[zummy]

We want to replace the front door that has no glass with a door with glass from Home Depot or Lowes. Has anyone done this? I want to do it myself. Can I just take the old door off the hinges and replace with the new door? Or do I have to take out the frame and put in a new framed door.My villa was built in 07. Thanks

[otherbruddaDarrell]

Sometimes it is not that easy. I went to HD and bought a premium storm door and had a handyman install it reasonable.
In cooler weather we leave the front door open, the storm door locked and it's slider-screen open for fresh air and view.
You will see a lot of CYV that have done this.
P.S.
I have changed doors and added storm doors myself in the past, but decided to sell most of my tools before moving here.
Besides, to me it is not worth the aggrevation of getting the things to fit right.

[zcaveman]

Originally Posted by otherbruddaDarrell

Sometimes it is not that easy. I went to HD and bought a premium storm door and had a handyman install it reasonable.
In cooler weather we leave the front door open, the storm door locked and it's slider-screen open for fresh air and view.
You will see a lot of CYV that have done this.
P.S.
I have changed doors and added storm doors myself in the past, but decided to sell most of my tools before moving here.
Besides, to me it is not worth the aggrevation of getting the things to fit right.

Also, the Storm doors that are sold in Lowe's and HD are not left or right. You have to bore the hole for the handle, etc. I used a Dremel to make the hole and it was a pain. If I had to do it again I would have hired someone.

As for a door with a glass pane in it, there is a company that will take your existing door and cut out the middle and put in a glass pane in a 1-2 hour time frame. I don't know the name but they advertise in the Daily Sun and a search will find them in TOTV. I did the search.

They are http://entrypointglass.com

[dfn8tly]

Unless you have a lot of woodworking experience and the necessary tools, replacing doors is not an exercise you want to take lightly. Houses settle and frames shift. It's not like hanging a cabinet door. But then again, if you're up to a challenge . . .

[Army Guy]

The wife and I took the advice from this board and had Entry Point put glass in the existing front door and are VERY HAPPY with the results. They were quick, cleaned up, and only took 30 minutes! The price is very reasonable. We HIGHLY recommend them!

Army Guy

[l2ridehd]

I also had entry point glass do my front door and side light. Would also recommend them. Turned out very nice.

[homeball]

We used Entry Point and they did a very good job. But I think I would wait for any warranty from the original installation to expire.

-Dave-

[ijusluvit]

I suspect it will be near impossible to find a new door which will fit well in an existing frame. Exterior doors are vinyl or steel and can't be easily modified to fit properly.

But try this solution. There are companies which sell a variety of beautiful full and half-door glass inserts made to be installed in plain windowless doors. The inserts are sized to fit into the space you cut out of the door with any decent jigsaw. The cut does not have to be precise because the inserts come with full inside and outside trim. There are a few companies which do a lot of work exactly like this in TV. They install inserts in an hour or two. Just do it!

[Ooper]

Entrypoint is much cheaper than a new door, plus they are in and out within 45 minutes. Very satified with results. Also had them put in a glass window w/screen in door leading into the garage. Adds more light in our laundry room plus allows you to see if you are going to run into anybody in the laundry room before coming in from the garage.

[zcaveman]

The other day I was at Lowe's looking at French doors and found out something interesting.

If you replace an exterior door you are supposed to get a building permit. This is only the exterior door. You do not need a permit for a storm or screen door nor do you need a permit to have Entry Point or whomever put the glass panel in your current exterior door because he is not replacing the door.

I was planning on replacing the slider that goes out to the lanai and he said that was considered an exterior door.

The reason he gave was that during the hurricanes of 2004, a lot of exterior doors did not hold up because they were improperly installed. So now you need a building permit.

Just something I found out and wanted to pass on.