Front Door Replacement After Buying a House — The Inspection Door
The inspection report has a paragraph about the front door, the seller did not fix it, and you have the keys and an empty house for two weeks.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Front door replacement after buying a house is the new prehung entry door for the door the inspection report flagged: soft at the sill, not latching, drafty, or simply a door with a dozen keys floating around. JMB Builders supplies and installs them across the Twin Cities metro, often in the window between closing and move-in, with the sill fixed and new hardware keyed to you. Priced per door, quoted from photos, reply within one business day.
- Priced per door, door supplied
- Scheduled between closing and move-in when possible
- New hardware keyed to you with the door
Most inspection reports have something about the front door. Soft wood at the threshold or the bottom of the jambs. A door that does not latch without a shove. Daylight at the weatherstrip. A storm door that does not close. Sometimes the inspector got it right and sometimes the door is fine and the frame is the problem; either way you own it now, and the two weeks between closing and move-in, with the house empty and the floors bare, is the easiest time a door will ever be replaced.
The choosing is simpler than for a house you have lived in, because you do not know the house yet. Pick a style that fits the front of the house, in fiberglass if the door faces south or west, steel or fiberglass otherwise, from options such as Therma-Tru, ProVia, Masonite or JELD-WEN. A factory finish in white, black or a color that works with the siding you are not going to change this year. A half lite if the entry is dark. New hardware comes with the order, and that is worth more than it sounds: a new handleset and deadbolt means every key the seller, the realtor, the neighbor and the dog walker had stops working on install day. If you want the front, back and garage doors on one key, say so and the sets are ordered keyed alike.
The install is the standard job with the inspection report in hand: old door and frame out, the sill, subfloor and jamb bottoms checked and the soft wood the inspector found handled while the opening is open, sill pan, flashing lapped to the housewrap, frame plumb so it latches with a click, foam, sealant, trim. You get photos of what was under the old door for your own file. Painting is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it with the rest of the house.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- The door section of your inspection report, and photos of the door from outside and inside
- Your closing date and move-in date, so we can aim for the window between
- Style, material and color, and whether the sidelite and storm door stay
- Whether you want the front, back and garage doors keyed alike
- Hardware finish, or the handleset you bought
What JMB supplies
- A read of the inspection report against the photos and a straight answer on what the door needs
- Measurement of the opening and the order for a prehung entry door that fits the house
- Removal and haul-away of the old door, frame and trim
- Check of the sill, subfloor and jamb bottoms once the old door is out, with soft wood handled while the opening is open
- Sill pan, flashing tape, low-expansion foam and exterior sealant
- Interior casing and exterior brickmould or flat trim
- New handleset and deadbolt installed, keyed alike to other doors if you want
- Photos of the opening before and after for your file
- Painting of the door and trim, quoted as its own line
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Fiberglass vs. steel, and the glass layout
- Soft sill, subfloor or jamb bottoms found when the old door comes out
- Sidelite and storm door kept vs. replaced
- Hardware: standard set vs. keyed-alike sets for several doors
- Factory finish vs. painted on site
- Painting, quoted as a separate line
Send the inspection report page about the door with your photos. It usually tells us what to expect at the sill before we open it.
How long it takes
One prehung door in a sound opening: most of a day on site, scheduled in the gap between closing and move-in when the dates allow. Add time for sill or subfloor work. 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 reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 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
The inspection door, like for like
A new prehung door in the same style and size as the old one, in fiberglass or steel, with the sill fixed and new hardware. The fastest fix for a report item.
Door plus back and garage doors, keyed alike
All the exterior doors on one key while the house is empty. Each door is its own line, and the second and third door in one visit cost less than the first.
Door with a new storm door
When the report flagged the storm door too, a new one sized to the new frame in the same order. Common on capes and colonials with little overhang.
Upgrade while the house is empty
A half lite, a sidelite in matching glass, or a different style that fits the house better, done now so there is no second disruption after you move in.
Front Door Replacement After Buying a House — The Inspection Door: questions, answered
The inspection said the front door frame is rotted, what does that mean for a new owner?
Usually the jamb bottoms and threshold have soft wood from years with no sill pan, and sometimes the subfloor under the door too. A new prehung door replaces the frame, and the soft wood under it is handled while the opening is open, then the new unit goes in on a sill pan so it does not happen again. Send the report page and photos and we will say how far it likely goes.
Should I replace the front door before or after moving in?
Before, if the dates allow. An empty house with bare floors is the easiest install there is, and the new hardware means the old keys stop working the day you move in. If the dates do not allow it, the install is still a one-day job and the house is open for less than an hour.
Do I need to rekey the house if I replace the front door?
A new door comes with a new handleset and deadbolt, so every old key to that door is done the day it goes in. The back door and garage service door still have the seller's keys unless you change their hardware or replace those doors too. Many new owners have all three doors ordered keyed alike so one key works everywhere.
Can you do the front, back and garage doors at the same time?
Yes, and the empty-house window is the time to do it. Each door is quoted as its own line and the second and third door in one visit cost less than the first because the setup is shared. Hardware for all of them can be ordered keyed alike.
I just bought the house and do not know how the door faces, does that matter?
It does for the material and color. A door facing south or west with no overhang is better in fiberglass with a factory finish; steel is fine on a north or east face or under a roof. Send a photo from the street and tell us the address orientation, or we check it at the in-home estimate.
Will I get a record of what was behind the old door?
Yes. We photograph the opening after the old door comes out, showing the sill and framing condition, and again after the sill pan and new door are in. Those photos go in your job folder along with the itemized receipt, which answers the inspection item for your own records.
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 the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Related jobs we do
Front Door Replacement Before Selling — What to Order, What to Skip
The realtor walked up to the house, looked at the front door and said that has to go. Here is what to order so it is done before the photographer comes, and what not to spend on.
Read moreCold Entryway Front Door Replacement — Insulated Unit and Sill Pan
The entry is the coldest spot in the house. The floor by the door is cold, the door is cold to the touch from inside, and there is frost at the threshold on the worst mornings. The door and its frame are the reason.
Read moreReplace All Exterior Doors — Front, Back, Garage Entry and Patio
Every door on the house is the original: the front is drafty, the back sticks, the garage entry is rusted at the bottom and the slider drags. You want them done once, matched, on one schedule.
Read moreSecurity Rated Steel Front Door — Reinforced Frame, Multipoint Option
You want the front door to be the hardest door on the block to get through, and you want it to still be a good-looking insulated entry door that seals in January. Both are in the order.
Read moreReplace Windows After Buying a House — Before or Right After Move-In
You just bought the house and the inspection report says the windows are done. Here is how to time the replacement around closing and move-in.
Read more5 Foot Patio Door — Sliding Door Replacement for a Small Opening
Your patio door is narrower than the ones at the store, and nobody seems to stock the size. Five-foot sliders exist; the job is getting the right one for your opening.
Read morePage reviewed October 10, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All doors pages
Where we work
Door Replacement & Installation near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: