The only steel doors i would ever recommend are provia, Hmi, or homeguard.
The other steel doors by thermatru and the junk sold at home depot and lowes are only 25-26 guage steel and dents by just breathing on it. You want a least 22 guage steel, nothing higher than that. The lower the guage, the thicker/ heavier the steel.
How much were you charged and where are you located?
I would google an hmi door dealer in your state.

Mmarse1 - thank you. I am in Chicago, and I believe there is no HMI dealer in the Chicago area. I will check out Homeguard - their website says the company is located in Indiana, just a few hours away, so likely Homeguard steel entry doors are sold in the Chicago area.

You asked how much I've been charged - I haven't been charged anything. I know Provia is the top of the line, so I just assumed a steel door from them would be out of my price range. I guess I should get a Provia estimate anyway, since I am just looking at the plainest painted-steel front-entry door with no embellishments or fancy glass.

I also want to make sure the sidelites are as good as the door.

This post was edited by Sahmmy on Fri, Jun 13, 14 at 22:21

Get a Provia estimate and I would also take a look at the other two brands that mmarse mentioned.

Thanks - I emailed HMI for a dealer in the Chicago area, and they responded "Thank you for your interest in HMI Doors. Unfortunately, we distribute our products as far west as central Pennsylvania. We do not have any dealers in IL."

So that leaves me with Provia and Homeguard. I will contact both those companies to find dealers in my area, unless someone here can suggest any.

I priced a Provia fiberglass entry door, two side lites, a transom and Spectrum screen door and the cost was $10K+. I stopped reading after I got to the $10K mark. You want to buy better products but heavenly bodies there is no way I can afford it. My builder install door is bubbled and the pine frame has a 6" x 2" holes at the bottom of the frame. These prices force you to consider cheaper products when a door costs as much as a used car! I called Windows on Washington in the DC area in the hopes they can find a HMI door that will meet my performance needs but not bankrupt me.

You made a good decision in calling Windows, he is a true pro.

I bought Okna windows and a Decra steel roof from Windows on Washington (WoW) these are not cheap products. I paid more for WoW products over other contractors because they recommended products that solved the problems that I had with my home and gave top notch installation to boot. I have never had to call WoW for performance problems on any of the products I purchased from them. WoW fixed the builder problems when they replaced those products and gave me a fair price. I trust them and know they will do the best for me on the purchase of the fiberglass entry door.

jubbean, WoW is definitely a good choice in my opinion.

Thanks Jubbean. I will shoot you over something tonight or tomorrow and we will circle back. Thank you again for the ringing endorsement. We wish all of our customers were as quality minded and researched (trust me board folks...this person is a smart consumer and knows more than most of our counterparts) consumer.

@Windows on Washington Ltd I'm looking for a 42x96 front entry fiber glass door. I am in Northern California. I'm looking at Provia Embarq/Signet, but I understand it's pricey. Do you have less expensive options I should look into. I'm looking for solid/no glass door like below:

Polaris makes a door with 22 gauge steel which I think is pretty decent. I would recommend a fiberglass door and if they are painted it is pretty difficult to tell the difference without a magnet.. I sell Polaris product so take my opinion with a grain of salt and maybe a shot of tequila. There might not be many Polaris dealers in your area and there glass options are limited. 10k for a door is ridiculous and unrealistic for most.

I realize this is an old thread, but I wanted to chime in, for others searching this topic -- definitely get price estimates. I was about to go ahead with a ThermaTru door installation and after reading so many comments on Houzz about quality concerns I got an estimate from the preferred Provia installer in my area. The ProVia estimate was nearly 1/2 of the ThermaTru estimate! To say I was pleasantly surprised is a huge understatement!! Obviously the TT estimate was inflated, from a large installation company with probably high overheads, vs the small family business installing ProVia in my area. Lesson learned: don't assume anything, always ask!

@C C, sounds like you may have found a deal there, but be sure to not just assume that the installation quality and other factors will be apples to apples. If the high quote was up and over the industry norm, then the lower quote may be great. Many times though the opposite is true, that's a common song in the home improvement industry... Best thing to do is vet the company with the option that you prefer. Make sure that they have been around for a while and have a great reputation, BBB, google reviews, etc. If all checks out then it does sound like you found a great option. Just beware that Provia's lead times are pretty extensive these days.

@ HomeSealed, thanks for your response, these are all fair points. I've seen nothing but good reviews for the new installation company. I think the first quote was just far too high. And thanks for the heads up on lead times!

How much was the provia door CC?