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What changes the cost of a new door frame?
A door frame quote changes with whether you are replacing a lining, an external frame, or the frame of a fire doorset, and with whether the opening itself has to change. This guide does not print a price, and it does not tell you to cut a lintel.
Last reviewed:What kind of frame is the quote for?
People say "door frame" for three different things, and the quotes should not share a single line.
- An internal lining. The timber box inside a stud or a masonry opening, with stops that the door closes against, and architraves that cover the joint. This is the usual bedroom or bathroom lining.
- An external frame. The frame of a front or back door, exposed to weather, often with a threshold and a seal. The Planning Portal treats an external door as a controlled fitting when it is replaced [S2].
- A fire doorset frame. Not a lining you plane to suit. The Approved Document B questions treat the frame as part of the assembly [S1].
A lining in a Crewe terrace, a front frame in Nantwich or a landing door in Sandbach still needs you to say which of the three frames it is. Name which frame it is, on a Cheshire house or any other. Anyone in the UK can post the job. This guide prints no price for any of them.
Hanging the door comes after the frame is sound, and only for an ordinary internal door. Fire door quotes is where the doorset, not just the timber, is the point.
What the quote should itemise
| Line | What the writing should name | What a thin quote leaves out |
|---|---|---|
| Which opening | Room, and internal or external | "The door frame" |
| What is wrong | Soft timber, twist, rot, or a fire-door test report that will not accept it | "Replace frame" with no fault |
| Opening size | Stays as it is, or a builder looks at a change | A wider door assumed |
| Lintel | Not cut. If anyone thinks it is in the way, a builder and building control [S3] | A joiner "just trimming the top" |
| New lining or frame | Timber or other material, in their words | "Standard frame" |
| Door | Hung as part of the price, or left for later | A frame with no door, and a doorway you cannot close |
| Stops and architraves | Included, or decoration only | A bare lining and a bill for trim |
| Fire stopping | Only if this is a fire doorset and the frame stays or is replaced [S1] | A bead of ordinary filler called fire stopping |
| Threshold and seal | External doors only, if the quote is external | A draught blamed on the door |
| Making good | Plaster, floor, decoration | Damage left for you |
| Waste | Old frame removed | Timber left in the hall |
| Path for regulations | Competent person scheme, or tell building control, if the unit is external [S3] | Silence on an outside door |
| VAT | In or out. The registration threshold is £90,000 of taxable turnover [S5] | Added later |
An internal lining that has failed
You can see a failed lining without inventing a cause. The door has been eased so many times the edge is curved. The screws pull out of the hinge jamb. The architrave has cracked because the lining moves. The door will not stay where you leave it.
A carpenter can price a new lining in the same opening. Ask them to confirm they are not widening the hole. Ask whether the new door is in the same quote, because a lining without a door is an unfinished opening. Our carpenters and joiners pages are the trades for that timber. If they say the masonry or the stud is moving, stop and ask a builder. Builders are the trade for the wall.
GOV.UK explains building regulations approval. Do not remove the lining yourself to "make the quote easier". A temporary opening with no door is a problem for anyone in the house, and you may be looking at a load above the head. This guide has no sequence for taking a lining out.
An external frame
Replacing an external door is not a like-for-like coat of paint. The Planning Portal says that since 1 April 2002 building regulations have applied to all replacement glazing, and that an external window or door is a controlled fitting, so the regulations set standards when it is replaced [S2]. Those standards, on that page, include thermal performance and other areas such as safety, air supply, means of escape and ventilation [S2].
The Planning Portal says you could use an installer registered with a relevant competent person scheme, who can do the work without you involving local authority building control, and who gives you a certificate when the work is complete [S2]. It also says you could use an unregistered installer or DIY, in which case the building control body checks the replacement and, if satisfied, issues a certificate of compliance [S2]. This guide does not set out that DIY route. GOV.UK puts replacement of window and door units on the list of work you need to tell a building control body about unless a competent person scheme installer is used [S3]. If that installer is used, the guide says you should receive a certificate of compliance within 30 days [S3].
Ask the quote which path it is on. A price that is only "supply and fit a frame" does not say.
Planning permission is a separate question. Repainting frames is the Planning Portal's example of work that usually does not need an application [S4]. New windows and doors of a similar appearance to those used when the house was built are on that same list. A new bay window will be treated as an extension and may require permission [S4]. New windows in an upper-floor side elevation must be obscure-glazed, and either non-opening or more than 1.7 metres above the floor level [S4]. Article 4 directions and listed buildings can change it [S4]. Ask the council if the elevation is sensitive.
A frame that belongs to a fire doorset
Read the loft-conversion answer before you accept "we will keep the old lining" on a fire door.
