaps the door had a rough closing or two in its 24 years of service that contributed to the seal failure.

 

[gary_in_neenah]

I think those seals have an expected service life of 20 years, anything more than that and you're on borrowed time.

 

[jjj70095]

House temp is 60 degrees, I like it cool. Humidity is 44 percent. Outside temp is 20 degrees. And a part of the metal seal by the glass has arched up.
Just condensation on inside window. I bought a duck window insulation kit and will insulate window for rest of winter.

 

[chunk06]

A door from 2000 you could probably get away with just changing the slab (door) and leave the frame if the frame and sill are in good shape. fYI most of the doors from menards are not pre mortised for the latch, Probably the only thing keeping it from being a DIY job for someone with no experience. I hate drive in latches on entry doors.

 

[favoritos]

House temp is 60 degrees, I like it cool. Humidity is 44 percent. Outside temp is 20 degrees. And a part of the metal seal by the glass has arched up.
Just condensation on inside window. I bought a duck window insulation kit and will insulate window for rest of winter.

I'm guessing with your description that you are talking about the spacer (metal seal), between the glass panes. If that is the case, is the rest of the door fine?
That is a large hunk of double pane sealed unit glass for a door. Those units will have a shorter life cycle if they flex. Glass by itself has a lot of flex. The little aluminum spacer is sandwiched between the panes of glass. The only thing holding it in place is the sealer material spread around the outer edge. The sealer layer is generally pretty thin and flimsy. In simple terms, the window was supposed to be part of the door structure, but it's not built for the task.
You can replace the whole sealed glass unit. It's easy to do, but it won't be cheap. Technically it should be tempered. If you go that route, you can try doing a spec order with online sellers. Just make sure you get the correct unit measurements. I'm guessing it is a standard size so dimension measurements will fall into a category. The big variable could be thickness of the unit.
The suggestion of replacing the door slab is good. See if you can find the manufacturer info on the door by the top hinge. I bet it is a standard slab and hinge position they still use. If you go that route and you are not committed to the big glass, you should have quite a few options. I would definitely go that route if you can. The cost of an entire slab with glass will probably be close to the replacement glass unit alone.

 

[goofy600]

I just looked on Menards website you can get a whole door with frame for $350 plus figure another $200-$300 in labor unless you live in an area where they gouge people for work and your into a new door not a 20 year old door that is repaired. Just another thought if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself.

 

[favoritos]

I just looked on Menards website you can get a whole door with frame for $350 plus figure another $200-$300 in labor unless you live in an area where they gouge people for work and your into a new door not a 20 year old door that is repaired. Just another thought if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself.

I think that is the easiest route. The old jamb probably needs seals etc. Who knows how much water has leaked into the current door? Even with foam fill, the water still finds cavities. I'm sure it's been through some freeze thaw cycles.

I'm sure it is a standard opening size and those doors are in stock with a few window options. The old casing would even be reusable if installer is careful. Installation should be pretty easy if there is no water damage to the opening. @jjj70095 , is there any sponge to the floor by the sill?