Back Door Replacement — Rear, Side and Kitchen Doors to the Yard
The back door gets used more than the front, sits under a deck or at a stoop, and usually wears out first. We replace it with one that fits how you use it.
JMB Builders does back door replacement across the Twin Cities metro: the rear, side or kitchen door out to the deck, stoop or yard. We measure the opening, order a prehung door with the glass and swing that fit the space, pull the old door and frame, repair sill rot, set the new unit in a sill pan with flashing, and trim it. Priced per door, quoted from photos.
- Priced per door, door supplied
- Glass options that let light into the kitchen
- Sill set to the deck or stoop height
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Back doors take more traffic than front doors: kids, dogs, groceries, trash. They often open to a deck or a concrete stoop with no roof over it, so the sill takes rain and snow, and the bottom of the frame rots first. Many are a builder-grade steel door with a small window, a worn weatherstrip and a lock that has to be lifted to latch.
A back door also has to work with what is around it. The sill height has to clear the deck boards or stoop outside and the flooring inside. The swing has to clear cabinets, a table or a wall in a kitchen or mudroom. Glass choices matter because this door is often the only light in a back hall: half-lite, full-lite, or glass with blinds between the panes so there is nothing to dust.
We measure, order a prehung door that fits the opening and the room, and install it with a sill pan, flashing, foam and sealant, then trim both sides. A storm door or pet door can be added as its own line. Painting is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself.
What you supply
- Your pick of door style, glass and color
- How the door is used: pets, a storm door, a deck or stoop outside
- Photos of the door from both sides and the sill, deck or stoop outside
What JMB supplies
- Measurement of the opening and the order for the prehung door
- Removal and haul-away of the old door, frame and trim
- Rot repair at the sill, jamb feet and subfloor, quoted from the photos
- Sill pan, flashing tape, low-expansion foam, sealant and shims
- Exterior trim and interior casing
- Lockset and deadbolt installed and adjusted
- Photos of the finished door in your job folder
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- The door: steel or fiberglass, solid or glass, and blinds between the glass
- Rot at the sill, jamb feet, rim or subfloor
- Sill height against the deck or stoop outside
- Siding type and exterior trim
- Adding a storm door or pet door, each its own line
- Hardware and painting, quoted as separate lines
Send photos of the door from inside and outside, plus a photo of the deck or stoop at the sill.
How long it takes
One back door in a sound opening: about a day on site. Rot at the sill adds time. The door is ordered after you approve the quote.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Kitchen door to a deck
A half- or full-lite door that brings light into the kitchen. The sill is set so the door clears the deck boards and the floor inside.
Side door off a driveway
A solid or small-lite door, often under an overhang. Common spot for a storm door and a keypad deadbolt.
Door with blinds between the glass
Blinds sealed inside the glass so there are no cords or slats to clean and nothing to snag on the way out.
Back Door Replacement — Rear, Side and Kitchen Doors to the Yard: questions, answered
Why does my back door rot at the bottom when the front door is fine?
Back doors often open to a deck or stoop with no roof over it, so the sill takes rain and melting snow. A deck set too close to the sill holds water against it too. We fix the rot and set the new door in a sill pan so water drains out.
What kind of door is best for a back door?
Most back doors are insulated steel or fiberglass prehung units. Steel costs less and holds up to traffic; fiberglass will not dent or rust. Glass depends on whether you want light into the kitchen or privacy.
Can my back door have blinds built into the glass?
Yes. Many steel and fiberglass doors come with blinds sealed between the panes, raised and tilted by a slide on the frame. There are no cords and nothing to dust.
My back door is too close to my deck. Can you fix that?
If the deck boards sit at or above the sill, water runs toward the door. Sometimes the new door sill can be set higher; sometimes the deck boards near the door need to be lowered or trimmed back. We look at it in the photos and quote the fix.
Can you add a storm door or pet door to a new back door?
Yes. A storm door is mounted on the new brickmould after the door is in, and a pet door can be cut into the door or placed in the wall next to it. Each is its own line on the quote.
How long does back door replacement take?
About a day on site for one door in a sound opening, longer if the rim or subfloor needs repair. The wait is the door order. The opening is closed up the same day.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All doors pages
Where we work
Doors near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: