Front Door Frame Kicked In — Exterior Jamb Repair After a Break-In
Someone kicked the door and the jamb gave way at the deadbolt. The door will not lock, cold air is coming in around the split, and you want it secured today. We rebuild the frame stronger than it was.
JMB Builders repairs a front door frame kicked in during a break-in for homeowners across the Twin Cities metro. The split exterior jamb is spliced or replaced, the trimmer stud behind it repaired if it cracked, the strike and deadbolt strike rebuilt with a steel reinforcement plate and long screws into the framing, and the weatherstrip, stop and casing put back so the door seals and locks. Priced per opening, quoted from photos, same day when the schedule allows.
- Priced per opening; photos for your insurance claim
- Steel strike reinforcement into the stud on every repair
- Weatherstrip, stop and casing put back so it seals
- Same-day secure-up when the schedule allows
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
When an exterior door gets kicked, the deadbolt holds and the jamb does not. The strike side of the jamb splits from the deadbolt down, often all the way to the threshold, and the casing and stop come off with it. On a steel or fiberglass prehung door the jamb is finger-jointed pine or a thin composite, held to the framing with a few nails through the shims; the deadbolt strike was screwed into that pine with the short screws from the lockset box. That is what failed. The door itself is usually fine.
This page is for homeowners. Landlords and property managers with a kicked-in unit entry door have their own page under property managers, priced by the unit. For a house, the job is the same repair with two extra parts: the outside has to be weathersealed again, and you probably want photos and an itemized quote for the insurance claim. We send both with the invoice.
The repair rebuilds the strike side, not just the strike. A local split gets cut out and a new section of jamb let in, glued and screwed into the stud. A split that runs most of the jamb, or a jamb that pulled off the framing, gets replaced whole, with the existing door rehung on it. Either way the trimmer stud gets checked; a kick that cracked the framing needs a sistered stud before the jamb goes back. Then the reinforcement: a steel strike plate spanning the latch and deadbolt with screws long enough to reach the stud, long screws in the hinges, and a full-length jamb reinforcement on the strike side if you want the next kick to hit steel from top to bottom.
What you supply
- A photo of the strike side of the jamb with the door open, and one of the whole door from inside
- A photo of the outside casing and the threshold so we can see what has to be resealed
- Your police report or claim number if you want the invoice and photos sent to the adjuster
- A new lockset or deadbolt if the old one was damaged, or we supply a standard one
What JMB supplies
- Same-day secure-up when the schedule allows: the split jamb screwed back and a temporary strike so the door locks tonight
- Jamb splice, or a full new exterior jamb with your door rehung, with the sill pan and threshold reset
- Trimmer stud sistered or replaced when the kick cracked the framing behind the jamb
- Steel strike reinforcement plate over the latch and deadbolt, long screws into the stud, long screws in the hinges
- Full-length strike-side jamb reinforcement when you want it, quoted as its own line
- Weatherstrip, stop, interior casing and exterior brickmould put back, caulked outside, primed inside
- Photos before and after and an itemized invoice for your insurance claim
- Painting of the repaired casing as a separate line, or leave it primed and paint it yourself
How it is priced: per opening
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- A splice at the strike vs. a full new jamb with the door rehung
- Framing damage: a cracked trimmer stud or a header that shifted has to be repaired first
- Whether the door slab was split at the deadbolt or bent, which means a new prehung unit instead of a repair
- Reinforcement level: strike plate and long screws, or a full-length jamb reinforcement kit on the strike side
- Exterior work: brickmould, threshold and sill pan that have to come out and go back sealed
- A same-day emergency visit vs. a scheduled repair
- Matching an interior casing profile vs. a standard one
Two photos, strike side with the door open and the whole door from inside, and we can tell you splice or full jamb, and whether it is same-day.
How long it takes
Secure-up: an hour. A splice with a reinforcement plate and casing: two to three hours. A full jamb or a new prehung door with framing repair: half a day.
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
Same-day secure-up
The first visit when we cannot do the full repair that day: the split jamb pulled back and screwed into the stud, a heavy strike screwed into framing, the door locking and latching. The finish repair is scheduled from there.
Jamb splice at the strike
The split section comes out, new jamb stock goes in glued and screwed to the stud, the strikes are remortised and a steel plate goes over them. The right repair when the split stops short of the threshold and the hinge side did not move.
Full exterior jamb replacement
When the split runs to the sill or the jamb tore off the framing. New jamb legs and head set plumb with the sill pan and threshold reset, your door rehung on new hinges, weatherstrip and brickmould replaced and caulked.
Full-length jamb reinforcement
A steel channel the height of the strike-side jamb, screwed into the stud behind the strikes, plus reinforced hinge plates. Adds a solid margin over a plate alone on a door that faces a dark side yard or has been kicked before.
Front Door Frame Kicked In — Exterior Jamb Repair After a Break-In: questions, answered
Can you secure my door the same day it was kicked in?
Usually. Send the two photos and say it was a break-in; if the crew can get there that day, we do a secure-up so the door locks and latches tonight, and finish the repair on the same visit when the parts are on the truck. When the door has to be replaced or a new jamb ordered, the secure-up holds until the finish visit.
Does a kicked-in door frame need to be replaced or can it be repaired?
Most are repaired. If the split is local to the strikes, we cut it out and let in a new piece of jamb, glued and screwed into the stud, then remortise the strikes and put a steel plate over them. If the split runs to the threshold, the jamb pulled away from the framing, or the head jamb shifted, a full jamb replacement is stronger and not much slower. We tell you which from a photo of the strike side with the door open.
Will my homeowners insurance cover a kicked-in door frame?
Damage from a break-in is commonly a covered claim, but your policy and deductible decide, so call your insurer first. We help with the part we can: photos of the damage before we touch it, photos after, and an itemized invoice with the repair, the reinforcement and any framing work as separate lines. If the adjuster wants a written estimate before the work, we send that from the photos.
Will the door itself need to be replaced too?
Only if the slab was damaged. A steel or fiberglass door usually survives the kick; the jamb takes the damage. If the door is bent at the deadbolt, the skin is split, or the lock bore is torn out, it gets replaced with a new prehung unit, and the reinforcement goes on that jamb instead. If the slab is straight and the lock still turns, we keep it and rehang it on the repaired jamb.
How do you keep it from happening again?
The jamb only failed because the strike screws stopped in the pine. We put a steel strike reinforcement plate over the latch and deadbolt with screws long enough to reach the stud, and long screws in every hinge so the hinge side holds too. For more, a full-length jamb reinforcement on the strike side means a kick has to break the stud, not the jamb. A deadbolt with a solid throw and a wide-angle viewer or camera doorbell are worth adding on the same visit.
Should I replace the whole door with a steel one instead of repairing it?
If the door you have is steel or fiberglass and the slab is straight, repairing and reinforcing the jamb gets you a stronger opening than a new prehung unit would, because a new unit ships with the same pine jamb and short screws. If the door is an old wood door with a split stile, or a hollow-core door someone put on an exterior opening, a new prehung steel or fiberglass unit with the jamb reinforced is the better spend.
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
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