Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Therma-Tru Home Additions & ADU: The San Jose Owner’s Guide
If you’re planning a home addition or ADU in San Jose and want Therma-Tru doors and entry systems integrated into the build, a full project typically runs $53,100 to $153,400 depending on size, site prep, and finish level. We install Therma-Tru doors as part of our additions and ADU builds, and we stock common Therma-Tru entry units, including fiberglass door slabs, pre-hung units, and threshold sets, so there’s no six-week wait when the frame goes in. Most owners call us because they had a door installed years ago and the sweep is dragging, the hinges are sagging, or the threshold has rotted at the corner from San Jose’s wet winters and the rest of the opening needs real work, not a parts patch.
Which Therma-Tru Models This Applies To
We work with Therma-Tru Classic-Craft, Pulse, Smooth-Star, and Benchmark door lines. Each series uses different slab thickness and hinge prep, so matching matters. Classic-Craft and Pulse units are typically 1-3/4 inches thick with a slightly heavier feel and composite edge. Smooth-Star runs the same thickness but with a different profile on the weatherstrip kerf. Benchmark is the budget-friendly line, usually 1-3/8 inches on slab units. Here’s the gotcha most homeowners in San Jose learn the hard way: you can’t just swap a Benchmark slab into a Classic-Craft frame without re-routing the hinge mortises and adjusting the strike plate. The brickmold profiles differ between series too. We check the label on the hinge edge of the existing slab, measure the slab height and width to the sixteenth, and match the series before ordering. For OEM vs. aftermarket, Therma-Tru’s own parts add maybe 15 to 20 percent to the line item, and sometimes they’re the only option if you want the warranty intact. On a five-year-old door, a quality aftermarket threshold or weatherstrip performs the same and keeps the budget honest. Bradford Remodeling is an independent service provider, not affiliated with Therma-Tru; we’re the crew that installs them when the plans call for a door that actually closes tight.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Therma-Tru Home Additions & ADU Is Failing
- Sweep dragging or daylight under the door. The bottom sweep wears flat or the threshold settles, letting air and water through. On San Jose slab foundations, this shows up after the first big rain.
- Door binds at the latch side. Seasonal swelling from Central Coast humidity or settling in an older addition throws the reveal off. The door sticks, the deadbolt throws hard, and the weatherstrip tears.
- Corner rot on the threshold. Water wicks up the jamb and sits at the threshold corner. We see it constantly in Willow Glen ranch homes with sprinklers that overspray onto the entry.
- Hinges squeak and the door sags. Loose top screws or stripped hinge pockets let the weight pull the door down. The reveal goes wide at the top and tight at the bottom.
- Fiberglass skin delaminates at the slab bottom. Once the skin separates, water gets inside and the door loses its shape. At that point, it’s a slab replacement, not a tune-up.
See the difference
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After
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After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a Therma-Tru entry door replacement within a San Jose home addition project, the installed cost for a new pre-hung unit runs $2,600 to $5,900 depending on series, glass inserts, and hardware. A full home addition that includes the door starts at the $53,100 range and climbs from there based on square footage, foundation work, and finish. What drives the spread on the addition side is site prep: older San Jose lots often need demolition, footing work, or sewer line relocation before framing starts. Our written price includes the door unit, installation, trim, weatherstripping, hardware, and haul-away of the old slab. We give you the number before work starts and that number doesn’t move at the door. Every Therma-Tru install we complete falls under the 365-Day Done Right Promise, which means if the door binds, leaks, or sags inside a year, we return and correct it at no charge. That’s written on the scope sheet you sign.
DIY or Call Us?
You can check the reveal on all four sides, tighten hinge screws with a longer screw if you have one, and inspect the sweep for visible splits. Replacing a threshold, re-mortising hinges, or pulling a full pre-hung unit in an old San Jose frame is where DIY goes sideways fast. Getting the sill pan right is the difference between a door that drains and a door that rots the subfloor in two seasons. If the existing opening is out of square, which most are after a few decades of settling, shimming a pre-hung unit without throwing the slab out of plane takes patience and a level at least two feet long. If you want the door to close like it should and stay that way, call us at (669) 272-2637 and ask for a written estimate. We’ll come out, take measurements, and give you the number before we leave.
FAQs
Figure 20 to 25 years for the slab itself if the threshold and weatherstripping are replaced every 5 to 7 years. San Jose’s sun exposure on south-facing entries fades the finish faster, so expect a re-stain around year 8 to 10 even though the fiberglass holds. Call (669) 272-2637 if your door is past that mark and you want a straight assessment.
Yes, if the slab is sound. Sweeps, thresholds, weatherstripping, and hinge replacement are straightforward repairs we do regularly. Once the skin delaminates or the slab has rot at the bottom rail, repair becomes a false economy and replacement is the better call. We’ll tell you which one you need, and the estimate is free either way.
A straightforward pre-hung replacement in an existing opening takes 3 to 4 hours including trim and hardware. If the rough opening needs re-framing or the sill plate is damaged, add another half day. On a full home addition or ADU, the Therma-Tru door install is scheduled at the dry-in phase, which slots into the overall build timeline.
We keep common Therma-Tru entry slabs, pre-hung units, thresholds, and weatherstripping on our trucks and in our San Jose shop. Standard 36-by-80 units in Smooth-Star and Classic-Craft are usually available the same week. Custom sizes, decorative glass, or specialty series run 3 to 5 weeks from order. Call (669) 272-2637 and we’ll check the label on your current door and give you an availability answer that day.
Straight number, written scope, done when we said done.
Written by Curtis Lane, Owner, Bradford Remodeling Co at Bradford Remodeling Co San Jose, serving San Jose and nearby areas.
