Odd Size Exterior Door Replacement — Custom Order or Reframe
The old door is an inch or two off every size on the shelf. You can order a door to fit the hole, or make the hole fit a stock door — we price both.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Odd size exterior door replacement comes down to one choice: order a door built to the opening you have, or reframe the opening to fit a stock door. JMB Builders measures the rough opening, checks the header, siding and trim, and prices both ways across the Twin Cities metro. The door is ordered through ABC Supply, set in a sill pan with flashing and trimmed. Priced per door, with a reply to your photos within one business day.
- Priced per door, door included
- Custom-size order or reframe to stock
- Both options priced from one measure
Older houses — bungalows, farmhouses, additions an owner built himself — often have entry openings that match none of today's prehung sizes. Stock exterior doors come in a short list of widths at one common height. An opening that is short, narrow, or in between leaves two honest fixes, and one bad one: a small door shimmed into a big hole with wide casing to hide the gap.
Fix one is a door built to size. Many door makers build custom widths and heights, and the jamb can be ordered to match a thick old wall. Nothing is cut out of the house, the siding stays put, and the inside casing often goes back on. The tradeoffs are a longer wait, fewer styles, and a higher price for the door itself.
Fix two is reframing to a stock size: a stud added on one side to narrow the opening, the header raised or lowered, the sill reset, then siding patched outside and drywall and casing redone inside. That opens up every stock door on the market and trades factory time for carpentry. Widening an opening on a bearing wall means a bigger header, sized by an engineer when the span calls for it. We price both fixes from the same measurements so you can compare.
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
- Photos of the door from inside and outside, with a tape measure across the width and height of the slab
- Your pick of door style, glass and color — or the door, if you already bought one
- The call on custom order vs. reframing once you see both prices
- Paint color if you want the door and new trim painted — painting is quoted as a separate line
What JMB supplies
- Measurement of the rough opening, jamb width and header before anything is ordered
- The door ordered through ABC Supply in a custom size or a stock size
- Reframing to the new size: studs, header, sill and blocking
- Sill pan, flashing tape, low-expansion foam, sealant and shims
- Siding patch outside and drywall patch inside when the opening changes size
- Brickmould and interior casing, standard or matched to the house
- Removal and haul-away of the old door and frame
- 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:
- A custom-size door vs. a stock door plus reframing labor
- Making the opening smaller (studs added) vs. larger (a new header)
- Siding outside — vinyl, wood lap, stucco or brick — when the opening changes size
- Plaster or drywall repair and new casing inside
- Rot at the sill or rim once the old door is out
- A thick old wall: jamb width ordered to match or extended on site
Send one photo with a tape across the old slab and one of the outside trim. We measure the rough opening in person before anything is ordered.
How long it takes
Custom-size door in the same opening: about a day once the door arrives. Reframing to a stock size: one to two days. Custom doors take longer to arrive than stock ones.
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
Door built to the opening
The door is ordered in the width, height and jamb width the opening already has. The framing, siding and most of the trim stay as they are. Best when the outside is brick or stucco, or when the trim is worth keeping.
Reframe smaller to a stock size
A stud is added on the hinge or latch side and the head is dropped if needed, so a stock prehung door fits. The siding and inside wall are patched to the new opening. Common on old openings that are a little wide or a little tall.
Reframe larger to a stock size
A short or narrow opening is cut wider or taller. That means a new header and new jack studs, and on a bearing wall the header is sized by an engineer when the span needs it. More work, but it can turn a tight old door into a standard one.
Odd Size Exterior Door Replacement — Custom Order or Reframe: questions, answered
What do I do if my front door is not a standard size?
You have two good choices. Order a door built to the size of the opening, or reframe the opening so a stock prehung door fits. JMB Builders measures the rough opening and prices both, so you can see which costs less on your house.
Is it cheaper to order a custom size door or reframe the opening?
It depends on the house. Narrowing an opening in a vinyl-sided wall is often less than the extra cost of a custom door, while brick or stucco around the door can tip it the other way. We price both from the same measurements so the choice is plain.
Can you make a door opening smaller to fit a standard door?
Yes. A stud is added on one side, the head is dropped if the opening is tall, the sill is reset, and the siding outside and the drywall inside are patched to the new size. The new prehung door then goes in on a sill pan with flashing like any other.
Can you make a door opening bigger for a wider front door?
Yes, with a new header and jack studs. On a bearing wall a wider header is sized by an engineer when the span calls for it, and the siding, drywall and floor at the threshold are patched around the new opening. JMB Builders pulls the permit when the job needs one.
How long does a custom size exterior door take to get?
Longer than a stock door. The wait depends on the maker, the glass and whether it is finished at the factory, and we give you the expected date when the order is placed. The old door stays in until the new one is on site.
Can a prehung exterior door be cut down to fit a short opening?
Not as a rule. Steel and fiberglass doors have a frame and core inside the skin, and most makers limit how much can be trimmed, if any; check the door's install instructions. The right fix for a short opening is a door ordered to that height or an opening reframed to a stock height.
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.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 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: