Installed entry-system prices beside a single door
Hynes Construction's 2026 Main Line, Pennsylvania cost guide gives $2,500–$8,000 installed for a fiberglass or steel entry with sidelights, and $4,000–$12,000+ with sidelights and a transom. Its single-door categories are lower but overlap those ranges. These are regional contractor estimates, not verified quotes for the named manufacturer systems examined below.
| Published entry category | Main Line installed estimate | Source's main scope variables | What to establish before comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single steel entry | $1,200–$3,000 | Door grade, glass, hardware, frame condition, trim | Complete prehung replacement or retained-frame work |
| Single fiberglass entry | $1,500–$4,500 | Grade, woodgrain finish, glass panel, hardware | Selected glass and finish, with the same opening scope |
| Fiberglass or steel entry with sidelights | $2,500–$8,000 | Width, glass type, frame complexity | One or two sidelights and exact assembled dimensions |
| Entry with sidelights and transom | $4,000–$12,000+ | Frame complexity, decorative glass, custom sizing | Transom shape, complete assembly, and structural work |
Source: Hynes' visible “Door Replacement Cost Guide for Main Line PA (2026)” table, retrieved September 30, 2026. The page identifies the pricing year but supplies no separate publication date for that table. Its standard single steel and fiberglass rows specify 36×80 doors; that dimension is not the overall size of a sidelight assembly.
For dated national context, HomeGuide's guide visibly dated September 12, 2024 lists $330–$2,750 installed for single entry and $1,600–$4,600 for entry with sidelights in its door-type table. It mentions high-end sidelight installations reaching $10,000 or more. Its older figures cannot validate a current local quote.
Neither source gives a matched installed premium for moving from one sidelight to two. HomeGuide's exterior-door comparison lists a $300–$900 transom addition, but does not define a complete structural-opening enlargement. Keep that historical allowance separate from Hynes' complete entry-with-transom category. Subtracting unrelated range endpoints would not establish an upgrade price for your house. HomeGuide's visible tables describe different scopes.
The entry-door replacement guide explains slab and prehung pricing. The fiberglass entry-door guide examines fiberglass construction and finishing. This page follows the larger glazed assembly: whether it fits, how the frame is joined, which glass is supplied, and which repair obligations survive installation.
One sidelight, two sidelights, and a transom need separate drawings
Start with an elevation showing the exact arrangement. Mark the door leaf, fixed or operable side units, transom, mullions, threshold, frame, and exterior trim. State whether the drawing is viewed from inside or outside. Add the handing and swing direction so a sidelight described as “left” cannot mean different things to the homeowner and supplier.
For a one-sidelight option, ask which side receives it and where the operating door sits in the overall opening. For a two-sidelight option, request the side-unit widths and the clear passage through the door. For a transom option, have the supplier show its shape and the total assembled height. Keep those alternatives beside complete installed totals instead of accepting a verbal glass surcharge.
Therma-Tru's Door System Specifications, pages 1–3, list sidelight widths of 10, 12, and 14 inches for the fiberglass lines discussed below. They describe assemblies with mullions, continuous sills and frame heads, as well as separately framed and cased units joined together. Those are documented configurations, not a rough-opening sizing formula.
Ask the supplier for the actual assembled frame size and required rough opening. Do not obtain the structural opening by adding nominal door and glass widths from a brochure. Have the seller include mullions, frame construction, joining method, and installation allowance in the order drawing. Require a fresh drawing if a substituted glass or side-unit configuration changes the supplied assembly.
Treat an existing transom separately on the scope schedule. Ask whether it stays, is replaced as part of the new system, or is independently supplied. Request the joining and flashing detail where old and new construction meet. A proposal that calls the result a “new front door” still needs to describe what happens to the glass above and beside it.
Fit within the existing opening or change the structure
Have the installer distinguish the door-system frame from the surrounding wall framing. Ask for existing and proposed opening dimensions and a statement identifying what remains. A drawing of a factory frame head does not answer whether the existing structural header can accommodate a changed opening. Keep product dimensions and structural scope in separate, clearly labeled parts of the proposal.
Seattle's 2021 Residential Code, Chapter 6, R602.7, says: “For header spans, see Tables R602.7(1), R602.7(2) and R602.7(3).” Table R602.7(1) addresses exterior bearing walls and distinguishes supported loads, building width, ground snow load, header size, and required jack studs. Header selection therefore requires more information than the desired width of the door-and-glass assembly.
