My front door is drafty. Does it need replacing?

Usually not. New weatherstripping and a door sweep stop most drafts, and adjusting the hinges and strike plate pulls the door tight against them. If the slab is warped or the frame soft, new seals won't close the gap, and that's when a new door becomes the better spend.

Do I need a permit to replace my front door in Oshawa?

On a house, not if the new door matches the old one's size and type. A new size, added sidelights or a new opening needs a permit. Condo, apartment and mixed-use buildings fall outside the house exemption, so check with the City first. Other Durham towns set their own rules.

Are fibreglass doors better than steel?

Not better, different. Fibreglass resists dents and damp and can take a wood-grain finish. Steel is solid and usually more economical, but a dent stays and scratches need touching up. Both come insulated. The right pick depends on how exposed the door is and the look you want.

Is there a rebate for a new front door in Ontario?

There can be. Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program has offered a per-opening rebate on ENERGY STAR certified doors, generally tied to a home energy assessment. Repairs, weatherstripping and new glass in an old door don't qualify. Check the program's own site for current rules before choosing a door.

Front doors · Oshawa

Front and entry doors for Oshawa homes

A front door that drafts, rubs or needs a shoulder to lock usually needs fixing, not replacing. Weatherstripping, a sweep, adjusted hinges and a new lock bring many doors back to weather-tight. When the slab is rotted or the frame soft, a new door fitted properly is the better spend. We connect you with independent local pros who repair and install front doors, and they quote the job.

Weatherstripping and hardware first
Steel, fibreglass and wood compared
Permits and the rebate, plainly

Get a free quote 905-470-3454

Slab, frame and sidelights work as one system.

Fix it first

Fix or replace: weatherstripping, sweeps, hinges and locks first

The City's property standards treat weatherstripping and hardware as ordinary upkeep, and most of it is small work. Check these first. For patio and screen doors, see doors and screens.

Draft along the edges

Flattened weatherstripping lets air and light through. A new strip presses into the frame.

Draft or water at the bottom

A worn sweep, or a threshold that needs adjusting or resealing.

Drags or won't latch

Loose hinge screws let it sag; longer screws bring the latch back.

Stiff or worn lock

A new deadbolt or handle set fits the same holes.

When it's time for a new door

The slab is rotted, split or warped, or the frame or sill is soft. Then a new slab and frame together is the fix.

Materials

Steel versus fibreglass versus wood

All three make a good front door. They differ in how they wear, not in whether they work.

Steel

A steel skin over an insulated core. Solid and plain; dents stay, and scratches need touching up.

Fibreglass

Resists dents and takes paint or a wood-grain finish.

Wood

The look many older homes were built with. Repairable, but it needs regular finishing.

Glass in the door

Glass inserts, sidelights and transoms

A fogged sidelight or a cracked insert doesn't mean a new door; door glass replacement explains how either is replaced on its own.

For a new door, choose the glass at the same time: clear, privacy or decorative. Wide sidelights and larger glass low in the door need safety glass under the building code.

Efficiency and rebates

Efficiency: ENERGY STAR doors and the provincial rebate

An energy-efficient claim should rest on something you can check: in Canada, the ENERGY STAR label, which uses one national threshold with no regional zones. Ask whether the whole quoted door, glass included, carries it.

Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program has offered a per-opening rebate for ENERGY STAR certified doors, usually alongside a home energy assessment. It's for complete doors, not repairs; confirm current rules first. The Region's Durham Greener Homes program offers home assessments; ask whether a door fits.

What affects the quote

What affects the price of a new entry door

Windows or the patio door due too? See replacement windows and patio door replacement. For the door, the quote depends on:

Repair or replacement
Door material: steel, fibreglass or wood
Sidelights and a transom
Glass type and amount
Stock or made to measure, and any size change
Hardware, trim, capping and removal

Send a photo and the rough opening size.

Get an entry door quote

Quotes come from independent local pros. Compare them in writing.

Permits

Permits: same-size on a house versus widened openings

In Oshawa, a same-size, same-type front door on a house needs no building permit. A new opening or a different size does, per the City's permit checklist. Adding sidelights usually means widening the opening.

The exemption is for houses only. For a condo townhouse, an apartment building or a shop with a flat above, check with the City's building permits office first; condo owners should also check their declaration and property manager. Whitby, Clarington, Ajax and Pickering issue their own permits.

Older homes

Storm door and entry door as a pair

Many of Oshawa's older houses pair the entry door with an aluminum storm door: one takes the weather and gives a summer screen, the other seals the house. Replacing one? Look at the other.

A new insulated door needs a storm door less, though many owners keep one for the screen. See screen and storm doors.

Questions

Front door questions

Explore your options

Local pros repair and replace front doors across Oshawa and nearby, including Lakeview, Downtown Oshawa, North Oshawa, Whitby and Bowmanville.

Send a photo of the door and frame

Add the rough opening size. We send it to a local pro who works on entry doors, and follow up so you're not left waiting.