Fitting new UPVC front door

kitty123

We need to replace our existing (very old) wooden front door (and ?frame) for a UPVC door. We hope this will be better for insulation and more secure than our existing door.

We would ideally like to save money by buying our own door and fitting it ourselves. However, this sounds like a tricky job if the frame also needs replacing. Our current door frame is wooden and we assume it may need to be removed and replaced with a new UPVC frame. Does this sound like a manageable job for novices?

From what we've seen so far there doesn't seem to be a "standard" size for a door - Is there a standard size for door frames?

We also need a cat flap already built in, or will have to remove our existing one and fit it into the new door. Is this possible with UPVC?

Mikeyorks

You need the frame as well as the door. Has the matching recesses for the multi-point locking systems .... inbuilt drainage channels / hinge points etc etc.

Absolutely not a job for 'novices'. I've fitted wooden frames / doors on a DIY basis ...... but I wouldn't touch a UPVC. You can't plane bits off if you can't / don't get the frame exactly square!

I'll leave a previous thread to reply re the cat flap :

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=201341

Pssst

Thee are plenty of companies now who will do a good quality supply and fit job for not much more than the cost of the door.

Last year i priced upvc doors. I went to my local window co and they fitted a better one than id priced for just a bit more than the cost of the cheaper door that id priced. they did a top quality job and im very pleased with it. Get some quotes.

kitty123

Thanks for the replies. We have quickly realised that this would not be possible for us to do ourselves! We have contacted a trusty builder friend who did our double glazing a few years ago - he is going to give us a quote, so hopefully we will get a good price. He thinks the total including door, fitting, VAT and cat flap would be about £600 - does that sound reasonable??

thebaldwindowfitter

yes i would say thats reasonable a good catflap is £20 ish

Mikeyorks

kitty123 wrote: »

He thinks the total including door, fitting, VAT and cat flap would be about £600 - does that sound reasonable??

Sounds OK for a reasonable quality door. I had to replace one last year which had a sidelight frame as well ..... around £1k.

Make sure he fits the enhanced security locks / handles ..... which offer some additional protection against the locks being snapped out.

geri1965_2

£600 is a very good price - I paid that 7 or 8 years ago.

Be aware though that with a UPVC door, the size of the gap is likely to be quite a bit smaller than with a wooden door - worth bearing in mind when ordering furniture etc.

deanos

New poster & both posts recomending the same company spam maybe

Pssst

My "local" window company are doing a special offer at the moment.

I recommend them
http://www.alexanderwindows.com/pdf/Door%20promo%20website.pdf

kitty123

deanos wrote: »

New poster & both posts recomending the same company spam maybe

Thanks for the warning, but don't worry, we will be using our trusted builder that we used for our double glazing. He doesn't work for any of the big companies and does lots of work in our local area, so he is already highly recommended.

Handlesandhinges

Around £600 is a good price assuming the door is white upvc - expect more if its coloured on 1 or both sides.