The storm door is usually the last thing on the house anyone thinks about, yet it’s the first thing your guests see. Maybe yours has a dent in the frame nobody remembers causing, or the screen has a rip that’s been patched up with tape, or maybe the closer doesn’t hold the door open or let it shut all the way. Or, like a lot of homes in our area, maybe yours never had a storm door at all, which might be why the entry door is showing wear before its time.
Whether you’re replacing a tired storm door or adding one for the first time, this guide covers what a storm door actually does, the types you should know about, what the installed cost ranges in Pennsylvania and Delaware, and the one important compatibility question most retailers never ask.
The Short Version
A storm door is a lighter secondary door mounted in front of your entry door, usually an extruded aluminum frame with tempered glass and a screen. Its job is protecting the entry door from weather, adding ventilation when you want it, and adding the security of a second lock between the outside and your foyer. The right one depends on how much glass you want, how you want the screen to work (swap it, store it, or retract it), and whether your entry door can safely live behind glass in direct sunlight.
What a Storm Door Actually Does
First, protection. Wind-driven rain, direct sun, and our freeze-thaw cycle are all hard on an entry door’s finish. A storm door takes the brunt of that exposure first. On a stained wood or fiberglass door, that can mean years of extra life before needing a refinish.
Second is ventilation. If you latch the storm door and open the main door, you can get airflow through the front of the house without leaving it open to whoever walks up. In a Chester County April or a Montgomery County October, that’s a major reason people enjoy their storm doors.
And third is security and drafts. A locking storm door adds an important additional barrier. It creates an air pocket in front of the entry door and a second set of sweeps at the threshold, which can take the edge off a draft around an older door opening. But don’t expect it to affect your heating bill as much as new windows or a properly sealed entry door might. When you buy a storm door you’re getting protection and comfort, it’s not something to install just for the sake of efficiency.
Storm Door vs. Screen Door: What’s the Difference
People often use the terms interchangeably, and manufacturers don’t really help. ProVia’s own storm door catalog includes models that are literally labeled “Screen Door” inside its DuraGuard storm door line. So here’s the practical distinction!
A screen door is a light frame with mesh and no glass. It keeps bugs out on a porch or back entrance but does little else. A storm door has a real structural frame, tempered safety glass, weather sweeps at the bottom, a closer, and hardware you can lock. Most storm doors sold today also include a screen in one of the configurations below, so a storm door does everything a screen door does plus the weather protection and security benefits.
If you’re protecting a front entry door in our climate, you want a storm door. If you’re covering a screened porch, a screen door is fine.
Types of Storm Doors, by What You Actually Choose
The type of storm door is determined by how much glass, and how the screen works.
Glass Configuration
- Full view is one big piece of glass that runs top to bottom without a crossbar in the middle, so you get the most light and the entry door underneath is fully visible. It’s what people probably picture when someone says “storm door,” and it’s a common pick for a front entry.
- Three-quarter view and half-lite doors put the glass up top and a solid panel on the bottom. That’s a more traditional look, it hides scuffs from feet and dogs better than full glass does, and it tends to suit older colonials and the classic Philadelphia-style twin.
- Decorative storm doors are still full view, but the glass itself is beveled, has a prairie grid pattern, or uses divided lites. That’s really just a style choice for an entry door you want people to notice.
Screen Configuration
- Interchangeable means one sash holds the glass and a separate one holds the screen, and you physically swap them out each season and store whichever one isn’t in use. It’s the cheapest option, but it’s also a job you have to remember to do twice a year.
- Self-storing doors keep the glass and screen on separate tracks built into the door, so you just slide the glass down to reveal the screen behind it. This is nice because there’s nothing to swap out each season or store in the garage.
- Retractable screens are tucked inside the door frame and pull out as you slide the sash open, kind of like a window shade. ProVia calls this InVent and only offers it on their Spectrum line, and it comes with both a top and bottom screen so you can vent from either end of the door.
- Fixed heavy screens use a stainless-steel mesh that’s built in and doesn’t come out, though some versions let you add a removable glass panel over it for winter protection. ProVia’s DuraGuard line works this way, and it’s great for households with small kids or big dogs who might otherwise go through a screen.
