Front Door Installation vs. Prehung: Slab or Prehung?
A front door slab costs $500 to $1,200 installed if your frame is in good shape -- cheaper than a prehung unit until it isn't. A prehung door, frame and all, runs $600 to $2,500 or more installed and resets the whole opening. The choice hinges on one question: is your existing frame square, dry, and true?
Orange County, CA · Updated 2026 · Costs shown as ranges — your quote will vary by contractor and scope
Slab-only: when the frame is good
A slab is just the door -- no frame, no jambs, no threshold. In 2026 the slab itself runs $250 to $900 for exterior-grade solid units, with labor to hang one at $250 to $500: hinge mortising, lock boring, and fitting on site. Installed, $500 to $1,200 is the honest band when the frame cooperates.
The slab's edge is speed and price on a healthy frame: 2 to 4 hours of fitting, no demolition. Its weakness is precision -- hinges and locksets are cut on site, and a frame off by an eighth of an inch turns into hours of planing. Confirm the frame before ordering, or a cheap slab becomes expensive surgery.
Prehung: the full-unit replacement
A prehung unit ships with the door hinged to its frame, threshold, and weatherstripping -- the weather seal comes factory-set, which is the whole point for an exterior entry. Exterior fiberglass or steel units run $650 to $2,400 in standard sizes; labor for the install runs $350 to $800: removal, shimming, anchoring, insulating, and re-casing.
Prehung is the right call for damaged frames, out-of-square openings, and any entry needing a tighter weather seal -- and it is friendlier to DIY, since the work is leveling the frame, not hanging the door. The tradeoff is scope: the job opens the wall, touches trim and paint, and typically lands $600 to $2,500-plus installed.
Labor-only bands and what installers itemize
Strip out the door and look at labor alone. Hanging an exterior slab in a square frame: $250 to $500. Installing a prehung exterior unit: $350 to $800, including removal, shimming, anchoring, insulation, and re-casing. Add $75 to $200 for disposal and haul-off when itemized, plus $100 to $300 for threshold or trim repairs on the job.
Labor quotes diverge on finishing and hardware. Factory-finished doors keep on-site painting near zero; site finishing adds $150 to $500. Hardware ranges from a basic lockset to a $350 smart deadbolt-and-lever combo -- worth quoting as its own line. Require the labor line to state exactly what is included: removal, weather-sealing, hardware fitting, and cleanup.
Frame-rot repair adders: when $250 turns into $2,500
Water intrusion is the frame killer, and it sets the real cost of any front door job. Cosmetic sill or trim repair starts around $250; rot running into the framing or the surrounding wall costs $1,000 to $2,500 or more, when the job shifts from a door swap to carpentry. The installer finds this by probing, not by looking.
This is where slab-vs-prehung gets decided honestly. An $800 slab job that discovers $1,500 of frame repair costs more than the $1,600 prehung quote with a new frame. Have the installer probe the frame and sill before quoting, and price the repair as its own line -- not buried in the install. No frame-condition note, no real quote.
Slab vs. prehung front door installation costs (2026)
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Exterior slab (materials) | $250 – $900 |
| Slab door, hung (labor, exterior) | $250 – $500 |
| Slab-only replacement, installed | $500 – $1,200 |
| Prehung door (materials, exterior) | $650 – $2,400 |
| Prehung door, installed (labor) | $350 – $800 |
| Full prehung system, installed | $600 – $2,500+ |
| Disposal / haul-off | $75 – $200 |
| Threshold / trim repairs | $100 – $300 |
| On-site finish (paint or stain) | $150 – $500 |
| Hardware (basic to smart lock) | $60 – $350 |
| Frame or sill rot repair | $250 – $2,500 |
DIY vs. hiring a pro
Prehung is the more DIY-friendly path: the door arrives hinged and weather-sealed, so the job is leveling and shimming the frame -- a careful half-day for a competent homeowner. Slab-only is advanced DIY: on-site hinge mortising and lock boring demand a router, a jig, and confidence, and one bad cut ruins a $500 slab. Either way, air-sealing around the frame is the detail that decides energy performance -- skip it and the install is decorative.
What drives the price up or down
- Frame condition -- square and dry means slab, anything else means prehung
- Weather sealing -- prehung wins, factory-set by design
- Labor line -- slab hang $250-$500 vs. prehung install $350-$800
- Scope creep -- prehung touches trim, paint, and casing
- Hidden rot -- the $250-to-$2,500 wildcard
- Finishing -- factory finish vs. $150-$500 on-site
How to keep the cost down
- Probe the frame and sill before choosing slab vs. prehung
- Get labor, door, hardware, and repairs as separate quote lines
- Reuse a good frame with a slab -- it is the cheapest real path
- Pick a factory-finished unit to dodge the $150-$500 on-site finish
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to install a slab or a prehung door?
A slab is cheaper upfront: $500 to $1,200 installed versus $600 to $2,500-plus for a full prehung system. But labor tells the real story -- slab hanging runs $250 to $500 while prehung install runs $350 to $800, and slab jobs on compromised frames can exceed prehung totals once repair lines appear.
How much does it cost to have a door hung?
Hanging an exterior slab in a sound frame costs $250 to $500 in labor, 2 to 4 hours of on-site fitting. Installing a prehung exterior unit costs $350 to $800 in labor: removal, shimming, anchoring, insulating, and re-casing. Disposal and haul-off add $75 to $200 when itemized.
Can I reuse my existing door frame?
Yes, if it is square, dry, and true -- that is the entire slab-only business case. Have the installer probe the frame and sill for rot before quoting. A healthy frame plus a new slab is the cheapest legitimate front door replacement; a compromised frame makes prehung the cheaper all-in option.
What does prehung door installation include?
The unit -- door hinged to frame, threshold, and weatherstripping -- plus removal of the old unit, shimming and anchoring the new frame plumb and level, insulating and air-sealing the gap, installing the lockset, and re-casing trim. Finishing and hardware may be separate lines; confirm before signing.
When does a door job turn into structural work?
When the frame is rotted, the opening is out of square, or the rough opening needs resizing. Rot repair runs $250 to $2,500 depending on how far water damage runs into the framing. Any of these moves the quote from a swap to carpentry -- which is why a frame-condition note belongs in every quote.