Two years ago we replaced the steel Jeld-Wen door in our 1996 built home. It was rotting around the base. This was a door with sidelights and elliptical window above. Cost of steel door was around $5700 plus installation. We couldn't find any other dealers/brands that could "fit" the opening in our brick home or were interested in dealing with it. Needless to say even the new Jeld-Wen door didn't quite fit as expected after numerous measurements by dealers before ordering. If you're getting a door with sidelights make sure it's a continuous seal along the bottom. That helps so the dividers don't wick up moisture & rot. We also went with a non-wood product so the dividers won't rot plus it's covered so we'll never need to paint. We went with a factory paint finish on the door that I hated after installation so immediately had an auto body company repaint. We've had no problems with denting in the 14 years of a steel door on any of our doors. I do use a magnetic door plate at the base- ordered from Amazon I think. We have had problems with leaking with both the old Jeld-Wen and the new Jeld-Wen door around the windows when we get a hard driving horizontal rain. Recently I took some auto-sealant around the windows on the exterior to seal any cracks and that seems to have solved the problem. We went with steel because we get direct sunlight from the south and don't have any major overhang to protect the door. We were told the fiberglass would fade and perhaps have more problems than the steel. We were also told not to get a storm door due to the heat build-up. Hope this helps a little. I have no experience with the other brands or fiberglass. Therma-tru was the brand I wanted to get at replacement, but their elliptical was a different shape. In hindsight, I kind of wish we had a fiberglass. We have an oval window that the guys in our house wanted. Now wish we had a full rectangle - it seems to be more modern. Good luck with your decision.

You have a solid steel door? I don't think so, unless you live in a Bank. You cannot just stick a double hung window in a door. If you are having issues with the glass, I would suggest carefully measuring it and then contacting a door manufacturer and asking if they can supply you with a replacement. It would be really helpful if you knew which company made the door. Or you could just replace the door. Might be cheaper to do that.

No question Provia makes the best doors whether it's steel or fiberglass. I don't think I have ever replaced an old Provia, but I have certainly replaced nearly every other brand including the cheap doors people foolishly buy from hardware stores. I'm kind of surprised you can't afford the painted Heritage Fiberglass Provia Door. It's a little more than the 20 gauge smooth steel, but not that much more. Have you looked at the texture steel Provia? My advice would be to get another estimate from a different Provia dealer. Don;t settle for second best when it comes to your doors. You will never be sorry for buying quality products.

If you have the space to push the garage back on the lot, I would do so unless you have another reason for the current location. In my case, we had quite a large useless space behind the garage so we built a garden shed addition to use the space. In that spot the dirt was full of rocks with some concrete motorcycle parking space and tree overhead with privacy fence on the north and east sides. My space had no sunlight so no practical use at all for the space. I wish the original builder would have moved my garage closer to the back of the lot. My other comment is make sure you have planned for adequate lighting. We have motion sensor lights on the garage, but the space between the house and fence is a dark tunnel. When I first got my current car, the window tinting was dark and I had to use the camera because I coudn't see anything in the side mirrors.