Door Installation in the Capital Region
A door is a moving part in a weather barrier, which is why it is the hardest opening in your house to get right. It has to swing thousands of times, seal against wind driving off the Hudson, shed water at the threshold, resist someone trying to kick it in, and still look good from the curb.
Sundog installs entry doors, exterior service doors, sliding patio doors, French doors, storm doors and commercial entrances across the Capital Region. Installed cost ranges from $400 for a storm door to $6,500 for a large patio door system. Every quote is written and itemized.
Most door problems trace back to the opening rather than the door. A house that has settled has an out-of-square opening, and a door hung in an out-of-square opening will never seal properly no matter how good the weatherstripping is. That is why we shim and check every jamb rather than dropping a prehung unit in and calling it done.
Below is every door service we offer. If you are not sure which one applies, call and describe the problem, and we will tell you which category it falls into.
Common door problems we solve
- Daylight visible around the door when it is closed
- The door sticks, drags on the threshold, or will not latch without a shove
- Cold air pouring across the floor at the bottom of the door
- Rot at the bottom of the jamb or the door itself, common on north elevations
- The deadbolt no longer lines up with the strike plate
- Sliding patio door that takes both hands and a foot to move
- A storm door that has blown open in the wind one too many times
Door installation cost at a glance
Every door type sits at a different price point. These are installed ranges for the Capital Region.
| Door type | Typical installed cost | Time on site |
|---|---|---|
| Storm door | $400 to $1,100 | Half day |
| Steel entry door, prehung | $1,200 to $2,600 | One day |
| Fiberglass entry door, prehung | $1,800 to $4,500 | One day |
| Entry door with sidelights | $3,000 to $7,000 | One to two days |
| Sliding patio door | $2,000 to $5,500 | One day |
| French door | $2,500 to $6,500 | One to two days |
| Commercial storefront door | $2,500 to $8,000 | One to two days |
Why prehung usually beats a slab swap
A slab swap means buying just the door and hanging it in your existing frame. It is cheaper and it is tempting. It works only if your existing jamb is square, plumb, not rotted, and the hinge mortises happen to line up. In a Capital Region home that has been settling since the Coolidge administration, that is uncommon. A prehung unit arrives with the door already hung in a new frame at the factory, square and with the weatherstripping already fitted, and we shim that frame into your rough opening. The result seals. A slab hung in a racked old jamb almost never does, and you end up chasing the gap with weatherstripping forever.
Ranges reflect typical Capital Region projects and are for planning only. Every Sundog quote is written, itemized, and free.
How the project runs
- 1
Measure and assess the opening
We check the opening for square, plumb and level, and look at the sill and framing before recommending a unit.
- 2
Select slab or prehung
A prehung unit includes a new frame, which is the right answer for most replacements. A slab-only swap only works when the existing frame is true.
- 3
Written quote
Itemized by unit, hardware, and labor, including any framing repair we found.
- 4
Installation
Old unit out, sill pan installed, new unit set plumb and shimmed at every hinge and strike, fastened through the shims into the framing.
- 5
Seal and finish
Perimeter foamed, interior casing and exterior trim installed, threshold adjusted, weatherstrip checked around the full perimeter.
- 6
Hardware and walkthrough
Locks and deadbolts installed and aligned, door opened and closed with you, keys handed over.
Our door services
- Entry and front door installation
- Exterior side, back and service door replacement
- Sliding glass and patio door installation
- French door installation
- Storm door installation
- Screen door and retractable screen installation
- Sliding door repair, rollers and tracks
- Door glass and sidelight replacement
- Commercial entrance and storefront doors
- Threshold, sweep and weatherstripping replacement
Where we do this work
We handle door installation across Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Saratoga counties from our Troy office. These are the markets we are in most often.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to install an exterior door?
A standard prehung entry door replacement is one day, including removal, sill pan, setting, insulating, trim and hardware. A door with sidelights or a transom, or one where the opening has to be resized, takes one to two days. Storm doors are typically a half day.
Do I need a permit to replace an exterior door?
Not for a same-size replacement in most Capital Region municipalities. You do need one if the opening is being widened, if you are creating a new doorway, or if the work is structural. Homes in a designated historic district may need a certificate of appropriateness for a street-facing door regardless of size.
Should I choose steel or fiberglass for our climate?
Fiberglass for most Capital Region homes. Steel dents, and more importantly the bottom edge is vulnerable to rust from road salt tracked onto an entry, which is a real problem here. Fiberglass does not rust, does not dent from a stroller or a snow shovel, insulates better, and can be finished to look like wood. Steel is the value option and it is a legitimate choice for a back door that does not take abuse.
Can you install a door in the winter?
Yes. The opening is only fully open for a short window during the swap, and we plan the work so the house is not standing open. Extreme cold affects how sealant and foam cure, so we watch the forecast and will move a day if the conditions will compromise the seal.
Why does my new door still let in a draft?
Usually one of three things. The frame was not shimmed properly so the weatherstrip does not compress evenly. The threshold is not adjusted, and most thresholds have adjustment screws that raise or lower the sill cap. Or the air is not coming through the door at all, it is coming through the gap between the frame and the rough opening, which means the perimeter was never insulated and sealed.
Do you install doors supplied by the homeowner?
Yes, on a labor-only basis, with one condition: we need to confirm the unit is the right size and configuration for the opening before install day. We cannot warranty a unit we did not supply, but the installation itself carries our workmanship warranty.
Related services
Worth reading before you decide
Get a written quote for door installation
Free measure, itemized pricing, and an honest recommendation on whether this is the right scope for your house.