Front entry doors
Front entry doors, from glass inserts to full door systems
The front entry of a Markham home is often more than a door: sidelights on one or both sides, a transom above, sometimes a half-round over a two-storey foyer. When something goes wrong, three questions come in order. Can it be fixed? Can the glass be replaced? Only then: does the whole entry need to go? We connect you with an independent local pro who works on entry doors, and they'll answer in that order.
- Weatherstrip and hardware before a new door
- Glass replaced with the door in place
- Heritage entries: permit first
Three questions
Fix, reglaze or replace the entry
Can it be fixed?
Drafts, a sticking door, a stiff lock and a scraping sill usually come down to weatherstrip, hinges, the strike plate or a threshold adjustment.
Can it be reglazed?
A cracked sidelight, a fogged insert or a dated pattern can be replaced while the door stays hung. Door glass replacement explains how.
Does it need replacing?
A slab that's split or delaminated, a frame rotted at the bottom, or an entry that leaks however it's sealed. Then a new door system, frame and all, makes sense.
Glass in the entry
Sidelights, transoms and safety glass
Under the Ontario Building Code, a sidelight broad enough to be taken for a door needs tempered or laminated glass (2012/2017 text; the installer confirms the current edition). A transom is usually its own unit and can be replaced separately.
On a new entry system, the sidelights and transom are ordered with the door so the glass pattern and finish match. If you're keeping the frame, an elliptical or half-round transom is custom work; see arched and transom glass.
Drafts
Weatherstripping, thresholds and drafts
Most front-door drafts have a fix short of a new door, and a storm door can shelter the whole entry.
Weatherstrip
The compressible strip in the frame flattens or tears. A new strip of the right profile presses into the existing groove.
Sweep and threshold
Light showing at the bottom means the sweep is worn or the adjustable threshold has sunk. Both can be reset or replaced.
Strike and latch
If the door doesn't pull tight when latched, moving the strike plate draws it against the weatherstrip.
Around the sidelights
Air around sidelights usually means failed exterior caulking or a gap behind the trim.
Heritage districts
Heritage district front doors
In Unionville, Markham Village, Thornhill and Buttonville, changing a front door counts as an exterior alteration, so a heritage permit comes first. The district objectives put maintenance and repair ahead of replacement, and the plans ask owners not to alter original openings to fit stock sizes.
Repair of deteriorated original doors is eligible work under the City's 2026 Heritage Property Grant, and the grant wants two professional quotes covering identical work. Mention it when you ask, so each pro prices the same scope.
Our heritage district guide explains the permit and the grant in more detail.
Scope and price
What changes the price of an entry door
- Repair, reglazing or a complete door system
- Door material and finish: steel, fibreglass or wood
- Number of sidelights, and any transom or half-round
- Decorative, privacy or safety glass, and pattern matching
- Frame and sill condition, and trim or masonry around the opening
A photo of the entry from outside, one from inside and the width across door and sidelights are enough for a first conversation.
Permits
Permits: same-size replacement in Markham
The City of Markham lists replacing doors with no change to the size of the rough opening among projects that don't need a building permit (City of Markham). Widening the entry, adding a sidelight where there was wall, or altering a structural wall needs one.
A complete ENERGY STAR door may count toward Ontario's Home Renovation Savings program, usually by way of a home energy assessment. Reglazing an existing door isn't covered. Check current rules before ordering.
Questions
Front door questions
Explore your options
More for the front of the house
Pros we work with repair and replace front entries across Markham, including Angus Glen, Cathedraltown, Unionville, Buttonville and Box Grove.
Send a photo of the whole entry
Show us the door, the sidelights and any transom, and tell us what's wrong. We send it to a local entry-door pro, who'll tell you whether it's a fix, new glass or a new door.