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A new entry door set plumb, with the lock installed last
Residential door installation checks the rough opening before the slab comes off the truck. The sill is set, the unit is shimmed plumb, and the lock goes in last so a crooked jamb is not locked into the bore. Weatherstrip and the lockset are part of a complete entrance, not an afterthought. Out-of-square openings, a low sill, missing insulation, and a bore drilled too early are the mistakes that make a new door stick.
Order this when the slab is rotten, split, or you are changing the entry and the frame together. Storm-door work is separate if the old entry is staying. Measure nothing yourself for the order if the opening is out of square. We measure.
The rough opening, the sill, and a bore that can wait
The job includes the opening check, a plumb set, the sill, and the lock after the door closes cleanly. It does not include structural carpentry if the header is failing. The manufacturer's install sheet is the fastener pattern. Egress glass rules apply if the lite is large enough to matter. Insulation is part of the set, not a favor.
Older DC masonry openings are rarely square. Shims are not optional. Newer Maryland and Virginia openings can still sit low at the sill and pour water into the house. We set the sill to the drainage the maker shows, even when that means explaining a threshold someone did not picture.
Frequent questions
Why is the lock the last thing installed?
The bore and the strike assume a plumb, closed door. Drilling first locks in whatever twist the jamb still has. Hardware waits until the slab latches on its own.
What do you do with an opening that is badly out of square?
We say so before the new unit is cut to fit a diamond. Some openings need carpentry first. Hiding the twist with extra shims on one corner makes a door that binds in summer.
Does the sill include a plan for water?
Yes. A low sill that looks sleek and holds water is a callback. The pan and the slope follow the sheet for that door, not a guess from the old rotten sill.
Can the old lock be moved onto the new slab?
If it is sound and the bore matches. Often the old lock is the reason the door was miserable. We will not move a wallowed deadbolt onto a new slab just to save the cylinder.