Excel Doors
Storm Doors
An extra layer in front of your entry door. Let the breeze and light in when it's nice, and add protection against the weather when it's not.
A storm door hangs in front of your entry door and does two jobs. In good weather you open the main door and let air and light through the screen. In bad weather it puts a second barrier in front of the door you actually paid for, cutting draft and taking the wind, rain and road grime that would otherwise land on your entry door's finish.
Excel installs ProVia storm doors, and only two of their lines — Spectrum and Deluxe. Both are extruded aluminum with tempered safety glass and a lifetime finish warranty. We deliberately don't carry ProVia's Decorator, DuraGuard or Superview lines, because two well-chosen options cover what south-suburb homes actually need without turning the consultation into a catalogue.
The thing most people don't know to ask about is the screen. A cheap storm door gives you one panel you swap by hand twice a year and store in the garage the rest of the time — which usually means it never gets swapped. Both lines we carry solve that differently: Spectrum hides a retractable screen inside the frame, and Deluxe stores its screen in the door itself on separate tracks. Either way there is nothing to carry to the basement.
The second thing worth asking about is the frame. Storm doors take more abuse than any other door on the house — slammed by wind, leaned on, kicked open with an armful of groceries. Spectrum's aluminum walls run up to 20% thicker than the industry standard, with a reinforced kick panel and corner keys that stiffen the frame where it wants to rack. That's the difference between a door that still shuts square in year eight and one that doesn't.
Because we're all-ProVia on entry doors as well as storm doors, there's one thing we can do that a mixed-vendor shop can't: the storm door's multi-point mortise hardware can be keyed to use the same key as your ProVia entry door. One key, both doors. It's a small thing that people notice every single day.
Every door is built to your opening and factory-finished before it ships — not painted on site. We hang it square, set the closer so it shuts smooth instead of banging, and check the sweep seals to the sill. We've been doing this in south-suburb homes since 1982.
Your options
ProVia Spectrum
Our hero storm door, and the one to look at if you actually want to use the screen. The InVent system hides a retractable screen at the top, the bottom, or both, so you control exactly where the air comes in.
- InVent top-and-bottom retractable screen — exclusive to Spectrum, and it lives inside the frame
- Aluminum wall thickness up to 20% thicker than the industry standard
- Sculptured extruded-aluminum frame, 1¼″ × 4⁵⁄₁₆″, with corner keys and a reinforced dent-resistant kick panel
- Triple bottom sweep for draft protection
- Camden solid-brass multi-point mortise hardware standard — Bright Brass, Satin Nickel, Aged Bronze or Black
- Lifetime Limited Transferable warranty including glass breakage, plus a lifetime finish warranty
ProVia Deluxe
The most door styles of any ProVia storm line, and the better value if you want a specific look — full glass, three-quarter, half, or divided lites — more than you want the retractable screen.
- Full, three-quarter, half-glass and divided-lite views
- BetterVue fiberglass self-storing screen — sash and screen ride separate tracks, so nothing gets stored in the garage
- 1¼″ × 3⅝″ frame with multi-hollow construction and corner keys
- Color-matched bottom expander, leaf hinges and closer
- Optional pet door on select models
- Optional multi-point mortise hardware — this is the one that can be keyed to your entry door
BRANDS WE INSTALL
Worth knowing
What we install vs. a big-box storm door
Storm doors are the single easiest place in a house to spend a little and get a lot less. These are the parts that separate the two, and none of them are visible from the curb.
| Feature | What we install | A typical big-box storm door |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | Retractable inside the frame, or self-storing on its own track — nothing to carry to the basement | A panel you swap by hand twice a year and store somewhere |
| Frame | Extruded aluminum, walls up to 20% thicker than standard, corner keys stiffening the corners | Thinner rolled aluminum that racks over time and stops shutting square |
| Glass | Tempered safety glass | Varies by model, often annealed on entry-level doors |
| Hardware | Solid-brass multi-point mortise standard on Spectrum — and it can key to your entry door | Surface-mounted latch, usually its own separate key |
| Fit | Built to your opening, factory-finished, hung square with the closer set | Stock sizes, finished on site if at all, fitted to whatever's closest |
| Warranty | Lifetime Limited Transferable including glass breakage, plus 5-year Excel labor | Typically 1–5 years, non-transferable |
If a storm door is going on a back door nobody uses, we'll tell you Deluxe is plenty. The frame argument matters most on the door that gets opened twenty times a day.
