Impact Front Doors in Melbourne, FL

Impact front doors are entry doors built and tested as a complete unit, door slab, frame, hinges, latch and any glass, to resist wind pressure and debris. A standard front door can blow in when the wind pushes hard enough on it, especially a double door where the two leaves meet in the middle. Once the entry fails, wind and rain pour into the house and push up on the ceiling and roof from inside.

Materials

• Fiberglass: the most common choice here. It does not rot or rust, holds paint and stain well, and takes a wood-grain texture if you want the look of wood.
• Steel: strong and usually lower in cost; near the ocean it needs a good finish and attention to dings so rust does not start.
• Wood: a few impact-rated wood doors exist, but sun and humidity are hard on them, and they need more upkeep.
• Glass inserts: decorative or clear impact glass in the door, rated with the rest of the unit.

Single, double, sidelites and transoms

A lot of Space Coast homes have a single door with one or two narrow sidelites, or a double door under an arched transom. For an impact rating, every piece of that entry has to be part of a tested assembly: the door, the sidelites, the transom and how they join. Swapping only the slab inside the old frame does not give you a rated entry. When we quote an entry, we price the whole unit.

Inswing or outswing

Most front doors in older homes swing in. Outswing doors are common in hurricane country because wind pressure pushes the door into its stops instead of against the latch. But an outswing door needs room to open on the porch, and the hinges end up on the outside. Both types come in impact-rated versions; we look at your entry and talk through which fits.

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Locks, hardware and the threshold

Impact entry doors use multi-point locks on many models, which latch at the top and bottom as well as the middle. That helps the door resist wind and makes it harder to force. The threshold is designed to keep out wind-driven rain, which matters at a front door that faces the street with no porch overhang. Near the ocean, ask for hardware finishes meant for salt air.

Fitting the opening you have

Many older homes have front door openings that are not a standard size today, and some double door entries have settled or gone out of square. We measure the rough opening and check that the wall around it is solid. If the new unit needs the opening adjusted, that work and the stucco and trim repair are listed on the estimate before you approve it.

Permit and paperwork

An exterior door replacement needs a permit in Melbourne and in unincorporated Brevard County, with the Florida Product Approval for the door unit. We file it, book the inspection and give you the approval so your wind mitigation inspector can confirm the entry is protected.