Who makes a decent fiberglass entry door?
user-2310254
| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
I’ve been looking at Therma Tru, Pella, and Jeld Wen. Ideally, I’d like an Energy Star door that seals well and offers decent quality. The contemporary style of our home means the door will be mostly glass, so that part is as important as the frame.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Search and download construction details
Replies
My wife was doing some research and came across this post on Green Building Advisor ( of course).
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/community/forum/green-products-and-materials/18875/best-looking-and-best-insulated-fiberglass-door
After reading through the post, Pella is sounding like a pretty good option. Trying to get pricing through the local showroom is a lost cause but maybe I'll have better luck on that count with the Big Box sellers.
I have settled on Intus for my doors and windows. The doors have a distinctly European look, and may contribute to your contemporary design. The sash around the door is like a big window—equal on all sides. Half of the door "sash" is overlaid on the jamb for added weather tightness and contributing to the look. The hinges are also overlay.
The doors are almost 4" thick, with three points of weatherstripping! The U-values are amazing. They can be up to 7'-10" tall, without any up-charge beyond the square foot price.
I am going with the UPVC option, and choosing different finish options on exterior and interior. I've seen them up close and they don't look bad at all. The UPVC comes in at a price point that is competitive with Pella (less than $2,000 for an entry door). One can also select from a variety of glazing, and actually custom design panels if desired. Outswing doors are typical for Europe, but inswing is certainly an option.
I also appreciate that the locking mechanism is European. I've had a house broken into recently through "lock bumping." Look it up on the internet and you will be dismayed by how easy it is. My solution then was to spend about $600 on three deadbolts that were bump proof. So you might consider subtracting $200 from Intus doors if you are doing a side-by-side comparison, and you include basic security as part of the equation.
David M, or anyone else: What is the approximate cost of a "3-0" (plus or minus) Intus exterior entry door, plain Jane, no or little glass? From whom are you getting yours? Thanks. john
You can have multipoint locksets installed on Therma True and similar doors, which does wonders for the tightness. Costs an additional $300-400. Most of these standard doors warp over time, with the top & bottom of the latch edge pulling away from the jamb and allowing infiltration. Even new doors show infiltration at these points since there nothing to hold the door against the jamb. The multipoint lock addresses that problem.
John:
I'm putting in a 3/0 x 8/0 PVC door that's mostly glass. It is about $2200. Intus has regional reps. FWIW. The Intus door was NOT a whole lot more than a similarly spec'd ThermaTru door.
Sorry. It was too early this morning when I typed this answer. Note the "NOT" correction.
Bob: Excellent. TT has some beautiful doors, but I did not know they could have the multi-point locking system installed. Thanks.
Steven: I finally got a couple of emails from Intus reps. One thinks $2600, plus shipping, one fears over $5K w/ shipping to AK. Shipping is only a couple hundred bucks from Wash, so I'll get back to them and get firm numbers. john
Yes. I ran into the "$5K" shipping complication as well. But your rep should be able to find a way to add your door into a larger shipment and reduce the shipping to a couple of hundred bucks. Frankly, if I had known of Intus a few months ago, I would have ordered their windows for my new house. Maybe next time around...