How Much Does a Custom Front Door Cost?
Search this question and you get ranges. Five hundred to ten thousand. Fifteen hundred to eighteen thousand. The ranges are that wide because almost every page answering the question belongs to a cost-estimator site or a remodeler, and neither of them builds doors. They are averaging other people's invoices.
We build them, so here are actual numbers from our own product pages, as of October 2026, including what pushes them up and what is already included that you might expect to pay extra for.
What a custom front door actually costs
Knockety prices start at $910 for a fiberglass door (the Solid 6 Panel Fiberglass Door) and $1,274 for a solid wood door (the Multi Lite SDL Mahogany Door). Knotty alder starts at $1,300. Our Quick Ship doors, which are already built and arrive in about a week, start at $3,185.
Those starting prices are for a 32 x 80 inch slab, unfinished, before options. They are not what most people end up spending, because most people want the door hung in a frame and finished. Every door page shows the full price as you configure it.
What a finished, prehung door comes to
Here is how those two starting doors build up with the two additions most people choose:
- Solid 6 Panel Fiberglass: $910 slab, plus $1,295 to prehang, plus $600 for a factory finish, comes to $2,805
- Multi Lite SDL Mahogany: $1,274 slab, plus $950 to prehang, plus $600 for a factory finish, comes to $2,824
Prehanging costs differ by door, so a wood door and a fiberglass door can land closer together than their starting prices suggest. Other styles start higher, and options such as a larger size, a thicker jamb or a brick mould add to the total. Delivery is free on top of that anywhere in the continental U.S. If you are being quoted dramatically less for a made-to-order door, look closely at what is being left out, and at what the door is made of.
What changes the price
Material and style. The single biggest lever. Fiberglass and wood behave differently over time, which is a separate decision from cost alone, and glass styles and decorative designs start higher than solid panel doors.
Prehung versus slab. A slab is the door panel by itself. A prehung unit arrives in its frame with jambs, sill, weatherstripping and hinges fitted. Prehung costs more and is what most people need.
Finish. A factory finish adds $600. Ordering unfinished and doing it yourself saves that, and costs you a weekend and the risk of doing it badly on a door you just paid thousands for. You can order real finish samples first to see the colour in your own light.
Sidelites, transoms and double doors. These are quoted by a design rep rather than priced on the site, and they vary with material and size. Sidelites and transoms are the additions that move a project's total the most, and they are also what turns a single door into an entryway. You can request a sidelite or transom quote here.
Hardware and bore work. Handle sets, hinges and whether you want a single or double bore. Hinge type and sill type carry no upcharge with us; the handle set itself is where the money goes.
What is already included
Two things surprise people, both in a good direction.
Glass costs nothing extra. Clear, water, rain, Flemish or reeded, the price is the same. Glass style is a design decision here, not a budget one, which is worth checking wherever else you shop.
Delivery is free across the continental U.S., with no minimum. There is no freight line at checkout and no threshold to hit. On a 100-pound door shipped by freight, that is not a small line item to have removed. Delivery is curbside, with a liftgate, and you move the door from the curb to your entry. In the Greater Houston area, installation is free too.
Why the same door costs more at a dealer
A door sold through a showroom passes through a manufacturer, a distributor and a retailer, and each one takes a margin. Buying direct from the company that builds it removes those layers.
It does not remove the cost of building the door well, which is why our prices start at $910 rather than $400. The advantage of buying direct is a shorter chain, not a cheaper door.
How to compare two quotes properly
Quotes in this category are hard to compare because companies include different things. Before you decide anything on price, get all of these confirmed in writing.
- Is it a slab or a prehung unit? The single biggest source of misleading comparisons.
- Is the glass included, or priced separately by style?
- Is the finish included, or is the door shipping unfinished?
- Is freight included, and is there a minimum order to qualify?
- Are the jambs, sill, weatherstripping and hinges in the price?
- What is the lead time, and does it start at order or at design approval?
Two doors quoted within a hundred dollars of each other can differ by well over a thousand once those six answers are filled in. For reference, ours: Custom-built doors take about 5 weeks: 4 weeks to build in Houston, then about 1 week in delivery. Quick Ship doors, hardware and samples arrive in about 1 week.
The mistake that costs the most
Ordering a slab because it was cheaper, then discovering it does not include the frame, the jambs, the sill, the weatherstripping or the hinges, and cannot go into the old frame without real carpentry.
The saving is real and so is the problem it creates. Unless you are hanging the door yourself, order it prehung and treat the difference as part of the price of the door.
What a cheap door costs later
The doors that come in far under these numbers get there by construction, not efficiency. The failures tend to be the same ones: jambs that fail over time, strike plates that wear out, finishes that scratch and wear off, cores that swell and warp with humidity, and in cold climates doors that split as temperatures swing.
Our doors use multi-layered cores built to resist warping, double-pane glass on doors with glass, and bottom rails to keep moisture out. In energy terms that lands at a U-factor between 0.24 and 0.42 and a solar heat gain coefficient between 0.09 and 0.33, depending on the model.
A front door is bought only a few times in the life of a house. The cheaper one is only cheaper if it lasts. If you want to see what a door would look like before spending anything, preview our doors on a photo of your own house for free.
Common Questions
Custom Front Door Cost: Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a custom front door cost?
At Knockety, fiberglass doors start at $910 and wood doors at $1,274, as a 32 x 80 inch slab with no finish. Prehung and factory finished, the two starting doors come to $2,805 for the Solid 6 Panel Fiberglass and $2,824 for the Multi Lite SDL Mahogany, as of October 2026. Delivery within the continental U.S. is free on top of that.
Does glass cost extra on a custom front door?
Not at Knockety. Clear, water, rain, Flemish and reeded glass are all included in the door's price, so the glass you choose is a design decision rather than a budget one. Check this wherever else you are shopping.
How much do sidelites and transoms add?
They are quoted by a design rep rather than priced on the site, because the cost varies with material and size. They are the additions most likely to move a project's total significantly, so get the quote before you settle on a budget.
Is shipping included in the price of the door?
Yes, delivery is free anywhere in the continental United States with no minimum order. It is curbside by freight truck with a liftgate, and you move the door from the curb to your entry. Free installation is separate and is available in the Greater Houston area only.
Why is a custom door more expensive than one at a home improvement store?
Because it is built after you order it, to your size and specification, rather than made in volume to a standard size. Buying direct removes the distributor and retailer margins, but it does not remove the cost of building the door well.
How much does a factory finish add?
A factory finish adds $600. You can order the door unfinished and finish it yourself to save that, but you are then finishing a door you have already paid thousands of dollars for, which is worth thinking about honestly before choosing.