Where Spring House Window & Door’s ProVia lineup fits in: the Deluxe 397 full view is the workhorse (four-hinge frame, triple bottom sweep, screen included, multi-point mortise hardware available). Spectrum is the retractable-screen option. DuraGuard is the fixed stainless screen. Decorator is the beveled and prairie glass line. Superview is the value tier with a narrower frame. Those are reference points from one manufacturer; a free in-home consultation walks through what fits your specific entry and budget.
The Compatibility Question Nobody Asks
Here’s the detail that separates working with a specialized door dealer from visiting a big-box aisle. A full-glass storm door in front of an entry door that faces the sun creates a heat trap. On a hot day the air between the two doors can get far hotter than the outside temperature, and that heat takes a toll on the door behind the glass.
A major entry door manufacturer says it plainly in its warranty: PVC lite frames and simulated divided-lite bars are not recommended behind a storm door or painted a dark color in direct sun, though a properly installed and properly vented storm door does not void the warranty.
It’s worth checking the warranty on whatever entry door you have. The fix is not “skip the storm door.” It’s to properly match the storm door to the entry door: a vented configuration on a sun-facing entry, lighter finish colors on the entry door, and checking the entry door’s warranty before ordering.f
This is where an in-home consultation by storm door experts will save you future headaches and expense.
Because we sell both the entry door and the storm door, we verify compatibility at the consultation, not after there’s a problem. If your entry door is also due for replacement, this is the time to consider doing both together. And if you’re choosing between fiberglass and steel for the entry door, the storm door decision should factor in, since both materials react to trapped heat differently than wood does.
What Actually Matters When You’re Choosing
Fit and handing. The storm door has to swing the same direction as the entry door and clear the entry door’s handleset. On pre-1990s housing stock across Chester, Montgomery, Berks, and New Castle counties, openings are often out of square, and a stock-size door can show a gap at the top or drag at the hinge side. Custom sizing exists for exactly this reason.
Frame gauge and construction. The frame is the door. ProVia’s mid and upper lines use a multi-hollow extrusion with aluminum walls that are up to 20 percent thicker than industry standard, corner keys inside the frame, and corrosion-proof corner gussets. This makes for a rock solid entry that will outlast the thin single-hollow frame that you’re replacing.
The closer. The piston that controls how the door shuts is the first thing to fail on a cheap door and the reason it’s slamming closed or staying open an inch or two. Look for dual closers or a heavy-duty closer with a hold-open.
Sweeps. A triple bottom sweep against a proper threshold is the difference between a storm door that stops drafts and one that just looks like it should!
Hardware. Surface-mounted push-button latches are generally the consumer-grade default. Mortise hardware sits inside the door stile, feels like a real door, and on multi-point versions locks at three points. ProVia’s multi-point mortise sets can be keyed to match a ProVia entry door, so that one key opens both doors.
Glass. All ProVia storm doors use tempered safety glass and the lifetime limited warranty includes glass breakage. Tinted and privacy glass options make sense if the entry faces a street or gets direct afternoon sun.
Finish. Baked polyester finishes with a lifetime finish warranty are standard on the ProVia line. You’ll want to match the storm door to the entry door hardware or trim color, not to the siding. A black or bronze frame on a painted entry looks intentional where a white aluminum frame on a stained wood door usually doesn’t.
Storm Door Installation Cost in PA and DE
Installed cost in the Philadelphia and Wilmington market can range from a few hundred dollars for a value-tier door on a square, standard-size opening to well over a thousand dollars for a heavy-frame, full-view door with multi-point mortise hardware and a custom fit. Four things impact the cost:
- Door tier. Frame gauge, screen system, and hardware package separate a value door from a premium one more than the glass does.
- Custom sizing. An out-of-square or non-standard opening needs a custom-built door, and those will cost more than a stock size.
- Opening condition. If the brickmould or jamb has rotted or the threshold has settled, the installer may need to repair it before the storm door goes on.
- Removal and disposal. Taking out the old unit is usually a small line item, but confirm it’s in the quote rather than assumed.
A national average from a price aggregator can’t see your opening where a written estimate after an in-home measurement can. For an accurate quote delivered within 24 hours, get in touch to request a free in-home consultation.
