Entry Door Installation Cost in Los Angeles (2026)

Front-door pricing is the most opaque category in the LA remodel market. The slab on a Therma-Tru Smooth-Star fiberglass door is $480 at the distributor; the same door installed with a new prehung jamb, mid-tier hardware, on-site paint, smart-lock prep, weatherstrip, and threshold runs $2,400–$3,000. Homeowners see the catalog price, see the install number, and assume someone is gouging. Nobody is — the slab is genuinely a small fraction of the work.

This guide breaks down every line item that lands on a real LA entry-door quote in 2026. Bands are what we charge and what our peer installers charge for the same scope. We don't quote big-box install pricing (Home Depot's Therma-Tru install package runs $1,900–$2,400 but uses subcontracted labor and reuses the existing jamb — different product), and we don't quote luxury showroom pricing (Bonelli, Doormerica, and the West Hollywood pivot specialists run $18K–$45K on contemporary new-builds — separate market).

All prices are per-door installed: slab, jamb, hardware prep, weatherstrip, threshold, on-site finish, disposal, and permit if required. Sidelites, transoms, opening changes, and hardware are called out as separate adders so you can read any quote you receive against this baseline.

Prehung vs slab-only. A prehung door arrives in a factory-machined jamb, weatherstripped, hinged, and bored for hardware — install runs 4–6 hours and the seal is engineered. A slab-only install reuses the existing jamb and adds 2–4 hours of field machining for hinges and lockset. Slab-only saves $250–$400 on materials but adds $300–$600 in labor and voids most install warranties because the existing jamb is rarely true. We quote prehung on 95% of LA jobs and tell the other 5% why we won't quote slab.

Sidelites — yes or no. A single sidelite (one narrow glass panel beside the door) adds $600–$1,400 depending on glass spec and whether it's operable. Twin sidelites add $1,100–$2,600. Sidelites also widen the rough opening, which often pushes a like-for-like swap into permit territory because you're modifying structure. About 30% of LA quote requests start as 'just the door' and end with one or two sidelites once the homeowner sees the proportion.

Transom. A glass transom above the door adds $400–$1,100 for stock sizes, $1,200–$2,800 for custom. Adds wall framing if the existing header is too low — that's another $400–$900 for the structural work plus the engineering letter if the opening exceeds 6' wide.

Opening change (wall framing). Going from a standard 36" door to a 42" door, adding sidelites, or installing a pivot that's 8'+ tall all require modifying the rough opening. Header replacement, king/jack stud rebuild, exterior re-stucco or re-side, interior drywall repair: budget $1,200–$3,500 depending on whether the wall is load-bearing and whether you're cutting through stucco. Load-bearing changes need an engineering letter ($350–$650) and a permit.

Smart-lock prep. Standard prep (bored 2-1/8", reinforced strike pocket deep enough for a motorized bolt) is included in every door we install. Adding power transfer hinges for a fully wired access-control system (Latch, BeHome247, hardwired Yale) adds $180–$320 in hinge hardware plus 1–2 hours of low-voltage routing. Most homeowners running an August or Encode don't need this; integrators on multi-unit jobs do.

Wood species. On a real-wood door, the species drives 30–50% of the slab cost. Pine and fir run the bottom of the band. Alder and oak land mid-band. African or Honduran mahogany adds $600–$1,400 over alder for the same panel layout. Sapele, walnut, and white oak rift-cut all push toward the top. Mahogany is the LA default for Spanish revivals because it weathers well and accepts a deep stain without blotching.

Finish — factory vs site-finished. Factory finish (AAMA 2605 powder coat on aluminum, conversion-varnish stain on wood, urethane paint on fiberglass) adds $300–$900 to the slab but lasts 2–3× longer than site-applied finish and carries a 10-year manufacturer warranty. Site-finished is fine for fiberglass paint where we control the conditions — not great for wood stain in a dusty driveway. We quote both and explain which makes sense for your slab and your elevation.

1956 ranch in Reseda — original wood front door warped beyond repair. South-facing, no porch overhang, 70 years of direct sun. Slab was cupped 5/8" and the deadbolt no longer aligned with the strike. Homeowner wanted maintenance-free and security-tight. Quote: Therma-Tru Smooth-Star fiberglass in mahogany finish, factory-primed and stained on site, Schlage Encode + B60 lever, new prehung jamb, no sidelites, like-for-like opening. $2,840 all-in, 1-day install, no permit required.

1925 Spanish revival in Hancock Park — restoration vs replacement decision. Original solid mahogany door with carved panel, hinges sagging, weatherstrip nonexistent, finish completely failed. Homeowner asked us to quote both options. Restoration: $1,800 to refinish the slab, $900 to replace the jamb with a custom-milled mahogany match, $650 for a Baldwin mortise restoration, $400 weatherstrip and threshold = $3,750 and we keep the original. Replacement: Simpson Door custom mahogany match in the same panel layout, prehung, Baldwin Reserve handleset, marine finish 3-coat = $5,400. We recommended restoration; HPOZ board agreed and the original slab is good for another 50 years.

Modern pivot door for contemporary new-build in Mar Vista. Architect-designed, 9' tall × 4' wide white oak slab, FritsJurgens System M pivot hinge, concealed multi-point lock, Emtek matte black hardware, factory-finished in shop. Required a structural header rebuild because the existing opening was 6'8" and the new slab needed 9'2" rough opening. Quote: $11,400 for slab + pivot + hardware + finish, $2,800 for header replacement + engineering letter + stucco patch, $480 permit. $14,680 all-in. Contractor's job, our scope was just the door — pivot installs are coordinated work.

Most homeowners don't write a check for a $3,000 door. We offer 0% APR for 24 months and 6.99% APR for 60 months through Synchrony Home and GreenSky. On a $3,000 fiberglass install, the 24-month 0% comes to $125/month with no interest paid. On a $5,400 wood replacement (the Hancock Park scenario above), 24-month 0% is $225/month, or 60-month at 6.99% is $107/month with $1,012 in total interest over the term.

On a $14,680 pivot project, 24-month 0% is $612/month — usually too aggressive for a single door. The 60-month at 6.99% drops to $291/month with $2,758 in interest, which most homeowners on contemporary new-builds prefer to roll into the construction loan instead of financing separately at retail rates.

Worth knowing: the front door is the single highest-ROI exterior project in the Pacific region per Remodeling Magazine's 2025 Cost vs. Value report — 188% return at sale on fiberglass and steel replacements. On a $3,000 install that's $5,640 of appraised value added. Financing the install rarely pencils out as a loss when you're holding the home more than 18 months.