Is it cheaper to repair a front door or replace it?

Repair is almost always cheaper when the frame and slab are sound: weatherstripping, a threshold adjustment, a hinge fix or a new insert. Replacement earns its cost when the sill is rotted, the frame twisted, or the door dented or coming apart. The pro should tell you which one you're dealing with.

Do I need a permit to replace the door on an existing basement entrance?

The City's permit list doesn't mention a same-size door swap either way, so confirm with the Building Division. A new or enlarged below-grade entrance does need a permit. If you're unsure the entrance was ever permitted, ask the City first; see the basement unit guide.

What affects the cost of a new front door?

Slab or full pre-hung system, material, sidelights, glass and hardware, plus hidden work such as a soft sill found once the old door is out. In Churchville, heritage rules can shape the choice too. An itemized written quote keeps extras from appearing later.

Can a door-to-door seller sign me up for new windows or doors, and can I cancel?

They can sell at your door, because Ontario's door-to-door restrictions don't cover windows and doors. If you sign a contract at home, Ontario law generally gives you ten days to cancel from when you receive the written copy. Compare written quotes and don't sign on the spot.

Do I need a heritage permit to change my front door in Churchville?

Possibly. The heritage district plan says replacing a front door may need a heritage permit, while minor repairs are exempt. It favours repairing original doors and replacing wood in kind. Talk to the City's heritage staff first, and see our Churchville page.

Front doors · Brampton

Front doors, sidelights and second-unit entrances

Is this legit? A fair question, since some sellers call or knock offering a door or window “program”. We're a free referral service, not a door company or a government program, and we don't come to your door. We connect you with an independent local door pro who quotes in writing. Often the answer is weatherstripping or new glass, not a new door. Other jobs are on the doors and screens overview.

Weatherstrip and hardware first
Below-grade entrance pointers
Quotes itemized in writing

Get a free quote 905-216-6105

Door, sidelights and transom: each part can be repaired on its own.

Repair first

Repair first: weatherstripping, thresholds, hardware, insert glass

Weatherstripping

Flattened or split seals in the frame let drafts in. New strip presses into the same groove.

Worn sweep or dropped threshold

Daylight under the door means a worn sweep or a threshold that has dropped. Both are replaced or raised.

Hinges and lock

A door that rubs, or a deadbolt that needs a shove, has usually sagged. Longer hinge screws or an adjustment fix it.

Insert or sidelight glass

Cracked or foggy glass is replaced on its own; see door glass replacement.

Replacing

Replacing the door, the slab or the whole system

Swapping only the slab, the door itself, keeps the frame, but the slab must be fitted to old hinges in a frame that may not be square. A pre-hung system replaces door, frame, sill and weatherstrip together and solves a rotted sill or twisted frame.

Brampton's biggest building wave came in the early 2000s, and many of those sidelight entries have sound frames around a tired insert or seal. Swap the insert first, and replace the system when the frame fails. A storm door can also shield an older door.

Glass beside the door

Sidelights and transoms (safety glass rules)

Ontario's Building Code calls for safety glass in a sidelight wide enough to be mistaken for a doorway, and in large, low panes in the door itself. A new system comes with it; when only the glass is replaced, ask the pro to confirm it's tempered or laminated.

Rebates

ENERGY STAR doors and the rebate

Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program offers a rebate per rough opening for ENERGY STAR certified doors and windows, generally through a home energy assessment with two or more upgrades. A front door alone may not qualify, and new glass in an old door doesn't.

Pricing a front door

What the price of a new front door depends on

Get the quote in writing, itemized. Brampton's business licensing by-law expects licensed building renovators to give a signed contract with an itemized price, warranties and a completion date, a fair standard to ask of anyone. If you sign at home, Ontario's consumer rules give you a cooling-off period.

Slab only, or a full pre-hung system
Steel, fibreglass or wood, and the finish
Sidelights, transom and their glass
Sill and subfloor repairs found once the old door is out
Hardware, plus any permit or heritage requirements

Photograph the door from outside, sidelights included, and say what's wrong.

Get an entry door quote

Free to ask. Independent door pros quote.

Second units

Separate entrances for basement units: below-grade entrance permits

A new entrance down to the basement, the kind a second unit or two-unit dwelling often needs, requires its own building permit; the City's below-grade entrance package lists what to submit. In a single-unit house, the owner declares the entrance won't serve as an exit for an additional unit. The basement unit guide covers registration.

At tenant turnover, change the lockset, renew flattened weatherstripping and check the sweep; a stairwell door takes water and grit. The pro we match you with should arrive when agreed and leave it clean.

Heritage

Churchville homes: heritage permit for replacing a front door

In Churchville, Brampton's heritage conservation district, replacing a front door may need a heritage permit, while minor repairs don't. The plan favours repairing original doors and replacing wood in kind, not with aluminum-coated metal or vinyl. Read the Churchville HCD Plan and talk to the City's heritage staff before ordering; our Churchville page has more on the village's houses.

Questions

Questions about front doors

Explore your options

Local door pros work across Brampton, including Churchville, Castlemore, Downtown Brampton and Bramalea.

Photograph the door from outside

Include the sidelights and say what's wrong. If another language is easier for your household, note it on the form; we pass it on, though not every pro can offer it.