Let's talk about your project.
How it works
- 1
Free consultation
We measure your opening and walk through views, screen type, hardware finish and whether you want it keyed to your entry door. You get a clear written proposal — no pressure, no same-day-only price.
- 2
Built to your opening
Your door is custom-built and factory-finished in your color before it ships, so the finish isn't a paint job done in your driveway. Most orders take a few weeks.
- 3
Install day
Same crews, job after job. A storm door is usually a quick, same-day install. On homes built before 1978 we work as an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm, which governs how the opening is contained and cleaned.
- 4
Walk-through & after
We check that it shuts smooth, the closer is set right and the sweep seals to the sill, then show you how the screen works. Warranty visits carry no service fee during your labor-warranty period.
Let's talk about your project.
Flexible monthly payments available through Service Finance. See financing options →
Last updated — we keep product specs and warranty terms on this page current with what we actually install.
Storm Doors — common questions
Reviewed August 2026
What does a storm door actually do for me?
Two things. It lets you open up for the breeze through a screen, and it adds a protective layer in front of your entry door against wind, rain and cold. The second one is the underrated part — your entry door's finish is what takes the weather otherwise, and an entry door costs several times what a storm door does.
Full-view, ventilating, or retractable screen — what's the difference?
Full-view is mostly glass with a screen you swap in. A self-storing door keeps both the glass and the screen in the door on separate tracks, so you slide rather than swap. Retractable — the Spectrum InVent system — hides the screen inside the frame until you slide the glass, and lets you vent at the top, the bottom, or both. We match the style to how you'll actually use the door.
Will it help with drafts in winter?
Yes, some. The extra glass layer in front of your entry door cuts the cold air and adds a bit of insulation, and Spectrum's triple bottom sweep seals the gap at the sill where most of it comes in. It's not a substitute for a good entry door, but it helps — and it keeps weather off the door behind it.
Can it stay on year-round?
Yes. Both lines we install swap between glass and screen without taking the door down — Deluxe stores its screen on a separate track, Spectrum retracts it into the frame. The same door works summer and winter.
Can my storm door use the same key as my front door?
Often, yes — and this is worth asking about. Because we install ProVia on both entry and storm doors, the storm door's multi-point mortise hardware can be keyed to match your ProVia entry door. One key opens both. A shop that mixes vendors between the two usually can't do that.
Does it work with my existing entry door?
In most cases, yes. We measure to make sure it fits and hangs right in front of your entry door, and we'll flag it at the consultation if your opening needs anything unusual.
How long does the install take?
A storm door is usually a quick, same-day install. The lead time is the build — a few weeks, because the door is made to your opening and finished at the factory rather than pulled off a shelf.
My house is older — does that change anything?
It can. Homes built before 1978 may have lead paint around the opening, and disturbing it is regulated. Excel is an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm, certificate NAT-42606-4, so containment and cleanup are done to that standard. It's a fair question to ask any contractor working on an older home.
What's the warranty?
Two separate warranties. ProVia warrants the product — Lifetime Limited and transferable, including glass breakage on Spectrum, with a lifetime finish warranty on both lines. Excel warrants the labor for five years, and there's no service fee just to get us to the door on a warranty visit during that period. The specifics are written into your contract — read them, and ask us anything.
Will the same crew be on my job?
Yes. We send the same crews job after job — low turnover, same faces from start to finish.
Ready When You Are
Let's talk about your storm doors.
A free, no-pressure in-home consultation. We bring the product samples, measure what we need to measure, and leave you with a clear written proposal — not a sales pitch.