Ask the contractor who assesses the existing header and its supports and who supplies any required structural design. Request a description of temporary support, opening alterations, and restored wall finishes where applicable. Do not order a wider assembly on an assurance that extra side glass is merely trim work. Have the applicable opening determination settled before accepting the final product dimensions.
Portland's residential-project guidance lists cutting a new door opening and widening or reducing an existing opening among alterations generally requiring a permit. That is a named jurisdiction's guidance, not a national permit rule. Ask the authority for your address which approvals apply and have the contractor identify permit responsibility in the written scope.
For replacement within an existing enlarged opening, ask whether the full door-and-sidelight frame is removed or whether any side framing remains. For adding sidelights beside a single door, request the proposed structural opening and restoration work. For adding a transom, request the corresponding height review. Those alternatives deserve complete descriptions even when the same fiberglass door leaf appears in every proposal.
Three named Therma-Tru lines and their documented glass choices
The manufacturer specification PDF separates Classic-Craft, Fiber-Classic, and Smooth-Star. The construction differences below come from the actual document, rather than from assumed price tiers. The document is a technical reference; ask the seller to confirm the current offered configuration before using it as an order specification.
| Documented property | Therma-Tru Classic-Craft | Therma-Tru Fiber-Classic | Therma-Tru Smooth-Star |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiberglass face minimum | 3/32 inch | 1/16 inch | 1/16 inch |
| Face finish described | Textured or smooth; stainable and paintable | Wood-grained; stainable and paintable | Lightly textured; accepts paints |
| Core specification | Foamed-in-place polyurethane, 1.9 pcf minimum | Same stated minimum | Same stated minimum |
| Sidelight frame choices | Mullioned continuous-head/sill assembly or separately framed units | Same described choices | Same described choices |
| Transom glass options listed | Low-E or etched insulating glass; decorative panel between tempered panes | Clear, Low-E, or etched insulating glass; decorative options | Clear, Low-E, or etched insulating glass; decorative options |
| Qualifying residential warranty and transfer | Lifetime; one-time transfer | Lifetime; transfer conditional on described rider | Lifetime; transfer conditional on described rider |
| Comparison judgment | Specify the selected smooth or textured face and matching glass | Keep stain selection and the transfer rider attached to the complete order | Price a paint finish and confirm matching side/transom glass separately |
Sources: Therma-Tru Door System Specifications, pages 1–3, and Fiberglass and Steel Door Systems Limited Warranty, residential summary, applicable to purchases on or after April 7, 2025. Ownership, residence, component, and other conditions apply. The table is not a promise that every order has every glass option.
The judgment row converts documented differences into order questions. Skin thickness and core density do not supply a whole-system energy rating, security rating, or installed-price ranking. Ask for performance evidence matching the assembled door, side units, and selected glass. Keep that evidence separate from the construction description so a favorable component specification cannot stand in for a delivered-system rating.
Glass choices must be matched across the assembly
Ask for the doorlite, sidelight, and transom glass codes on one product schedule. Request the supplied glazing type, privacy treatment, grille or caming pattern, and any Low-E specification for each location. Do not assume the side glass matches merely because the dealer shows it next to a door from the same line.
Therma-Tru's specification PDF distinguishes factory-glazed construction from glass inserts and describes decorative glass positioned between tempered panes. The schedule should identify the actual construction. Ask for a sample or clear drawing of the selected pattern, particularly where a transom must align with side glass. Availability needs confirmation for the proposed shapes and sizes.
View the selected glass before agreeing to the order. Ask the seller to demonstrate the intended privacy appearance from both sides under the lighting you expect to matter. Request an alternative if the sample leaves the entrance more visible than you want. That is a preference to settle with the actual product, not a reason to invent a numerical privacy rating.
If the quote changes from plain glazing to a decorative design or between-glass blinds, request the revised component warranty as well as the price. The next section shows why the glass description has consequences beyond appearance. Preserve that description in the order so a substitution cannot silently change the coverage category you used to compare the proposals.
