Entry Door Installation Cost: By Material, Labour and Lifespan
Doors are priced per unit, so the choice that matters is material. This calculator prices the door and labour; framing changes are extra.
Estimate calculator
Estimate calculator
Labour is about 40% of a standard install. Permit, framing changes and disposal of the old door are not included.
Lifespan is the whole argument
| Material | Typical lifespan |
|---|---|
| Fiberglass | 70 years |
| Glass | 50 years |
| Solid wood | 30 – 100 years |
| Composite | 30 years |
| Wrought iron | 30 years |
| Aluminium | 20 years |
| Steel | 20 years |
An aluminium door lasts about twenty years. A fiberglass door lasts about seventy. That is a forty-year spread on the same opening, and it is the number most door quotes never mention.
It changes the maths completely. A door that costs twice as much and lasts three and a half times as long is cheaper per year of service.
What the labour covers
Installers charge $67 to $121 an hour, and a typical entry door takes three to seven hours. That is $200 to $800 in labour, on a job whose average total is $1,353.
The hourly rate is not the variable that matters. The hours are: whether the frame is square, whether the old door comes out cleanly, and whether the opening has to be adjusted.
This is why a straight swap of the same size door is much cheaper than a change of door type. Keeping the size avoids cutting into the wall.
Material trade-offs
Steel is the most secure and the best insulator, and it dents and rusts.
Fiberglass is the best all-round choice: long life, good insulation, paintable, no rust. It is less secure than steel.
Solid wood is the most repairable and can last a century, but it needs maintenance and it rots if water gets in.
Glass and wrought iron are the style choices, and both compromise on security or privacy.
The costs that are not in the price
Permit. A couple of hundred dollars in most places. Your installer usually pulls it.
Removal and disposal. A few hundred dollars on a replacement job.
Framing changes. If the new door is not the same size as the old one, the opening has to be altered, and that is carpentry rather than door work.
HOA approval. Exterior changes need it in many neighbourhoods, and an unapproved door can have to come back out at your cost.
Frequently asked
Steel or fiberglass?
Steel if security is the priority and you do not mind the weight and the rust risk. Fiberglass for everything else, mainly because it lasts three times as long.
Should I replace the frame too?
If the existing frame is sound, no — it saves money and time. If it is rotted, the door will never seal properly without replacing it.
Can I install a front door myself?
The source material for this trade says no, and the reason is that a door that is slightly out of square compromises the seal, the security and the look. It is not a forgiving job.
Updated October 2026