Half-Lite Back Door Replacement
You want light in the kitchen and a look at the deck, but not a wall of glass at the back door.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-250-3621.
Half lite back door replacement is a prehung door with glass in the top half and a panel below, frame included. JMB Builders pulls the old door and frame, sets the new one on a sill pan and trims it. One door is a welcome job across the Twin Cities metro, priced per door. Clear glass often in stock; blinds between the glass are custom ordered. Photo reply within one business day, or a free in-home estimate.
- Glass up top, solid panel below
- Priced per door, prehung frame included
- Clear glass often in stock; blinds custom ordered
A half-lite door is one piece of insulated glass in the upper half and a solid panel in the lower half. It is the most common glass back door because it does three things at once: light into the kitchen or mudroom, a view of who is at the door, and a solid bottom where the dog, the boots and the snow shovel hit. Clear glass is the standard; obscure glass or blinds between the glass are the usual upgrades.
A steel half-lite with clear glass in a common size and primed white is often in stock at our supplier, so one back door can be measured, picked up and installed without a factory order. Blinds between the glass, obscure or decorative glass, fiberglass, a factory color or a size between stock sizes is custom ordered with the lead time written on the quote.
The install is a full prehung replacement, because the frame is where the old back door failed. Old door and frame out, soft sill framing or subfloor replaced, a sill pan and flashing in, the new unit set square and sealed, and brickmould and casing on primed and caulked. Painting is quoted as a separate line, or paint it yourself. If the door opens onto a deck, the threshold is set to drain away from it.
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 763-250-3621.
What you supply
- Photos of the back door from inside and outside, with a close-up of the sill and the floor inside the door
- Which side the hinges are on from inside, and a rough slab width
- Your glass pick: clear, obscure, or blinds between the glass
- Your choice of lockset and deadbolt finish, or your own hardware
What JMB supplies
- A check of the shelf at ABC Supply for a half-lite in your size and swing
- A measure of the opening before the door is picked up or ordered
- The prehung half-lite door with frame, in stock or custom ordered, in options such as Therma-Tru, ProVia or Masonite
- Removal of the old door, frame and trim with haul-away
- Repair of rotted sill framing or subfloor, quoted as its own line
- Sill pan, flashing tape, foam, sealant and shims, threshold set to drain toward the stoop or deck
- Exterior brickmould and interior casing, primed and caulked; painting quoted as a separate line
- Lockset and deadbolt installed, strike and weatherstrip adjusted
- Photos of the finished door in your job folder
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Clear glass in stock vs. custom ordered blinds between the glass, obscure or decorative glass
- Steel vs. fiberglass, primed vs. factory color
- Rot at the sill, jamb feet and subfloor, common at back doors
- What the door opens onto: deck, stoop or grade
- Siding, stucco or brick around the opening and interior casing kept or replaced
- Hardware: a basic lockset vs. a handleset or smart lock
- A storm door kept, remounted or added
Say which glass you want with the photos. Clear glass usually means in stock; blinds or obscure glass means a custom order with its lead time on the quote.
How long it takes
About a day on site, more if the subfloor is rotted. An in-stock clear-glass half-lite is picked up soon after the measure; blinds between the glass, fiberglass or a color is ordered with the lead time on 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
Clear glass half-lite, in stock
Primed white steel with one clear insulated glass unit up top. The shelf door for a kitchen or mudroom back door, painted on site or by you.
Blinds between the glass
Blinds sealed inside the glass unit, raised and tilted with a slider on the frame, never dusted. Custom ordered with the lead time on the quote.
Obscure or decorative glass
Light in without a view in, for a door off a bedroom hall or facing a neighbor. Glass is chosen on the order, so this is a custom order.
Half-Lite Back Door Replacement: questions, answered
Is a half-lite back door in stock?
A primed white steel half-lite with clear glass in a common size usually is, at our supplier, so one back door can be installed soon after the quote is signed and the opening measured. Blinds between the glass, obscure glass, fiberglass or a color is custom ordered with the lead time written on the quote. Send photos and we reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
Can a half-lite door have blinds inside the glass?
Yes. Blinds between the glass are built into the sealed glass unit and work with a slider on the frame, so they never get dusty or bent. They are ordered with the door, which makes it a custom order, and the lead time is on the quote.
Does the price include the frame?
Yes. The half-lite comes as a prehung unit with frame, sill and weatherstrip, one line on the quote. Sill rot repair, trim, hardware and painting are their own lines.
Is a half-lite door cold in winter?
Less than a full-lite and more than a solid door. The glass is insulated low-e, and the solid lower panel is foam-filled steel or fiberglass. New weatherstrip and a sill that seals do more for a cold back door than the amount of glass.
Can the half-lite glass be replaced later if it breaks?
On most doors, yes. The glass unit sits in a frame that can be removed and a new unit set, so a cracked pane does not mean a new door. Blinds-between-the-glass units are replaced the same way.
Is one half-lite back door too small a job?
No. One door is a welcome job for JMB Builders, priced per door with the frame included. The front door and other doors are not touched unless you ask.
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
Back Door Only
The back door is the one that gets used, kicked, and left in the weather. It is soft at the bottom and the deadbolt fights you. Replace that one door.
Read moreNine-Lite Back Door Replacement
The back door to the deck or the garage is dark and tired. A nine-lite puts a grid of glass up top, lets you see who is there, and keeps a solid panel below.
Read moreSteel Six-Panel Entry Door Replacement
You do not need glass, a color or a design. You need a solid door that locks, seals and does not cost a fortune. That is the steel six-panel.
Read moreFull Lite vs Half Lite Entry Door — How Much Glass in a New Front Door
You know you want glass in the new front door. The question is how much, and the answer depends on what the door faces, what it opens into and who walks past it.
Read moreBack 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.
Read moreEntry Door Glass Insert Replacement — Swap or Add a Door Lite
The oval glass in the front door is fogged between the panes, or the brass caming looks like 1994, or the door has no window at all and the entry is dark. The door is fine; the glass is the job.
Read morePage reviewed October 25, 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: