Your Questions About Exterior Door Repair and Installation Answered

Are the entries to your home starting to look a bit rough around the edges—or rough all over? They're the first point of contact for visitors and make a huge contribution to your curb appeal, so they should be restored to excellent condition for the sake of appearance. However, there's a lot more than just looks at stake.

Exterior doors are the only thing standing between you (along with all your possessions) and the outside world. They block intruders, protect against weather and wildlife damage, and help to keep your home comfortable. But when they're in bad shape, they can't offer you the full protection your home needs—and that's when it's time to look into exterior door services such as professional repair or door replacement from the maintenance service technicians at Mr. Handyman of Keller, Flower Mound, and Alliance.

If you're thinking of having your entry replaced or fixed, you likely have some questions—and we have answers! This guide offers some expert advice in response to frequently asked questions, so you can get the info you need to make an informed decision about what's best for your home.

What Type of Door Is Best for the Exterior?

If you've started looking around at the different kinds of doors that are available, you've likely noticed that there's a huge variety of styles and materials available. What you choose depends quite a bit on where on your house the door is located—a main entry will be a traditional front door style, while an entry leading onto a patio could be French or sliding glass. It can be overwhelming at first, but there are a few questions you can ask yourself that will help you narrow it down.

• What style is my house and which entryway will best match that style?
• Am I willing to do extra maintenance to keep it looking good? For example, wood requires more regular maintenance than fiberglass.
• Do I want a window in my door to add extra light and visibility?
• Would a matching or contrasting color look best against my exterior trim and siding?

What is the Most Energy-Efficient Exterior Door?

As a general rule of thumb, fiberglass will be a more energy-efficient option than wood. When shopping, it is important to check the energy performance ratings for various options. One of the biggest factors you should be considering is whether the entry itself features a window since windows (in entries or otherwise) can be a huge source of energy loss. Glass is a poor insulator, so patio entries, especially the sliding variety, lose the most heat.

Why is Energy Efficiency Important?

There are three main reasons why energy efficiency is so important for your home, in entryways, and throughout the rest of the house.

1. Homes that are not using energy efficiently will have HVAC systems that are working overtime, making for increasingly expensive utility bills and causing you to spend a lot more on your energy costs than you would if your home was better able to prevent warm or cool air from escaping.
2. Air drafts and moisture coming in through improperly installed or non-efficient portals will decrease the comfort of your home.
3. High energy use creates a drain on resources that is not environmentally friendly.

Why Are Exterior Doors So Expensive?

You've probably noticed that outside-to-inside entryways are a lot more costly than their interior counterparts, and that makes a lot more sense when you consider the functionality of these two different types of portals. Interior doors are mainly to give you some privacy inside the house, and offer a bit of sound separation (though if you live with someone who likes to crank up their tunes, you know they're definitely not sound-proof). Exterior entries need to be a lot sturdier to withstand all the abuse they take from the weather, insects, pests, and even attempted home invasions; that said, they’re constructed and installed differently. If you're used to shopping for interior entries, you'll need to adjust your expectations of what is a fair price for an outside entry.

Can You Replace Just a Front Door and Not the Frame?

The answer is yes—if the existing frame (also called a jamb) is in good condition and not "out of square" or warped by house settling. You need the right size of door that doesn't have hinge cutouts already; it can be a lot more difficult than you'd expect to get the hinges attached in the correct place and hang the door evenly within the jamb—this is a task that's better left to professional installers. Not sure if you need repair or replacement for your main entry? Here are the top 10 signs you need front door repair services.

How Long Does It Take to Install an Exterior Door?

This is impossible to estimate without seeing the project in person because there are so many mitigating factors. For example, the installer may need to contend with a jamb that's over or undersized, trimming the floor to match the new entry sill, touching up paint on the entry or trim, installing security devices, and so on. Once our experienced service pros see your situation for themselves, they'll be able to provide an estimate of how long they think it'll take to get it installed.

What Do You Call Someone Who Fixes Doors?

This sounds like the set-up to a dad joke, but we'll bite—you call them Mr. Handyman! Many of our skilled technicians have decades of experience in related trades, and you can rely on us for dependable, cost-effective, and high-quality garage and entry door products, installation, repair and maintenance services so you'll have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your home is safe and secure.

Count on Mr. Handyman for Experienced Exterior Door Services

Whether you're in Keller or a nearby community such as Lewisville, Lantana, or Haslet, you can trust the professionals at Mr. Handyman of Keller, Flower Mound, and Alliance for quality workmanship and customer service that goes above and beyond.

Give us a call today to find out more about how we can improve your home and make your life easier!