Exterior Doors — Boulder, CO
Boulder Garage, Entry & Patio Door Replacement
Garage doors, front doors and sliding patio doors replaced and installed for Boulder homes — planned alongside your windows, matched to the house, and permitted the way the city requires.
Who replaces garage and entry doors in Boulder, CO?
Northern Lights Exteriors replaces garage doors, front and entry doors, and sliding patio doors for Boulder homes. Entry doors are Therma-Tru, ProVia and Pella; patio doors are Andersen, Pella, Marvin and Anlin, matched to the windows around them.
Because doors and windows are the same kind of opening, we usually plan them together, and a siding project is the ideal time to replace doors. Every job is run by one Project Manager, with historic-district and wildfire-area requirements confirmed for your address.
Doors and Windows Belong in the Same Boulder Project
Most Boulder homes that need new windows need new doors too, and the two are the same job underneath: an opening in the wall that has to be flashed, sealed, insulated and trimmed so it keeps out wind-driven snow, spring hail and the summer sun at 5,400 feet. When the replacement windows and the doors are planned together, the openings are measured once, the exterior trim and colors match on every elevation, and the whole house is sealed in one schedule instead of two.
That is why we quote windows and doors together whenever a home needs both. Either way the work is run by one Northern Lights Exteriors Project Manager from the first measure to the final walkthrough.
Replace Your Doors During a Siding Project
If you are planning new siding or James Hardie siding, that is the best time to replace your exterior doors. When a house is re-sided, the trim and flashing around every door come off anyway. Replacing the door at the same time lets us tie its flashing into the new weather barrier and siding correctly, instead of patching new siding back around an old door frame.
It also saves paying twice. A door replaced after new siding is finished means cutting back and re-trimming brand-new siding to get the old unit out. Planned together, the door, trim and siding colors are chosen as one look — including a custom paint color on primed siding with a front door that sets it off.
Garage Door Replacement in Boulder
On many Boulder houses the garage door is the largest single surface on the front elevation, which makes it one of the fastest ways to change how the home looks from the street. We handle full garage door replacement and installation: removing the old door, checking the opening and framing, installing the new door and its hardware, and finishing the trim and weatherseal so it matches the rest of the exterior.
Two Boulder conditions shape the door we recommend:
- Wind. Boulder sits under some of the strongest downslope winds in the country; the NCAR Mesa Lab recorded a 112 mph gust on December 30, 2021. A wide garage door is a big flat panel, so we size the door, its reinforcement and its track for the exposure of your lot rather than picking from a catalog page.
- Wildfire. The City of Boulder now applies its wildland-urban interface code to roughly 16,000 properties, mostly on the west side. Gaps around a garage door are a common way for embers to get into a house, so in mapped WUI areas we pay particular attention to the bottom seal, side seals and the materials around the opening, and we confirm what the code requires for your address before you choose a door.
What we don’t do: garage door spring, opener or cable repair. We replace doors; for a broken spring on a door you want to keep, a garage-door repair company is the right call.
Front and Entry Door Replacement
For front and entry doors we install Therma-Tru and ProVia fiberglass and steel doors, and Pella’s aluminum-clad wood entry door for homes where real wood on the inside matters. A new entry door is replaced as a complete unit — slab, frame, sill, weatherstripping and hardware — so it closes square and seals the way it was designed to, which is where most of the draft and comfort gains come from.
Boulder’s sun is hard on doors. South- and west-facing entries take high-altitude UV all year, which fades and checks finishes faster than at sea level, so we talk through finish and color choices with that exposure in mind. See the full entry door options.
Sliding and Patio Doors
For sliding and patio doors we install the same manufacturers we use for windows — Andersen, Pella, Marvin and Anlin — so a patio door can match the frame color, glass package and sightlines of the new windows around it. That matching is the main reason patio doors and windows are worth planning together. Browse patio door styles, or ask about storm doors for an existing entry.
Historic Districts, Wildfire Areas and Permits
Boulder has more exterior-design rules than most Front Range cities, and doors are covered by them:
- Historic districts. In districts such as Mapleton Hill and Chautauqua, any exterior alteration needs a Landmark Alteration Certificate from the city before work starts. That includes front doors visible from the street. We plan the door style, material and proportions so the application reflects the district’s design guidelines.