Pella's PDF gives different terms to different glass
Pella's fiberglass-or-steel entry-system warranty expressly includes door and composite frame systems, sidelights, and transoms in its covered-product definition. The terms below apply to covered products purchased on or after February 24, 2020, installed in owner-occupied single-family homes in the United States or Canada. Its glass provisions distinguish nondecorative glazing, decorative glazing, and sealed-in blinds or shades; other occupancy categories have different terms. This is an additional manufacturer's warranty comparison, not evidence of a Pella installed price or current model availability.
| Pella entry-system glass category | Limited term from date of sale | Covered issue described in the PDF | Repair-labor limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nondecorative glass | 20 years | Premature failure or permanent material obstruction related to seal failure | Labor included only if notice of claim is made within two years of sale |
| Decorative glass | 10 years | Premature failure or permanent material obstruction related to seal failure | Same shorter notice window for included labor |
| Blinds or shades sealed between insulating glass | Five years | Stated seal-failure problems and manufacturing defects significantly impairing blind/shade function | Same shorter notice window for included labor |
Source: Pella entry-door warranty, glass provisions. The PDF describes these as limited remedies subject to prompt notice and other conditions. Pella chooses the applicable remedy; the terms do not promise a freely chosen whole-entry upgrade or unrestricted glass-breakage coverage.
The 20 years in the nondecorative-glass row is longer than the included-labor period. Ask the seller who pays later removal, reglazing, and surrounding finish work. For decorative glass, ask which components are covered if the concern involves the appearance of the design rather than the particular seal-failure condition described in the warranty.
The Pella glass provisions also specify products purchased from Pella or its authorized dealer and installed in the original door openings. Have the seller confirm how those conditions apply to the proposed replacement.
Use the same component questions with another manufacturer. Request the exact defect covered, the term's starting date, ownership and transfer conditions, remedy, notice procedure, and labor responsibility. Keep an installer's workmanship promise separate from the manufacturer document. A sales statement that the “door is lifetime” leaves the side glass, frame, finish, and repair work unresolved.
Safety glazing beside doors: Seattle's R308.4.2
Seattle's current residential-code page identifies its adopted 2021 International Residential Code with Seattle amendments. The city describes this residential code as applying to single-family houses, duplexes, and townhouses with no more than three stories and separate entrances; it directs other buildings to different codes. In the city-hosted Chapter 3 PDF, R308.4.2, the provision begins:
Glazing in an individual fixed or operable panel adjacent to a door shall be considered to be a hazardous location where the bottom exposed edge of the glazing is less than 60 inches (1524 mm) above the floor or walking surface and it meets either of the following conditions:
Its first condition reads:
Where the glazing is within 24 inches (610 mm) of either side of the door in the plane of the door in a closed position.
The same section also addresses glass on an angled wall within 24 inches of the hinge side of an inswinging door, using the stated less-than-180-degree condition. Its listed exceptions include decorative glazing, an intervening wall or permanent barrier, certain shallow closet/storage access, and glazing adjacent to the fixed panel of patio doors.
R308.3.1 in that PDF states: “Where required by other sections of the code, glazing shall be tested in accordance with CPSC 16 CFR 1201.” Its category tables and stated ANSI alternative apply according to the section’s conditions. Ask the supplier and building official for the applicable glass classification and compliance evidence. A decorative sales name does not establish that a code exception applies to the delivered assembly.
Show the local authority the elevation, door swing, adjacent walls, and glass heights. Ask it to confirm the provisions governing the project and any claimed exception before ordering. Seattle's text is a concrete example of the dimensions involved; another jurisdiction may use a different adopted edition or amendments. This page quotes the provision without making a legal determination for an individual installation.
For a transom, request its own review using the actual bottom glass height and surrounding conditions. Do not automatically extend a sidelight determination to glass above the door. Ask the seller to mark the compliance evidence for each glass location on the product schedule. Keep those records with the order rather than rely on a general statement that the entrance is “tempered.”
Finishing obligations include the frame and glass surrounds
Therma-Tru's April 2025 warranty, page 1, requires fiberglass slabs to be finished within six months of installation for continued coverage. Bare or unprotected wood has a shorter instruction: prime and paint, or stain and topcoat, within two weeks or by weather exposure, whichever comes sooner. Specified PVC lite frames, buff-grained composite frames, and door surrounds have a 30-day finishing requirement.
Ask the seller which pieces arrive factory finished and which remain the installer's responsibility. Have the contract describe the door edges, frame, side units, transom surround, and exposed cut surfaces. A finished door face does not answer whether every other component has been treated according to its instructions. Request the finishing completion record as part of handover.
