Door installation
Door Installation in Scarborough
Most of the door problems we get called about in Scarborough are really frame problems. Hang a new slab in a jamb that has shifted out of square over 50 years, and it will stick in August and leak cold air in January. Fortress Windows & Doors replaces the door and the frame together, with our own crews, from our office on Sheppard Avenue.
Reviewed by Steve McCue and Steve Mercer, owners, Fortress Windows & Doors Inc.
Since 1989
Owner-run, family business
Canadian-made
Built for Ontario winters
Our own install crew
No subcontractors
Lifetime warranty
Covers product and labour
How we install
The door and frame come out together
On a lot of older Scarborough bungalows, the front door has been fighting its frame for years. The house settles, the jamb goes out of square, and at some point someone planed the door down so it would close. Putting a new door into that opening just moves the problem forward a few years.
So the old door and frame come out as one piece, and we look at what was underneath. Soft wood at the sill and water stains on the subfloor are common. They get fixed before anything new goes in. The new pre-hung unit is set plumb and square, the gap around it is insulated and sealed, and the hardware is adjusted until the door closes with light pressure and the weatherstrip compresses evenly. Then the trim goes back on.
Who does the work
Our installers work for Fortress
We do not subcontract installs. Steve McCue, one of the two owners, has been installing windows and doors for 37 years and oversees every crew. If an opening turns out to be unusual once the old frame is out, he decides how it gets fixed.
Before that, Steve Mercer comes out to measure. He worked as a home inspector before focusing on windows and doors, so he looks at the sill, the framing and how the house has moved, not only the width and height. You get one written price for the door, the hardware and the install.
What we install
Doors we install
Entry doors
Insulated steel or fibreglass, usually with a multipoint lock. Fibreglass is our usual pick for a front entry that takes the weather, since it does not dent or swell.
Sliding patio doors
The practical choice where a table or couch sits close to the walkout. We always check the subfloor under the old sill, because that is where years of small leaks show up.
Garden doors
A pair of hinged, French-style doors for a wider opening onto the deck or patio, where there is floor space for them to swing.
Garage doors
On a whole-house job in Oro-Medonte we put in a 16-foot insulated steel garage door alongside the windows, the front entry and the patio door.
Security
Where a door actually fails
When a door gets kicked in, the door itself usually holds. The frame splits at the deadbolt, because that one bolt is the only thing tying the door to the house. A multipoint lock throws bolts into the frame at the top, middle and bottom with one turn of the key, so the force is spread along the whole edge.
Glass beside the door is the other weak spot. We use laminated glass in sidelites, which cracks but holds together instead of opening a hole next to the lock. That is what went into the fibreglass entry on the Oro-Medonte house.
Good to know
Before you book
Warranty
Every door we install carries the True Fortress Exclusive Lifetime Warranty. It covers the door and the labour to fix it, so you are not paying for the service call.
Financing
Financing is available on approved credit if you would rather spread out the cost of a new entry or patio door.
Outside Scarborough
We install doors across the east end and into Durham, including Pickering and Whitby. Our Barrie office on Pepin Court covers Barrie and Orillia. The service areas page lists the rest.
Our process
How the job runs
From first call to final walk-through.
Book a measure
Call (416) 291-5795 or use the quote form.
In-home measure
Steve Mercer measures the opening and checks the sill and framing around it.
Written quote
One price that covers everything, hardware included.
Install day
Old door and frame out, opening repaired if needed, new unit set, sealed and trimmed.
Final check
We test the lock, the latch and the seal with you before we leave.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you replace the frame or just the door?
We replace both. The old door and frame come out together, the opening is checked for rot, and a new pre-hung unit goes in plumb and square. A new door hung in an old frame that has shifted is the most common reason a door sticks or leaks.
Does Fortress use subcontractors to install doors?
No. Every door is installed by a Fortress crew, overseen by co-owner Steve McCue, who has installed windows and doors for 37 years.
Do I need a permit to replace an exterior door in Toronto?
Usually not for a like-for-like replacement in the same opening. If the opening is being widened, a City of Toronto building permit is needed.
What warranty comes with a Fortress door installation?
Every door we install carries the True Fortress Exclusive Lifetime Warranty, which covers the product and the labour to fix it.
Do you install doors in Scarborough?
Yes. Our office is at 4725 Sheppard Ave E, Unit 405, in Scarborough, and we install entry, patio and garden doors across Scarborough and into Durham Region. Call (416) 291-5795 to book a measure.
Book a door measure in Scarborough
One written price from an owner. Call (416) 291-5795 or book online.