If you have been pricing up a new front door, you will have noticed quotes vary wildly, sometimes by over a thousand pounds for what looks like the same door. Most of that gap comes down to the door slab itself, the frame and glazing options, and how much work the installation involves. Here is an honest breakdown of what you should expect to pay in and around Aberdeen, and why.
For a straightforward like for like replacement, most homeowners in the Aberdeen area pay somewhere between £1,200 and £2,200 for a composite front door supplied and fitted. At the lower end you are looking at a foam filled slab in a standard colour with basic glazing. At the upper end you get a solid timber core door, a wider colour range, better hardware and more decorative glass.
Premium doors from well known manufacturers with solid cores, flush finishes or bespoke colours can push £2,500 to £3,500 fitted. If a quote comes in much below £1,000 fitted, it is worth asking exactly what door and locking system you are getting, because something has usually been trimmed to hit that number.
The core of the door matters most. Foam filled slabs are lighter and cheaper, while solid timber cores feel more substantial, resist flexing and tend to carry longer guarantees. On an exposed coastal site, which covers a fair chunk of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, a heavier door with good compression seals also copes better with driven rain and North Sea winds.
Colour and finish are the next big factor. Standard white or black is cheapest, dual colour or non standard shades add £100 to £300, and woodgrain foils or bespoke RAL colours add more again. Glazing choice, from obscure double glazing up to decorative triple glazed units, can swing the price by several hundred pounds. Finally, hardware matters: a basic multi point lock is standard, but upgrading to a 3 star cylinder, smart lock or heritage style furniture all adds cost.
The fitting itself typically accounts for £250 to £450 of the total. A tidy replacement into a sound opening takes half a day. The price climbs if the installer needs to alter the opening, replace a rotten timber subframe, build out reveals in a granite wall, or make good plasterwork inside. Older granite properties in Aberdeen often have deeper reveals and out of square openings than modern timber frame houses, which adds time and trimming work.
A proper fitted quote should include removal and disposal of the old door, the new frame and threshold, sealing inside and out, all hardware, and certification. In Scotland, replacement doors do not normally need a building warrant, but the work should still meet building standards, and a reputable installer will provide an insurance backed guarantee alongside the manufacturer warranty, which is usually 10 years on the slab.
Get two or three itemised quotes rather than one round number. Ask each installer to name the door manufacturer and core type, the cylinder security rating, the glazing spec and the guarantee terms. Two quotes that are £400 apart often stop looking comparable once you see one includes a solid core and a 3 star lock and the other does not.
Be wary of heavy discount sales tactics, where an inflated starting price is slashed if you sign today. A fair local price does not need a countdown attached. It is also worth asking who actually fits the door, because a manufacturer guarantee can be affected by poor installation, and asking to see photos of recent local installations in similar properties to yours.
Free survey, fixed price within the week. We come round, take accurate measurements, and email the quote.
When you ring us, you get the family who run the firm. The same faces come out to survey, and the same lads fit the door on the day. No call centres, no sub-contractors, no surprises.