Single vs Double Entry Doors: How to Choose for Your Home

The choice between single vs double entry doors comes down to width, presence and daily use. A single door is simpler and costs less. A double door gives a grand, wide entrance and easier furniture moves, at a higher price and with more to seal. This guide compares both, explains the hardware that matters on a double door, and helps you decide.

We are EHI Custom Doors. We manufacture and install custom fiberglass front doors in single and double configurations from our workshop in Whitchurch-Stouffville. Choosing a door for the back of the house? Our back door replacement guide covers decks, patios and French-style doors, and our custom back doors come in single and double sizes too.

Single vs Double Entry Doors at a Glance

When a Single Door Is the Better Choice

• Your opening is a standard single width and you do not want structural work
• Your porch or entry hall is narrow, as on many townhomes and semis
• You want the simplest sealing, with one seam and one lock
• Budget matters and you would rather spend on glass, finish or sidelights

When a Double Door Makes Sense

• You have a wide opening or a large entry hall that a single door would look small in
• You want a formal entrance with real presence, as on a larger home
• You move large furniture in and out, or host large groups
• The house is tall or wide enough that a single door looks undersized

Proportion is the strongest reason. A single 80 inch door on a wide, tall front elevation can look lost. A pair of doors, or a single door with sidelights and a transom, gives the entrance the scale the house already has. Our catalogue includes 8-foot door models as well as the standard 6 foot 8 inch height.

Width and Space: What to Measure

Common double door sizes are 60 inches wide, from two 30 inch leaves, and 72 inches wide, from two 36 inch leaves. The wall opening is wider than the door itself. Check three things before you decide, and see our guide to front door sizes for how to measure:

• Wall width on both sides of the opening, so the new door and trim fit
• Swing clearance inside for two arcs, including furniture and stairs
• Swing clearance outside if the doors open out, including railings and planters

How Double Doors Seal: Centre Seam, Bolts and Threshold

A double door has an active leaf that you use every day and an inactive leaf that stays shut until you open it for wide access. The inactive leaf is held by bolts at the top and bottom of the door. A strip called an astragal seals the gap between the two leaves.

The centre seam is where double doors most often leak air. Natural Resources Canada says a poorly installed product can cause cold drafts even when the product itself is energy efficient, and that applies here twice over. Ask any maker three questions:

1. How is the centre seam sealed?
2. How is the inactive leaf secured at the top and bottom?
3. What lock does the active leaf use, and can it be a multipoint system?

Our doors are built with a tongue-in-groove rail lock and composite rails that form a moisture barrier, and they can be built with a multipoint lock system. Our guide on custom doors vs stock doors explains what to ask about ratings.

Security on a Double Door

A double door is only as secure as the way the inactive leaf is held. If it relies on light surface bolts, it is the weak point. Bolts that go into the frame at the top and bottom, a solid frame and a multipoint lock on the active leaf make a double door as secure as a single one. Glass near the handles is the other weak point, so ask about glass placement and laminated glass. Our guide to front door security covers the rest of the checklist.

What a Double Door Costs Compared With a Single

At EHI Custom Doors a custom fiberglass single door starts at $2,500 installed and a double door starts at $5,100 installed. A double is roughly twice the starting price because it uses two slabs and a wider frame. These are starting prices, and glass, finish, hardware, lock type and sidelights change the final number. Our guide to custom exterior doors cost in Toronto breaks down each factor.

Turning a Single Entrance Into a Double

A wider door needs a wider opening. That means a new header, framing and often cutting brick or stone, which is structural work. In Toronto, replacing a door in the same opening of a detached, semi-detached or row house with one dwelling unit needs no building permit, but changing the size of the opening is outside that exemption. Check with the City before you order, and if the home is designated, ask Heritage Planning too. Our notes on Toronto permit and heritage rules explain the process.

Budget for the opening work in addition to the door, and allow for the lead time: 4 to 6 weeks from a confirmed order, plus 1 to 2 weeks for custom glass.

Style and Glass for Either Choice

Both configurations come in oak grain, mahogany grain and smooth finishes, with clear, privacy and decorative glass. On a double door, match the glass in both leaves so the pair looks balanced from the street. Our guide to exterior door glass options shows how to keep light and privacy. See the range in our door catalogue and in photos of doors we have installed.

How to Decide: Single or Double?

Get a Quote for Either

Send photos of your entrance and the wall on both sides. Call EHI Custom Doors at 647-952-2311 or request a quote. We are open Monday to Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and there is no pressure to book on the spot. Read what customers say on our reviews page.

Single vs double entry doors is a choice between simplicity and scale. If your opening and your budget suit a single, it is the easy answer. If your home and your lifestyle need the width, a well-built double door is worth it.