Replace the front door

The first thing anybody sees and usually the draughtiest thing in the house. A pre-hung unit goes in as one piece.

How many doors?

doors

This fits in a car

About 125 lb of materials. Comfortably inside what a car carries (200 lb), so any shopper can take it. ⚠️ 1 item on the list has no weight on file, so the real load is a little heavier than this.

Before you start

A pre-hung exterior door is heavy and tips easily — it is a two-person lift. Do not use ordinary expanding foam around a door frame; it bows the jamb and the door stops closing.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Doors

1 door of pre-hung exterior door, 36 inMeasure the OPENING before you buy — width, height, and which side the hinges are on. A pre-hung door is heavy and awkward; it needs a truck or a van, not a car boot.

Hardware

1 bundle of composite shims
1 box of exterior structural screws, 3 in
1 set of entry lockset and deadboltBuy the handle and the deadbolt as one keyed-alike set, or you end up with two keys for one door.

Weatherproofing

1 roll of flashing tape, 4 in
2 tubes of exterior sealant
1 can of low-expansion door and window foam
1 tube of sill sealant

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

1 4 ft level· most people have this
1 Pry bar· most people have this
1 Drill driver· most people have this
1 Reciprocating saw
1 Caulk gun· most people have this

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about a day · confident

Measure the opening twice and buy to it. Do not take the old door out until the new one is on site.
Take the old door and frame out, then clean the opening back to bare framing and check the sill is sound.
Run flashing tape across the sill and up the sides, then lay a bead of sill sealant.
Set the new unit in, shim it until it is plumb and square, and check the door swings and latches before fixing it.
Fix through the shims with the structural screws, foam the gap with low-expansion foam only, then trim and seal the outside.