Fiberglass is the winning material when buying entry doors for a zero energy home – if the price is right. Steel is cheaper and can be competitive in energy efficiency, but fiberglass wins on durability and look, so it comes down to, as it often does, a price hunt.
I found a Thermo-Tru fiberglass entry door selling on eBay for $325. The price is on the low end of a 2007 Consumer Report story on doors that put the fiberglass range between $300 and $1,750.
The Thermo-Tru door is standard size – 3′ x 6′8″ – and its pre-hung, which is essential. The door is also solid (i.e. no windows) and brown, with minimal decoration, but a definite good wood look.
No information given on any foam core (i.e. polyurethane preferred), which is important to have. Also, hard to say on thickness, but looks about a fairly standard 1 1/4″. All in all, a real good place to start. Click here for details, such as there are.
By comparison, I saw a number of Thermo-Tru steel doors on the web costing between $124 and $193. That range is very low given the same 2007 Consumer Report story showing the range between $125 and $1,500 for steel doors. (Consumer Report liked fiberglass better.)
The steel doors had the same height and width as the fiberglass ones. However, they were all white and there was no mention of being pre-hung which, if not the case, could drive up the price quite a bit.
It’s worth noting that many states require that homes have two entry doors, so whatever you pay, you may have to pay double.
Tags: Consumer Report, ebay, Thermo-Tru