Why two front door quotes can differ so much, and how to compare uPVC, composite and aluminium on a like-for-like basis.
Ask three companies how much a new front door costs and you will get three very different numbers — and none of them will mean much until you know what is behind them. A front door price is built from a handful of separate decisions: the material, the size of the assembly, the glazing, the hardware and exactly what the fitting includes.
This guide breaks those decisions down so you can compare quotes properly. We do not publish a fixed price list because a made-to-measure door genuinely depends on your opening, but we will always show you the itemised breakdown behind our figure.
Almost every difference between two front door quotes comes down to one of these:
uPVC front doors are usually the most affordable route and offer plenty of styles and colours. Composite doors use several materials in one panel, which allows deep, timber-like designs and a solid feel — our composite door cost guide goes into that material in detail. Aluminium front doors sit at the slimmer, sharper end: rigid frames, crisp lines and large glazed areas, made to measure.
None of these is automatically the right answer. The better question is which material gives you the entrance you want at a specification you can compare. Ask each installer to name the actual door system, the glazing and the locking hardware in writing — then the prices become comparable.
The most common gap between a low quote and a higher one is what the fitting includes. Removing the old door, making good the reveal and floor, disposing of waste and finishing inside and out are sometimes excluded from a cheap headline figure. If one quote includes all of that and another does not, the gap is not really a price gap.
The second common difference is the specification of the door itself. Two doors described by the same material name can differ in panel construction, glass, seals and locking. A like-for-like comparison needs the written specification, not the brochure photograph.
Ask every installer for the same five lines in writing: the door system and material, the colour inside and out, the glazing specification, the hardware and locking, and exactly what the fitting includes. With those on paper, comparison takes minutes rather than guesswork.
We price on that basis as standard, and our beat-any-like-for-like-quote promise only works when the comparison is genuinely like for like — which is why we ask for the written quote rather than a verbal figure.
The only reliable way to price a new front door is to measure the opening and agree the specification. At a free home survey we measure, talk through materials, colours and glazing, and then send a written quote that sets out exactly what is included.
If you are still choosing between materials, our front doors and composite doors pages show the ranges, and the aluminium front doors page covers the slimmer made-to-measure option.
Free home survey, itemised written quote — and bring us a like-for-like quote if you have one to beat.
It depends on the material, the size of the assembly, the glazing, the hardware and what the fitting includes. A written quote after a free home survey gives you the figure for your actual entrance rather than an average.
Composite doors offer a different look and a solid panel construction, and they usually cost more than uPVC. Compare the written specification of the actual doors quoted rather than the material names alone.
Front doors are normally supplied and fitted as a complete door-and-frame set, so the frame, seals and locking all work together. The survey confirms what your opening needs.
Replacing a front door on a house is usually straightforward, but listed buildings and some conservation areas can require consent for changes to the entrance. Check with your local planning authority if that applies to you.