Storm Door for a Back Door — Side, Kitchen and Garage Entry Doors
The back door gets used ten times a day, the step outside is small, and you want a screen for the kitchen in summer.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
A storm door for a back door has to fit a narrower opening than the front, swing without pushing you off a small top step, and hinge on the side that opens against the house or rail. JMB Builders measures the back, side or garage entry door in person, orders the storm door and installs it across the Twin Cities metro. Priced per door. Send photos and we reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
- Priced per door, storm door included
- Hinge side picked for the steps and rail
- Ventilating or retractable screen for airflow
Back and side doors are where storm doors get used hardest and fit worst. The door is often 30 or 32 inches instead of 36. The step outside is a small stoop or the top of a deck stair. A railing, a hose bib, a dryer vent or the corner of the garage sits right beside the frame. A storm door swings out, so every one of those things decides how it should hang.
The first question is the swing. If the top step is shallow, a storm door that opens toward you makes you step back down to get it open, holding groceries. Hinging it on the other side, so it opens flat against the house or the rail, usually fixes that. The handle side goes toward where you walk up from: the driveway, the garage or the deck. The second is wind. A back door on the open side of the house catches gusts, so the closer and wind chain are set so the door cannot be torn back against its hinges.
The third is what you want it for. A kitchen door that stays open all summer wants a ventilating storm door, where the glass slides down to open the screen, or one with a screen that rolls into the top rail. A side door into an attached garage, or the outside man door on a detached garage, usually just wants a plain storm door to take the weather off the entry door. The door between an attached garage and the house is a fire-rated door, and a storm door does not belong on 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 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- A photo of the back or side door from outside, standing back far enough to show the steps and rail
- The width of the entry door slab, or we measure it at the estimate
- Which way you walk up to the door: driveway, garage, deck or yard
- Your pick of storm door style and color, or we bring options
What JMB supplies
- One in-person measure of the opening, the step and what sits beside the frame
- A storm door ordered to the opening, with the hinge side chosen for the steps
- Removal and haul-away of an old storm or screen door
- Soft or loose brickmould repaired so the frame has something solid to hold
- Z-bar, door, latch, sweep, closer and wind chain installed and 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:
- Opening size: a standard back door width vs. a narrow or odd opening that needs a build-out
- Style: full-view, ventilating, or a retractable screen in the top rail
- Brickmould repair before the frame can be mounted
- A railing, light or vent beside the frame that limits the hinge side
- Keyed handle or deadbolt vs. a basic latch
- Painting repaired trim, quoted as a separate line
One photo from the yard showing the door, steps and rail, and one close-up of the bottom of the brickmould, are enough to quote most back doors.
How long it takes
One back or side storm door on sound trim: two to three hours. Two doors, front and back, usually go in the same day. Lead time depends on the brand and is written 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
Kitchen or deck door
A ventilating storm door or a retractable screen model, so the screen is there every time you open the glass. The handle goes on the side you come from with your hands full.
Side door by the driveway
Often a narrow door under a gable with no overhang. A storm door takes the rain and snow off the entry door and its threshold. Hinge it so it does not swing into the driveway.
Garage service door
The outside man door on a garage can take a storm door like any entry door, once the frame and brickmould are sound. It also keeps blowing snow off the bottom of the door.
Outswing back door
A back door that swings out cannot have a standard storm door in front of it, since both would swing the same way. A retractable screen or a new inswing back door are the choices.
Storm Door for a Back Door — Side, Kitchen and Garage Entry Doors: questions, answered
Which side should a storm door hinge on for a back door?
Usually on the side that lets it open flat against the house, the rail or the wall, so it does not swing across the step. The handle goes toward where you walk up from. We look at the steps and what is beside the frame before ordering, because the hinge side is set when the door is made.
Do they make storm doors for 30 or 32 inch back doors?
Yes. Storm doors come in narrower standard widths for back and side doors. If the opening falls between sizes, the frame is built out with trim or a different size is ordered. We measure before anything is ordered.
My back step is small. Will a storm door hit me when it opens?
It can, if it is hinged so it swings toward where you stand. Hinging it on the other side often fixes it. When the step is very shallow, a retractable screen that rolls aside may be a better fit than a swinging storm door.
Can I put a storm door on the side door of my garage?
Yes, on the outside man door of a garage, once the frame and brickmould are sound. A storm door does not go on the door between an attached garage and the house; that is a fire-rated door with its own closer.
What is the best storm door for a back door that is open all summer?
A ventilating storm door, where the glass slides down to open the screen, or a model with a screen that rolls into the top rail. Both keep the screen in place without swapping panels. A full-view door means switching glass and screen panels each season.
Can you install front and back storm doors on the same day?
Yes. We measure both openings at one visit, order both doors together so the color and hardware match, and install them the same day when the brickmould on both is sound.
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
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Door Replacement & Installation near you
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