In most cases it should be possible to retain the existing frame [S1]. The test report says which frame the door was tested in [S1]. Fire doorsets are often thicker and heavier than other internal doors [S1]. If the frame stays, the stops may need replacing or moving, extra fixings may be needed back to the structure, and the joint between frame and structure should be adequately fire stopped [S1]. The operating gap should be kept to a minimum, usually 3 to 4 mm [S1].
That is frame work. It is not a pack of architrave. Put it in the quote as its own lines, or accept that "frame retained" may still be a day's alteration. The gap is the fitter's, not a target for you to set.
How to compare the paperwork
Citizens Advice says a quote is a fixed price, an estimate is a rough guess, and you should try to get written quotes from at least three traders [S6]. Some traders charge for quotes, so ask about this first [S6]. If the work will take a long time and a deposit cannot be avoided, push it down, do not agree to more than 25%, and get a receipt [S6].
Lay the quotes against the table. An internal lining, an external controlled fitting and a fire doorset frame should not be compared as if they were one product. The £90,000 VAT line is about whether the business must be registered, not about what your frame should cost [S5].
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- "Bedroom lining is soft at the hinges. Please quote a new lining in the same opening, and hang a normal internal door. Do not widen the hole. It is not a fire door."
- "Front door frame is twisted and the door will not lock. Please quote the frame and the door as an external replacement, and say whether you are on a competent person scheme or I must tell building control."
- "Landing doors for a loft. Please say if the existing frames can stay for the fire doorsets, and price stops, fixings and fire stopping separately from a new lining."
Posting the frame
Photos of the hinges, the head and the floor junction tell the story. Up to five matched local businesses can send a quote [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Posting a job is not open yet
Questions about frame quotes
How much does a new door frame cost?
This guide does not print a figure. A soft internal lining, a twisted external frame and a fire doorset frame are different pieces of work. Ask the quote to name which one it is, and whether the wall opening stays the same size.
Is the frame the same as the door?
No. The frame or lining is the timber or metal fixed to the opening. The door is what swings. Hanging an ordinary internal door assumes the frame is already sound. If the lining is soft, out of square or missing, hanging a new door in it will not hold. This page is that lining.
Can the old frame stay if I need a fire door?
Sometimes. GOV.UK's Approved Document B questions say a fire doorset is a complete assembly of door, frame and ironmongery, and that in most cases, when new fire doorsets are put into an existing house as part of a loft conversion, it should be possible to retain the existing frame. The test report for the door shows the frame it was tested in. Where the frame stays, stops may need to move and the joint to the structure should be fire stopped. Fire door quotes is the wider doorset page.
Does a new outside frame need building regulations?
The Planning Portal says an external window or door is a controlled fitting, and that building regulations set standards when such a window or door is replaced. Since 1 April 2002 those regulations have applied to all replacement glazing. GOV.UK lists replacement of window and door units among work you need to tell a building control body about, unless the installer is on a competent person scheme. A lining swapped inside a bedroom is not that external unit. Say which you have.
What if the opening is too small?
Do not cut the wall, the lintel or the jambs to force a wider door. Widening an opening is a builder's job and may be structural. This guide gives no method for it. Ask a builder to say whether the opening can change, and ask building control before anyone cuts.
Do I need planning permission to replace a frame?
The Planning Portal says you do not usually need to apply for planning permission for repairs, maintenance and minor improvements, and it gives repainting window and door frames as an example. Replacing a frame is not that painting example. New doors of a similar appearance are on the same list, and a new bay window may need permission. Listed buildings need listed building consent for any significant works, inside or out. Ask the council if the frame is on a listed house.
Does QuoteZila check joiners?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
Part of Cost guides. All services
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- Exterior Timber Cladding Cost: What Changes the Price. What changes the cost of exterior timber cladding: the timber, the profile, battens and membrane, scaffolding, planning and building regulations, and finishing.
- False Chimney Breast Cost: What Changes the Quote. What moves the price of a false chimney breast: size, frame and board, a recess for an electric fire, TV wiring, finishing and decorating. No price printed.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home and FAQ copy.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ How does getting quotes work.
- S1: Approved Document B: fire safety frequently asked questions, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/approved-document-b-fire-safety-frequently-asked-questions
- S2: Building regulations: doors and windows, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/doors-and-windows/building-regulations/
- S3: Building work, replacements and repairs to your home, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-work-replacements-and-repairs-to-your-home/building-work-replacements-and-repairs-to-your-home
- S4: Planning permission: doors and windows, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/doors-and-windows/planning-permission
- S5: Register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat
- S6: Before you get building work done, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/