Window & Door Guide › Doors › Entry Doors
The Castle Difference · Entry Doors
Your front door handles weather, security and first impressions. Here’s what’s inside one.
Parts
How it works
An entry door system is the door slab plus its frame, hinges, weatherstripping and threshold, made to work together. Castle offers steel and fiberglass doors. A good system closes against continuous weatherstripping and a tight threshold, then locks with a handle set and deadbolt.
Front, side and back entries.
High-end vs. lower-end
Two windows can look alike on day one. The differences show up in year five, ten and twenty. Here’s what to look for, and why it matters.
| High-end: what to look for | Lower-end: what you may get | Why it matters | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slab | Steel or fiberglass with a factory finish | Thin or poorly finished slab | The finish faces the weather every day |
| Weatherstripping and threshold | Continuous seals and a tight threshold | Gaps | The bottom of a door is a common leak |
| Locks | Solid handle set and deadbolt | Light hardware | Security |
| Glass (if any) | Insulated glass; ENERGY STAR certified options are available | Basic glass | Glass is where a door loses the most heat |
Where a row says “what to look for,” ask any company (including us) to show you the spec in writing.
When your entry door includes a glass insert, sidelight or transom, Castle offers double-pane and triple-pane glass with argon or krypton fill and a triple-layer silver Low-E coating. Opaque steel or fiberglass slabs without glass follow ENERGY STAR opaque-door criteria instead. The Upgrades section below covers which options are worth it for most Massachusetts homes. Your free quote lists the exact package and its NFRC numbers.
*ENERGY STAR Version 7.0 door criteria: opaque doors U-factor ≤ 0.17; doors with up to half glass U ≤ 0.23 and SHGC ≤ 0.23; more than half glass (Northern zone) U ≤ 0.26 and SHGC ≤ 0.40. Air leakage for swinging doors ≤ 0.5 cfm/ft². Source: ENERGY STAR door criteria. ENERGY STAR certified options are available; ask which models are certified when we quote. For doors with glass, Castle offers double-pane and triple-pane glass with argon or krypton gas fill, and a triple-layer silver Low-E coating that blocks about 95% of the sun’s UV rays and much of its heat while still letting daylight through. Castle offers steel and fiberglass entry doors with a factory paint finish. Your quote lists the exact package and its NFRC label numbers when glass is included.
We bring samples to your free in-home estimate and give you a written price. No pressure.
Upgrades & add-ons
Every upgrade has a benefit and a trade-off. For most of them, the main downside is simply extra cost.
| Upgrade | What it does | Downsides | Our plain-English verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel vs fiberglass slab | Steel is strong and common for entry doors. Fiberglass can mimic wood grain and handle temperature swings without rusting. | Steel can dent or show rust if the finish is damaged. Fiberglass usually costs more. | Castle offers both. We’ll help you pick the look and feel that fits your home. |
| Glass insert / half-lite | Adds daylight and curb appeal while keeping a solid door below or around the glass. | More glass means a bit less privacy and a different energy number than a full opaque door. | Great when you want light in the foyer. ENERGY STAR has separate criteria for how much glass is in the door. |
| Triple-pane glass (in glass inserts) | A third pane adds another insulating layer. It helps most on cold, exposed entries and with outside noise. | Heavier glass and extra cost. | Worth asking about for the coldest entries or busy streets. Many homes do fine with a good double-pane insert. |
| Krypton gas fill | Krypton insulates better than argon and works best in narrow gaps like those in many triple-pane units. | Costs more than argon. | Makes the most sense paired with triple-pane on a glass insert, which is how Castle’s top glass package uses it. |
| Sidelights and transoms | Glass beside or above the door brings in light and finishes the entry as a full system. | Extra openings mean extra cost and more glass to clean. | A strong upgrade when the opening allows it. We measure everything at the free estimate. |
| Factory paint finish | Color is applied at the factory so the slab arrives ready to install. | Custom colors or field painting may cost more or take longer. | Pick a finish that matches your trim. We’ll show options at the estimate. |
Do I need the top glass package on an entry door? Not always. An opaque steel or fiberglass door already insulates well. If your door has a glass insert, a good double-pane Low-E unit with gas fill performs well for most Massachusetts homes. Triple-pane with krypton is Castle’s top glass package when you want the best insulation on a cold or noisy entry. The main downside is extra cost.
Sources: ENERGY STAR door criteria · US DOE on exterior doors.
We’ll tell you honestly, room by room, at your free estimate.
Installation
An entry door is only as good as its install. A window that isn’t set level, square and sealed can stick, leak air or let water in, no matter how good the glass is. That’s why we go the extra mile on every opening, and why we can back the job with the Castle Lifetime Guarantee.
Most of our work is insert replacement: the new window goes into your existing frame and your trim stays. We only recommend full-frame replacement when the old frame is damaged.
Each window or door is made to the size of your opening.
We pull the building permit for window and door installs.
We protect the area and broom-clean every day.
If we find rot on the frame where the new window will sit, we fix it free.
Set perfectly level and square, insulated with spray foam and sealed with silicone caulk inside and out.
You look over the work and we haul the old units away.
Delivery-day checklist
Keep your contract handy and check these before the stickers come off. If anything doesn’t match, tell us before we install.
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Swing | Check the swing direction and hinge side against your order. |
| Slab, color and hardware | Compare the slab material (steel or fiberglass), color and hardware finish with your order. |
| Glass insert | If ordered, confirm the glass style, grille pattern and that the insert sits square in the slab. |
| Labels | Before stickers come off, read any NFRC or product label on the glass and compare U-factor / SHGC with your contract. |
| Number of panes | Look at the glass edge from an angle: two panes show two reflections; triple-pane shows three. |
| Weatherstrip and threshold | The door should close evenly on continuous weatherstripping with a snug threshold seal. |
| Sidelights / transom | If ordered, check size, glass and alignment with the main door. |
| Size and fit | The door should fill the opening evenly with tidy, sealed gaps—not big filler strips. |
The NFRC label lists U-factor (lower keeps more heat in), SHGC and other ratings. NFRC · ENERGY STAR buying tips
Castle Lifetime Guarantee
Guarantee vs. warranty, in one breath: many window and door warranties are the manufacturer’s limited promise on the product only, with fine print that can leave out labor, shrink over time or stop when the house is sold. The Castle Lifetime Guarantee is Castle’s own promise on the whole job: anything that goes wrong with the window or door, whether it’s install-related or a manufacturing defect or failure, plus accidental glass breakage, and it transfers to the new owner when you sell. See the full comparison.
Related styles
An outer door that protects your entry door from weather and lets in a breeze.
A big glass door that glides open to your deck or yard and locks tight.
Half-rounds, arches and other shapes, often set above a window or door to add light and character.
Both are offered. Steel is strong; fiberglass can mimic wood grain. We’ll show you samples.
Yes, for entry and patio door installs. Storm-door-only jobs don’t need one.
Anything that goes wrong with a window or door we install, whether it’s install-related or a manufacturing defect or failure, plus accidental glass breakage. It transfers to the new owner when you sell.
Someone from our team will reach out by text, email, or phone by the next business day.
Start your project
We’ll measure, show you real options and give you a written price. Someone from our team will reach out by text, email, or phone by the next business day.
Call us (508) 425-4977
Email customerservice@setrocllc.com
No cost · No pressure
Free in-home estimate
Takes 30 seconds. Someone from our team will reach out by text, email, or phone to set a time.
We never share your info. Licensed & insured, MA HIC #200323.
