Entry Door With Venting Sidelites
The front entry gets no air in summer unless the door is standing open.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-250-3621.
An entry door with venting sidelites has one or two narrow sidelites that open on hinges like a casement, each with a screen and a lock, so air moves through the entry while the door stays shut and locked. JMB Builders orders the door and sidelites through ABC Supply as one unit 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.
- Sidelites open like casements, with screens
- Lock on each sidelite; door stays locked
- One or two venting sidelites per unit
Most sidelites are fixed glass. A venting sidelite is a narrow sash on hinges, opened with a crank or a push-out handle and backed by a screen, built into the same frame as the door. Open both sidelites on a summer evening and the entry pulls air across the house with the door shut and the deadbolt thrown. It is the detail people ask for after a few years in a house with a hot, still foyer.
Venting sidelites are available on fiberglass and steel entry lines in the common sidelite widths, with clear, privacy or decorative glass, and the same finish as the door. The sash locks from inside. Because the sidelite opens, the glass is tempered and the screen sits on the room side of the sash like a casement. Most units are ordered with the door as one prehung frame; a few lines sell the venting sidelite as a separate frame mulled on site.
The install is a normal entry door replacement across the wider opening: the old unit out, rot at the sill repaired, a sill pan the full width, the unit set and sealed, trim inside and out. We check that each sidelite opens, locks and seals before we leave.
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 current door and sidelites from inside and out, and a close-up of the sill
- One or two venting sidelites, and which side if one
- Door style and finish, and the glass in the door and sidelites
- Hardware finish, or your own handleset
What JMB supplies
- Measure of the full opening, swing, jamb width and sill condition
- The door and venting sidelites, ordered through ABC Supply as one prehung unit
- Removal and haul-away of the old unit; rot at the sill, jamb feet or subfloor repaired
- Sill pan the full width, flashing tape, low-expansion foam, sealant and shims
- Brickmould or exterior trim and interior casing
- Lockset, deadbolt and sidelite locks adjusted; screens fitted
- Painting quoted as a separate line, or leave it primed and caulked
- Photos of the finished entry 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:
- One venting sidelite vs. two; each is a hinged sash with a screen and lock
- Door material and finish: steel vs. fiberglass, factory finish vs. primed
- Glass in the sidelites: clear vs. privacy vs. decorative
- Rot at the sill or subfloor under the wider unit
- Siding type and exterior trim: brickmould, flat trim or capping
- Hardware on the door: basic lockset vs. handleset or smart lock
Send a photo of the whole entry from outside with a tape across the opening if you can. The sidelite widths tell us which lines offer the venting sash.
How long it takes
One door with sidelites in a sound opening: about a day on site. Venting sidelite units are built to order; lead time runs with the line.
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
Two venting sidelites
Glass on both sides of the door opens for cross-ventilation through the entry. The most air; both sashes lock from inside.
One venting, one fixed
One sidelite opens and the other is fixed glass. Cuts the cost and still moves air when a window elsewhere is open.
Venting sidelite with privacy glass
Rain or satin glass in the opening sash so the entry vents without a clear view in from the step.
Fiberglass door, venting sidelites to match
A smooth or woodgrain fiberglass door with sidelite sashes in the same skin and finish, so the unit reads as one piece painted or stained together.
Entry Door With Venting Sidelites: questions, answered
What is a venting sidelite?
A sidelite that opens. Instead of a fixed pane beside the door, the glass is in a narrow hinged sash with a screen and a lock, like a small casement window built into the door frame. It lets air through the entry while the door stays closed and locked.
Do venting sidelites have screens?
Yes. Each venting sash comes with a screen on the room side, the way a casement window does. The screen lifts out for cleaning. With the sash open and the screen in, the entry vents without bugs.
Can both sidelites vent?
Yes. A unit can be ordered with one or two venting sidelites. Two give cross-ventilation through the entry; one costs less and still moves air when another window in the house is open. Each sash locks on its own.
Are venting sidelites secure?
Each sash has its own lock, and the opening is too narrow for an adult to pass through on most units. The glass is tempered. As with any opening window, it is only secure when it is locked, so the habit is to close and lock the sidelites with the door at night.
Can I get a venting sidelite on a steel door?
On some lines, yes. The sidelite sash is a separate part from the door slab, so steel and fiberglass doors in the same line can both be ordered with it. The sash skin usually matches the door. We tell you which lines offer it in your door style.
Is a venting sidelite unit a custom order?
Yes. The sash, screen, lock and glass are built into the frame at the factory with your door, swing and jamb width, so the unit is made after the order goes in. We give you the lead time with the quote.
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 27, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All doors pages
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