Exterior Front and Back Doors | Options and Price Guide

Which are the best exterior front and back doors for your home?

The doors to your home are very important for security as well as appearance. An insecure front, back or patio door can put your family and possessions at risk. A shoddy looking one can lower the value.

If you are considering making a change, here is a short buyers guide to some of the options available in the market.

What should your front door be made from?

Your basic choices are:

• Softwood
• Hardwood
• UPVC
• Composite
• Aluminium

Softwood doors are one of the cheapest front doors in the market. However, they do come with some drawbacks.

Often, if not looked after & maintained well, they can shrink or expand due to wet or dry weather. This can make the door fit badly, jam, warp or split.

Hardwood doors are far longer lasting, but costlier. Hardwood doors are impressive visually, give good insulation and last a very long time of you look after them.

Some examples of bespoke hardwood doors are truly amazing – but expect to spend a decent amount for one.

UPVC doors are plentiful, it’s easy to find a wide range of styles around. Relatively inexpensive when compared to composite or aluminium doors. Not everybody is a big fan, especially when it comes to UPVC front doors, but they offer good value for money, last a long time and are secure.

Composite doors are the “next step up” when it comes to visual appearance, lifespan security and energy efficiency. There are some really great looking examples of composite doors in the market, but you can expect to have to pay more for composite than for uPVC.

Aluminium doors are very strong, yet lightweight. Modern aluminium doors have an excellent surface finish that can be found in over 150 different colours.  There are some superb designs in the top end of the market, but they can cost up to £2,000 for a front door.

Going for different door styles?

Everybody knows what a typical front or back door looks like, but if you are in a frame of mind to have something different, why not consider Cottage or Stable doors?

Cottage doors, as the name suggests, offer a more rustic or rural look making the door appear, in our opinion, more welcoming. They can be used at both exterior front and back doors

A design variation in the cottage door range is the stable door. In this design the door itself is made of 2 sections – a top half & bottom half. The top section can move independently of the bottom, opening inwards, almost like a window.

What about patio doors at the back of the house?

A very popular option, if you have the space, is to install a set of patio doors that lead out onto the back yard.

French doors are always a good option, but if you have a bigger budget then a set of Bifold patio doors can really look amazing.

Security and Energy Efficiency

You can expect high levels of security from Hardwood, UPVC, Composite and Aluminium exterior front and back doors. It’s pretty much standard to have multi-point locks built into the unit and any glazing should be toughened glass.

Hardwood is a good natural insulator, so as long as the door keeps a tight fit, you should expect good levels of energy efficiency.

Aluminium, UPVC and Composite doors are engineered to maximise energy efficiency and all perform very well.

How much should you spend on exterior front and back doors?

As you would expect, the cost of any particular door is going to depend primarily on the design, material and size.

But as a general guide, for a standard sized front or back door you could expect to find the following prices in the market:

• Softwood Doors: you could easily find supply only softwood doors in the market for under £100. Without a frame, the prices start around £55. Having a new door fitted by a trades-person can cost from £100 to £150.
• Hardwood Doors: An average mahogany front door can cost £300 to £400 supply only. With fitting at £100 to £150.
• UPVC Doors: A typical uPVC front door can be priced from £350 to £400 supply only. Supplied & fitted by an accredited installer from around £550 to £700.
• Composite Doors: Supply only prices range around £650. Supplied & fitted in the bracket of £800 to £1,100.
• Aluminium Doors: A basic design can cost from about the same as a composite door at £1,000+. Bespoke aluminium doors can cost upwards of £1,500 to £2,500.

If you are looking for a hardworking, long lasting door that looks presentable but you don’t want to spend a fortune, then in our humble opinion a UPVC door typically offers good value for money.

If you want to find out how much a new front or back door costs for your home, go to out free quotes page (click the button below), send us a few simple details and we will arrange some quotes for you.

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