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A new front door installation usually takes a single day to fit. Most jobs wrap up in three to six hours, but the full journey from initial enquiry to fitted door takes around four to six weeks in Ireland. That gap between “fitting day” and “the whole project” catches a lot of homeowners off guard, especially if you’re hoping to have a new door in place before Christmas, before a sale, or before winter weather sets in.
This guide walks you through what to expect at every stage: how fitting day actually unfolds, realistic lead times by door material, the new SEAI grant process, and the things that can stretch your timeline in older Irish homes.
The fitting itself typically takes between three and six hours. A straightforward swap, with a new door going into an existing sound frame at a standard size and no sidelights, can be done in a morning. A more involved job with frame replacement, a transom or sidelight panel, or awkward access can run the full working day.
A few things push the timing one way or the other. Fibreglass composite doors and uPVC tend to be the quickest to install because they arrive as a complete pre-hung unit. Aluminium and hybrid doors take a little longer when the frame needs careful sealing for thermal performance. Older properties where the existing frame has rotted or shifted out of square will add an hour or two while the opening is squared up and re-prepared.
Irish weather is a quiet variable too. A wet, windy day doesn’t usually stop a fitting, but installers will often plan around the worst of it to keep the inside of your hallway dry while the door is out.
Here’s how the four to six weeks usually break down.
Week 1, enquiry, site survey, and quote. You get in touch, the installer visits to measure the opening, check the frame, and talk through styles, glazing, and hardware. You receive a written quote within a few days.
Week 2, order placed. Once you sign off and pay a deposit, the door goes into manufacture. Almost every quality external door sold in Ireland is made to measure, which is why off-the-shelf timing doesn’t really exist for replacement doors.
Weeks 3 to 5, manufacture and delivery. This is the bulk of the wait. Most composite doors take four to six weeks from order. uPVC is often a touch faster at three to four weeks. Aluminium and hybrid doors generally run four to six weeks. Hybrid doors are those that combine multiple materials, typically wood, steel, aluminium, and PVC, to deliver better insulation and security than single-material doors. Bespoke timber or Accoya doors are the longest, usually six to eight weeks because of finishing and painting time.
Week 5 or 6, fitting day. The installer schedules a slot, usually with a few days’ notice once the door arrives in their warehouse and has been quality-checked.
Made-to-measure manufacture is the single biggest reason Irish lead times feel long. Doors are batched into production runs at the factory, which means a few days’ delay on signing off the order can sometimes mean an extra week or two on the back end if you miss a production slot.
A typical fitting day looks like this. The crew arrives between 8 and 9 in the morning and lays down protective sheeting along your hallway. They remove the old door and frame, which is usually the noisiest part and takes about 45 minutes. The opening is then prepped: any rotten timber cut back, the threshold checked for level, and the brickwork or render checked around the reveal.
The new frame is offered up, packed into position, and fixed. The door leaf is hung, hinges adjusted, and the multi-point lock tested. Sealing follows: low-expansion foam internally, weatherproof sealant externally, and the threshold dressed to handle wind-driven rain. Hardware goes on last (handle, letterbox, knocker, spy hole) and the installer demonstrates the locking sequence and any warranty-relevant adjustments.
Cleanup takes 20 to 30 minutes. The old door is taken away for disposal or recycling, and you’re left with a working front door by mid-afternoon.
To make the day go smoothly, clear the hallway the night before, move anything fragile away from the entrance, secure pets in a back room, and check the forecast. If heavy rain is on the way, your installer may suggest rescheduling.
A few situations come up regularly in Irish housing stock and can push your timeline out.
Hidden timber rot. In homes built before the 1990s, the original timber frame may look fine on the surface but be soft underneath the render or rendered cill. This is usually only discovered on fitting day and can mean an extra half-day of carpentry, occasionally a return visit if the damage is extensive.
Non-standard openings. Pre-1980s builds, particularly older terraces, cottages, and bungalows, often have openings that aren’t a modern standard size. Made-to-measure doors handle this, but the survey-to-manufacture loop sometimes needs an extra round to get the dimensions exactly right.
Protected structures and listed buildings. If your home is on the protected structures register or in an architectural conservation area, you’ll likely need planning permission or a Section 57 declaration before changing the front door. That can add eight to twelve weeks before you even place the order.
Backordered glazing or hardware. Triple-glazed units, specialist colours, and some security hardware can run on longer lead times than the door itself.
Persistent wet weather. A single wet day rarely matters, but a stretch of storms can push fittings back by a week.
If you’re planning to claim the new SEAI Windows and Doors Grant, which launched on 2 March 2026, factor in extra time. The grant offers up to €800 per external door, with a maximum of two doors (€1,600 total), but it adds steps to the process.
You need to use an SEAI-registered installer, get a BER assessment to confirm your home meets the Heat Loss Indicator threshold, apply for and receive grant approval before any works begin, and submit post-works documentation including a follow-up BER. Realistically, going the grant route adds four to eight weeks to the standard timeline, sometimes more if your home needs additional insulation work to meet the HLI standard first.
Grant amounts and eligibility rules can change. Always verify current details on seai.ie before planning around specific figures.
A front door is the single biggest opening in your home’s thermal envelope and your primary line of physical security. A poorly fitted door leaks heat, lets in draughts and damp, and undermines the lock no matter how good the cylinder is.
A registered professional installer gives you compliance with Irish building regulations, PAS 24 security certification on the fitted unit, proper weatherproofing for the Irish climate of wind-driven rain and persistent damp, and a manufacturer’s warranty that’s valid only when fitted by an approved tradesperson. If you’re going for the SEAI grant, professional installation by a registered contractor is mandatory. The grant won’t pay out otherwise.
DIY front door installation is technically possible but rarely advisable. You’ll void most warranties, struggle to get the U-values claimed by the manufacturer, and have no recourse if the door fails to seal properly against Irish weather.
Plan for one day of disruption on fitting day and four to six weeks from your first phone call to a fitted door. Allow longer if you’re claiming the SEAI grant, dealing with a protected structure, or commissioning a bespoke timber door. Hiring a registered professional installer keeps you compliant with Irish building regulations, protects your warranty, and gets the job done in a single day with the weatherproofing and security a front door actually needs.
If you’re ready to start the clock, get a survey booked in early. The survey is the step that sets every other date in motion.