On Apr 20, 11:37*am, frank1492 wrote:
Hello-
* * We are getting ready to have our front entry door replaced with an
entry door and two sidelites. We have determined that we cannot afford
Therma-tru.
* * We have also been looking at Benchmark by Therma-tru at Lowes and
Feather River at Home Depot. We have ruled out Jeldwen because they do
not seem to have wood-texture doors. Another brand that was mentioned
was Door Fab at Lowes.
* * I'd appreciate your thoughts about these doors. We will do our own
stain most likely.
* * This door will not get heavy use at all- will be opened rarely. As
for the finish, if owner applied, I would guess one door would be as
good as .
* * Thanks very much for your help!
* * * * * Frank

I bought my Therma-Tru door through the local Norandex-Reynolds (a
contractor supply house) franchise, same place that I bought all of my
Simonton windows.

The ProVia storm door gets ordered from them next week.

Anyway, I figure I paid ~30% off list as compared to the home centers
and almost 50% off what some of the fancy "door and window, sales and
installation" stores quoted me.

Even if I had paid an independant contractor to install the door, I
still would have saved money over the "fancy" quotes. Since I did it
myself, I'm way ahead.

Look around for some contractor supply houses in your area, find out
what lines they carry, do your homework on those lines, and see what
kind of price-break you can get compared to the "obvious" places to
shop for a door. You can also ask them to give you some names of their
favorite contractors who might give you a decent price on installation.