- Wildfire (WUI) areas. The city’s wildfire code has applied to permits since August 1, 2025, and its requirements depend on the area your home is in and the scope of the work. We confirm the requirements for your address before we design — see our notes on fire-rated exterior doors.
- Permits and inspections. If your door project needs a permit, we handle the application and the inspections as part of the job.
The System Behind the Work
Every door and window project runs through our secure client portal:
Two things make that possible, and they are the reason to choose us over a cheaper quote.
First, experience and scope. We have been working on Colorado’s Front Range since 2001, and we hold a Class C general contractor license (Colorado license #C120350) rather than a single-trade license. That is not a technicality: it means roofing, siding, windows, decks and outdoor living can run under one contract, with one project manager accountable for the flashings where those trades meet — which is precisely where multi-contractor projects leak, literally and figuratively. James Hardie has recognized us as an Elite Contractor continuously since 2011, and as a President’s Club Member — their highest contractor distinction nationwide. Our rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 552 verified reviews.
Second, a proprietary on-demand client portal we built ourselves. Most of what people hate about a remodel is not the construction. It is not knowing — who to call, whether the permit went in, when material arrives, what has been paid, whether it passed inspection. We built a system to remove exactly that, and as far as we know no other exterior contractor in this market offers it:
Every conversation in one place
Messages, decisions and change requests are logged against your project rather than scattered across texts, voicemails and three different crew members’ phones.
Contracts and scope, always retrievable
Your signed contract and itemized scope live in the portal, so you can easily get a refresh on what was agreed — on your own, any time.
Permit status you can see
Where the permit is in the process, and when inspections are scheduled — without having to phone anyone to find out.
Delivery and install schedules
When material lands and when each trade starts, so you can plan around the work instead of waiting for a truck to appear.
Before, during and final photography
Documented condition before we start, progress images through production, and final photography — including the parts of the building you will never see again once it is closed up.
Payments tracked per trade
What is paid and what is outstanding, broken out by trade rather than as one running balance you have to reconcile yourself.
Inspection records
Each inspection and its result, recorded against the project and available when you sell the house and someone asks.
Access is an individual, custom URL issued to you — and you get it when we start talking, at the lead and project meeting, not after you sign something. That is deliberate: you can see how we run a project before you commit to one. It then stays available after the work is finished, which matters more than it sounds, because the documentation, images and inspection records are exactly what a buyer’s agent, an appraiser or an insurer asks for years later.
Boulder Door Replacement FAQs
Do you install garage doors in Boulder?
Yes. We handle full garage door replacement and installation in Boulder, including removing the old door, checking the opening, and finishing the trim and weatherseal to match the house. We replace doors; we do not repair springs, openers or cables on existing doors.
Can I replace my doors and windows at the same time?
Yes, and for most Boulder homes it is the better plan. The openings are measured once, trim and colors match on every elevation, and one Project Manager runs the whole job on one schedule.
Should I replace my doors when I replace my siding?
It is usually the best time. Re-siding removes the trim and flashing around every door anyway, so a new door can be flashed into the new weather barrier and siding correctly, and you avoid cutting back new siding to replace a door later.
Which entry door brands do you install?
Therma-Tru and ProVia fiberglass and steel entry doors, plus Pella’s aluminum-clad wood entry door. Sliding and patio doors come from the window lines we install: Andersen, Pella, Marvin and Anlin.
Do I need approval to replace a front door in a Boulder historic district?
In a designated historic district, any exterior alteration, including a front door visible from the street, needs a Landmark Alteration Certificate from the City of Boulder before work starts. We plan the door so the application fits the district’s guidelines.
Does Boulder’s wildfire code affect garage and entry doors?
It can. The City of Boulder has applied its wildland-urban interface code to permits since August 1, 2025, and the requirements depend on your home’s area and the scope of the work. We confirm what applies to your address before you choose a door.
Is there still a federal energy credit for new doors in 2026?
No. The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit ended for doors and windows placed in service after December 31, 2025. We check what local rebates are available for your address when we quote.
How do I get a quote for Boulder door replacement?
Call (303) 776-5263, email office@nlexteriors.com, or request an estimate online. We measure on site and give you a written, line-item quote.