PA and DE Conditions Worth Planning Around
The mid-Atlantic is hard on exterior doors in very specific ways. The humid summers swell wood and cook dark finishes. The freeze-thaw winters are hard on sweeps, hinges, and any caulk joint at the brickmould. Nor’easters can drive rain sideways into a front entry that a porch roof would protect from a normal storm. All of that argues for a storm door here more than it does in a dry, mild climate.
Home style matters for the glass choice. Stone colonials across the Main Line and older twins in Montgomery County are generally well suited for a half-lite or three-quarter view door with a kick panel, which matches the proportions of a six-panel entry. Newer construction in places like Devon and Blue Bell might have a beautiful statement entry door that would benefit from a full-view storm door in front of it. Ranches and split-levels, common around Hockessin and across northern New Castle County, might go with a full view because the entry sits under a shallow overhang and needs the light.
Older housing in West Chester, Kennett Square, and parts of Wilmington may sit in a historic district, and some districts review exterior door changes, including storm doors in unusual colors or styles, before work starts. It’s worth a call to the township or city before ordering anything in a nonstandard finish. The Hockessin showroom serves most of our Delaware and southern Chester County customers and can talk through what’s typical for those districts.
What Spring House Window & Door Will Add to Your Storm Door Project
A storm door is usually a half-day job on paper, but it’s also the exterior door that gets opened more than any other door on the house. We measure every opening to spec before ordering, which on a 40-year-old colonial with a settled threshold is the difference between a door that seals and a door that gets shimmed. Our crews are in-house, trained, and experienced. They will protect your entry door and trim finish during the swap.
Every installation carries the Spring House Window & Door Lifetime Promise, which covers the workmanship separately from the manufacturer’s coverage of the door itself. And because we sell the entry door too, the heat-trap compatibility check above is part of the consultation, not something you find out about later. Homeowners throughout southeastern PA and northern DE can see the storm door options in person at one of our showrooms in Hockessin, Malvern, Spring House, and Reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a storm door and a screen door?
A screen door is a light frame with mesh and no glass, meant to keep insects out of a porch or back entrance. A storm door has a structural aluminum frame, tempered glass, weather sweeps, a closer, and locking hardware, and most include a screen as well. For a front entry in PA or DE, you probably want a storm door.
Can a storm door damage my entry door?
It can if the storm door traps heat against a sun-facing entry, especially one with plastic lite frames or a dark finish. Entry door manufacturers might even state this in their warranties. A vented storm door configuration and a lighter entry door color usually solve the concern. A dealer that sells storm doors should check compatibility before ordering, you’re unlikely to get that kind of expertise at a big-box retailer.
Do I still need a storm door if my entry door is new?
Not for drafts, but a storm door protects a new door’s finish from rain and sun, and it’s the only way to get ventilation through the front entry while keeping the house secured. Protecting your investment in a new stained fiberglass door is one of the more common reasons to add one.
How much does storm door installation cost?
In the Philadelphia and Wilmington area, from a few hundred dollars installed for a value-tier door on a standard opening to well over a thousand for a heavy-frame door with multi-point hardware and a custom fit. Custom sizing and opening repair are the two biggest variables.
Will a storm door fit my existing entry?
Most standard entries can accept one, but handing, swing direction, handleset clearance, and how square the opening is all affect fit. Older homes across the region are more likely to need a custom-size door than new construction is, and custom sizing is available on the lines Spring House Window & Door installs.
How long does storm door installation take?
A storm door on a sound, standard opening is usually a few hours in a single visit. An opening that needs jamb or threshold repair takes longer, and the consultation will tell you that before installation day so there are no surprises.
Ready for a Storm Door That Fits the Door Behind It?
We give storm door installations the same care and process as a full entry door replacement. Book a free in-home consultation, get a written estimate within 24 hours, and have it installed by our in-house crew backed by our Lifetime Promise. You won’t see high-pressure “today only” discounts, any expectation to decide on the spot, or any surprises on installation day.
If the door in front of your front door is unsightly, rattling, missing, or cooking the finish behind it, get a free in-home consultation!
