Most homeowners pay between £1,600 and £2,500 for a standard front door, supplied and fitted, with composite the best-value material for the majority of properties. Budget doors and simple uPVC installs sit at the lower end; timber, aluminium and anything involving frame or structural work push costs higher. The biggest swings between quotes come down to frame replacement, glazing choices and installation complexity, not the door slab itself.
TL;DR:
- Replacing a front door in the UK typically costs between £1,600 and £2,500, with composite options offering the best value for most properties.
- Frame replacement, glazing choices, and installation complexity can significantly increase the final cost more than the door material itself.
- Labour charges for straightforward swaps are usually £180 to £400, but costs rise with bespoke work, poor existing frames, or structural adjustments.
- Proper certification under Building Regulations or a Competent Person Scheme is essential for compliance and can prevent delays or issues during sale.
- Budget for composite doors to balance thermal efficiency, durability, and resale value, and prioritize itemized quotes to avoid hidden costs.
Table of Contents
- Front door replacement cost UK by material
- What affects your final quote
- Labour costs and Building Regulations you can’t skip
- Practical guidance from Complete Property Solutions
- Why so many quotes go wrong, and what to prioritise instead
- How Complete Property Solutions can help with your door replacement
- Sources
Front door replacement cost UK by material
The material you choose sets the floor for your budget before labour, glazing or hardware get added. A standard front door replacement in the UK typically costs between £1,200 and £2,500 supplied and fitted, with labour commonly adding £200 to £500 on top of the door itself.
uPVC remains the entry point for most homeowners, running roughly £600 to £1,400 fully fitted. It’s a sensible choice if budget matters more than kerb appeal, though it rarely matches composite for looks or long-term rigidity. Composite doors sit in the mainstream bracket. Expect a fully fitted composite front door around £1,800 to £3,500, with a sensible working budget of £2,000 to £3,500 for a good-quality slab, proper frame and decent hardware. Anything meaningfully below £1,500 usually means compromises somewhere in the specification.
Timber, aluminium and steel occupy the premium tier. Engineered timber starts a little above composite pricing, while solid hardwood and aluminium doors regularly reach £3,000 to £5,000+ once you factor in bespoke sizing and finishing.
| Material | Supply-only | Fully fitted |
|---|---|---|
| uPVC | £500–£900 | £600–£1,400 |
| Composite | £1,200–£2,500 | £1,800–£2,800 |
| Engineered timber | £900–18,00 | £1,500–£3,500 |
| Hardwood | £1,200–£2,500 | £3,000–£5,000+ |
| Aluminium | £1,500–£3,000 | £3,000–£5,000+ |
Labour typically contributes a moderate amount of the fitted price for a straightforward swap. Homeowners in in the North West, including Warrington and St Helens, generally see quotes at or slightly below the national average, since regional labour rates carry the largest variance once specification is fixed and southern England commands a noticeable premium.
What affects your final quote
Two composite doors that look identical on paper can differ by £1,500 once you dig into what’s actually included. Frame work is usually the biggest variable: hanging a new door in your existing frame is far cheaper than replacing the frame too, which typically adds £200 to £600 or more depending on condition and material match.
Glazing and hardware move the number just as sharply.
- Sidelights or toplights: each can add £400 to £1,200, since they’re effectively a second glazed unit needing its own frame section.
- Decorative or textured glazing: expect a premium over plain obscured glass, often £100 to £400 depending on pattern complexity.
- Security hardware: stepping up to a TS 007 three-star rated cylinder with a multipoint lock typically adds £80 to £150 over a basic cylinder.
- Colour and finish: anthracite grey or dual-colour composite doors usually cost more than standard white.
- Bespoke sizing, disposal and making good: older properties with non-standard openings often need custom sizing, plus removal of the old door and finishing internal reveals.
Pro Tip: Ask every installer to itemise the door slab, frame, glazing, hardware, labour and disposal separately. A reliable itemised quote that lumps everything together often hides missing scope, which shows up as a surprise invoice later.
Labour costs and Building Regulations you can’t skip
Fitting-only costs typically run £180 to £400 for a simple like-for-like swap, while full installation labour, including removal, fitting and finishing, sits at £300 to £700.
Three factors typically push a job into higher labour territory:
- Non-standard openings requiring bespoke cutting or brickwork adjustment.
- Widening the doorway or installing an RSJ or lintel, which almost always triggers a Building Control application regardless of the door itself.
- Poor existing frame condition, discovered only once the old door comes out.
Here’s the detail many homeowners miss: replacement doors have been controlled work under the Building Regulations since 2002. You need either a Competent Person Scheme certificate (FENSA or CERTASS being the common examples) or Building Control sign-off, and you’ll need that paperwork when you come to sell.
Practical guidance from Complete Property Solutions
A managed contractor earns its fee when the job stops being a simple swap. Structural changes, tired or rotten existing frames, listed buildings and conservation areas all justify bringing in a builder rather than a fitter working alone.
Before you sign anything, ask for:
- An itemised breakdown covering frame work, glazing spec, lock standard, disposal and making good.
- Confirmation of the certificate of compliance you’ll receive, and which Competent Person Scheme it sits under.
- Proof of credentials, such as Guild of Master Craftsmen membership, TrustMark registration or CPS status.
Pro Tip: Keep your compliance certificate with your house deeds. Conveyancing solicitors ask for it routinely, and a missing certificate can delay a sale by weeks.
Why so many quotes go wrong, and what to prioritise instead
Most guidance on front door pricing focuses on the door itself, which misses where the real budget risk sits. Frame condition, glazing spec and compliance paperwork cause far more disputes than the choice between composite and timber ever does. I’d argue the conventional advice, “get three quotes and pick the middle one”, is actively unhelpful without insisting those quotes are itemised in the same format first.
Prioritise the certificate before the colour swatch. A door that looks fantastic but arrives without proper Competent Person Scheme documentation becomes a genuine liability at sale, regardless of how well it was fitted. Homeowners in Warrington, St Helens, Wigan and similar towns are generally well served on price compared with the South East, but that advantage disappears fast if a cut-price fitter skips the paperwork or under-specs the frame to hit a number.
Budget for composite unless you have a specific reason not to. It offers a genuinely better balance of thermal performance, durability and resale appeal than uPVC, without the maintenance burden of hardwood.
— Gareth
How Complete Property Solutions can help with your door replacement
If your front door job involves more than a straight swap, widening an opening, replacing a tired frame, or coordinating it alongside wider renovation work, Complete Property Solutions offers something a standalone fitter can’t: full project management from survey through to certification. We provide a site survey, an itemised fixed-price quotation, and handle the compliance certificate and making good as part of the job, not as an afterthought.
We cover Warrington, St Helens, Wigan, Great Sankey, Penketh, Culcheth, Lowton and Rainhill and Haydock, which means local knowledge of the housing stock and planning quirks in each of those areas, not a generic national quote. If your door work forms part of a bigger project, such as a structural alteration or wider home renovation, our composite door specialists can scope the whole job together. Request a survey with Complete Property Solutions and get a straightforward, itemised quote before you commit to anything.
Sources
- Front Door Replacement Cost UK 2026 | Axiom Eco Homes
- How Much Does a New Front Door Cost in the UK? (2026 Price Guide) – Brow Windows & Doors
- External door fitting cost UK 2026: Front & back door prices
- Guide No.14 Guide to Replacement Windows and Doors — Hertfordshire Building Control
