An aging entry door that leaks air and rots at the bottom is a daily reminder that your home's front isn't working the way it should. For one Burnsville family, that door sat under a large half-round transom, flanked by two sidelights, and it was too narrow to move furniture through comfortably.
The second half of their project sat at the back of the house. Their bathroom had glass block windows that did not open at all, which meant no way to vent shower moisture and no view of the wooded lot below. Because the home is a two-story with a steep drop-off in back, those windows sat roughly three and a half stories above grade, making access the hardest part of the job. We handled both the Replacement Windows Installers work and the entry door as a single project.
Key Takeaways
- THE CHALLENGEA leaky, rotting entry door with two sidelights under a half-round transom, plus sealed glass block bathroom windows three and a half stories off the ground.
- THE INSTALLA ProVia double French entry door designed with the homeowners in our office, paired with Soft-Lite® Imperial Elite double slider windows set from pump jacks and scaffolding.
- THE RESULTA wide, weather-tight grand entrance and a bathroom window that opens for daylight, views, and moisture control.
Two different needs drove this project. The homeowners wanted an entrance that looked the part and let them carry things in and out without fighting a narrow opening, so we moved from a single door with sidelights to a double French door. In the bathroom, they wanted glass that opens, so we replaced fixed glass block with operable slider units.
Project Summary
| Client Profile: |
Homeowners with a two-story house and a steep walk-down backyard |
| Project Location: |
Burnsville, MN (Twin Cities south metro) |
| Primary Objective: |
Replace a rotting, leaky front door and its sidelights with a wider, weather-tight Entry Door Installation under the existing half-round transom |
| Products Installed: |
A ProVia double French entry door and Soft-Lite® Imperial Elite double slider units through our Sliding Window Installation service |
| Key Outcome: |
Two-day installation with two crews, a wider entry opening, and a bathroom window that opens for ventilation and light |
Burnsville Entry Door Inspection Findings
The original entrance was a single wood door with a sidelight on each side, topped by a large half-round transom. The door itself was old, leaky, and rotting, and the overall opening read as an expensive grand entrance that no longer performed like one. Our sales rep walked the home first, then brought ideas back so we could refine the design.
The bathroom windows told a different story. Glass block looks solid, but it does not open, so shower moisture had nowhere to go, and the homeowners could not see down into the trees behind the house. Height was the complicating factor: with the grade dropping sharply at the back, those openings were about three and a half stories up and out of reach for a standard ladder setup.
Two Crews, Two-Day Installation
Design came first. The homeowners came into our Bloomington office and sat down with us to lay out the door together, adjusting what the sales rep had drawn up. Once the order was placed, materials ran on the usual four- to six-week lead time, with the half-round shape adding a week or two.
We split the work between two crews. One crew handled the entry door and the half-round above it, setting the new ProVia double French door so both panels swing open. The second crew worked the back of the house with pump jacks and scaffolding, knocked out the glass block, and set the Soft-Lite® Imperial Elite double sliders in the tub area.
It was a two-day job, and splitting the crews kept each team focused on their specific project. You can see the full range of our Exterior Remodeling Services and our other Door Installation Services on our site.
![Burnsville entry before replacement: a single rotting wood door with two sidelights under a half-round transom]()
Before
![Burnsville entry after replacement: a ProVia double French entry door under the original half-round transom]()
After
Daylight, Ventilation, & Easy Access
The finished entrance keeps the half-round transom the homeowners paid for and adds two full-size doors below it. Swapping the single door and sidelights for a French door pair means furniture, groceries, and holiday hauls move through without a squeeze, and the new door seals where the old one leaked.
In the bathroom, the change is just as practical. Daylight now reaches the tub area; the homeowner can lean up and look out over the trees behind the house, and reaching up to slide a sash open lets shower moisture out instead of trapping it against the walls. Both products are built for Minnesota's temperature swings, with Soft-Lite® as an Energy Star Partner of the Year winner and ProVia as the door line we trust most for cold-weather performance.
"We had our front door and two bathroom windows replaced. The installers did an excellent job. We were really unsure of the front door, and Adam worked with us to make sure we had everything we wanted. He worked within our budget and helped us make the correct choices based on his experience. For the bathroom, he recommended slider windows at no extra cost. I would definitely recommend them to anyone, and we will be sure to use them again for any future projects." (Paul, homeowner)
Thinking About a New Entry Door?
We have been installing windows and doors across Burnsville, Bloomington, Minneapolis, and the rest of the Twin Cities since 1988, and we hold an A+ rating with the BBB. Our team can help you work through door style, glass, hardware, and sizing before anything gets ordered, including tricky openings like transoms and hard-to-reach upper windows.
Are you planning a similar door or window project in Burnsville or anywhere in the Twin Cities? Call us today at 952-887-1613 to get started with a free estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does entry door replacement in Burnsville take?
The installation itself took two days on this project, with one day for the door and one day for the windows. From the day we meet with you, most window and door projects are installed about six to eight weeks later, because four to six of those weeks are spent waiting on materials. A custom shape such as a half-round transom usually adds another week or two.
Can glass block bathroom windows be replaced with sliders?
Yes. On this Burnsville home, we removed the fixed glass block above the tub and installed Soft-Lite® Imperial Elite double slider units in its place. The homeowner can now reach up, slide a sash open, and vent shower moisture, and the room gets daylight and a view it never had before.
What upkeep do new sliders and a ProVia door need?
Day-to-day care is simple: keep the slider tracks clear so the sashes glide, and wipe down the door and glass as you would any exterior surface. We stand behind our work, and if something needs attention after installation, you can reach us through our Service Request Form. Call 952-887-1613 if you would rather talk it through with our team.