The Therma-Tru warranty separately identifies its Same-Day Stain and PrismaGuard arrangements and directs readers to their separate terms. If either appears on the order, obtain the applicable finish document. Avoid carrying a slab warranty term across a separately warranted coating simply because both share a manufacturer name.
Pella's entry-system warranty exclusions address failure to finish door-panel, sidelight, transom, molding, light-rim, frame, and jamb surfaces within 30 days. It also separates factory-applied finishes from nonfactory finishing. Ask who supplies and warrants any locally applied paint or stain, and attach that answer to the installed scope.
Put removal, flashing, and restoration in the installed scope
Ask each bidder to identify the complete installed scope: product supply, existing-system removal, retained components, opening preparation, framing changes, joining details, sill treatment, flashing, trim, hardware, finishing, disposal, and permit responsibility. Request explicit exclusions. The comparison is the total attached to that description, rather than the product name beside an unexplained allowance.
Have the contractor show how the proposed frame and sill meet the existing wall and finished floor. Request the relevant manufacturer installation instructions for the ordered system. If separately framed side units are joined on site, ask who supplies the joining details and takes responsibility for the assembled installation. Preserve those answers with the final elevation.
For concealed damage, request the procedure for documenting findings and approving additional work after removal. Ask what photographs, revised scope, and price will be provided before the change proceeds. Keep that process separate from the known opening-alteration work already included in the quote. It should be clear which decisions can be settled now and which depend on the exposed condition.
Ask for an alternative total retaining the existing arrangement if the proposed design enlarges the opening. Keep the same selected door finish, hardware, and glass descriptions wherever the alternatives allow. Then compare the complete commitments. That gives you a usable answer to what the new sidelight or transom design changes without deriving a false premium from unrelated national ranges.
Warranty labor and handover deserve their own review
Read the supplied warranties before accepting a summary in the proposal. Ask the seller to identify the holder, start date, covered components, transfer conditions, claim procedure, and remedy for the exact assembled order. Give warranty labor a separate line in your comparison, alongside removal, surrounding finish restoration, and any installer workmanship coverage.
Check the ownership provision if future transfer matters. Therma-Tru's 2025 residential summary distinguishes Classic Craft's one-time transfer from the conditional rider treatment for Fiber-Classic and Smooth-Star. Request the rider actually supplied with the ordered frame system rather than treating transferability as a feature shared by every fiberglass configuration.
At handover, request the final product schedule, applicable installation instructions, glass evidence, supplied warranties, finish records, and opening-work approvals. Match the delivered assembly to the accepted drawing. Have the installer demonstrate door operation and locking, and record any unresolved fit or finish item in the completion documents.
Keep the records organized by component: operating door, side units, transom, frame, glass, hardware, finish, and installation. That makes a later concern easier to describe to the responsible company. It also preserves the basis of your price comparison, including the particular glass and warranty categories that a generic “new entry door” invoice can leave out.
What we could not verify
- The ICC-hosted 2021 IRC chapter page returned an access block. Seattle's adopted-code page and city-hosted Chapter 3 and Chapter 6 PDFs were reachable and supply the jurisdiction-specific code text used here.
Questions to ask before you compare quotes
Sources
All retrieved 2026-09-30.
- Hynes Construction, "Doors Services Main Line PA," visible 2026 door-replacement cost table (visible body fetched through web tool after direct request failed)
- HomeGuide, "How Much Does It Cost to Install or Replace a Door?" visible date September 12, 2024 (visible body fetched through web tool after direct HTTP request was blocked)
- Therma-Tru, "Door System Specifications," Classic-Craft, Fiber-Classic, and Smooth-Star, pages 1–3 (primary-document extraction)
- Therma-Tru, "Fiberglass and Steel Door Systems Limited Warranty," purchases on or after April 7, 2025 (primary-document extraction; manufacturer asset PDF)
- Pella, "Fiberglass or Steel Entry Door Systems Product Limited Warranty and Finish Limited Warranty," February 2020-current PDF (primary-document extraction)
- Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, "Residential Code"
- Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, "2021 Seattle Residential Code, Chapter 3 — Building Planning," R308.3.1 and R308.4.2 (primary-document extraction)
- Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, "2021 Seattle Residential Code, Chapter 6 — Wall Construction," R602.7 and Table R602.7(1) (primary-document extraction)
- City of Portland, "Common Home Projects," residential alteration permit guidance