Question 1

How do I know it’s time to replace my front door?

Accepted Answer

Three signs we see most often: drafts you can feel along the edge in winter, a door that sticks or has to be slammed (the frame has shifted), and any visible rot, warping, or daylight around the threshold. If your door is steel and 25+ years old, the foam core is probably broken down and it’s costing you more in heat than a new fiberglass door would.

Question 2

Wood, fiberglass, or steel — which holds up best in St. Louis?

Accepted Answer

Fiberglass for 6 in 10 of our installs. STL humidity warps wood and rusts steel; fiberglass does neither, holds paint a decade-plus, and insulates better than the other two. We still recommend solid wood for historic homes with deep covered porches — there’s no substitute for real grain. Steel we mostly use for back doors and rentals.

Question 3

Can I add sidelights, a transom, or change the size?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Most houses can take 14–24″ sidelights on one or both sides, plus a rectangular or arched transom above. Going bigger means we either re-frame the rough opening or replace a section of the header — we’ll know during the in-home measure and quote it up front.

Question 4

Will a smart lock work with the new door?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We install Schlage Encode, August, and Yale Assure at cost during the install — wired in, paired to your phone, and the strike plate set so the deadbolt actually catches every time. Most box-store installs skip the strike-plate alignment and the lock fights it for years.

Question 5

Will a new front door actually lower my energy bill?

Accepted Answer

Modestly, yes. A modern fiberglass entry with proper weatherstripping and a flashed sill is roughly 4–5× more energy-efficient than a 1980s steel door. Most clients see a $10–25/month winter heating drop and — the bigger thing — the porch stops feeling cold from 6 feet away.

Question 6

Do I have to repaint the trim around the door?

Accepted Answer

Almost never. Our installers cut the casing precisely so we re-use as much of your existing trim as possible. If your trim is rotted or the wrong size, we'll quote replacement up front — no surprises.

Question 7

Can you match my existing stain or paint color?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We coordinate factory pre-finishing through the manufacturer — paint matched off a chip from your existing trim, or stain matched to a sample. Doors arrive at your home pre-finished and cured, so install day is install only.

Question 8

Do I need a permit for a front-door replacement in St. Louis?

Accepted Answer

For a like-for-like replacement (same opening size, no structural change), most St. Louis County and City municipalities don’t require a permit. If we’re widening the opening for sidelights, adding a transom, or replacing the header, a permit is typically required — we pull it for you and include the cost in the quote.

Question 9

Do you make the doors yourselves?

Accepted Answer

No — we install. We work with Therma-Tru, Pella, Andersen, Masonite, Jeld-Wen, Steves & Sons, and Codel. The advantage is we're not locked into one brand: we recommend the door that fits your house, your weather exposure, and your budget.

Question 10

How long does the install actually take?

Accepted Answer

Most jobs are 4–6 hours. We schedule one door per crew per day. Old slab and frame come out, rough opening is checked and flashed, new door is plumbed and shimmed, weatherstrip seated, casing cut to your existing trim, and the jobsite is vacuumed before we leave.

Old door out, new one in — by lunch.

What an install morning actually looks like.

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What we recommend, based on 6,480 installs a year.

What we install — and how we do it.

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What we do — and what we won't.

Clayton, Ladue, Webster Groves, Central West End, St. Charles, St. Peters, Wentzville, and the rest of metro STL.

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