We get the whole “to DIY or not to DIY, that is the question” question a lot, so we thought this might be a great way to crack open our brains in a nice rambling and meaty post that hopefully makes sense of our thought process to you guys. And who better to demonstrate than our purty new french doors that lead out to the deck? Surprise! I’ll pause while you burst out into enthusiastic applause.
We’ll be back tomorrow with more before & after photos and details on why we went for a french door, what the screen situation is now, and how they look open/closed/from the outside as soon as we’re done painting them (most doors just come primed and not painted) – but here are the rest of the details on how they came to be. We knew from our home inspection when we bought our house that the sliders that led out to the balcony to nowhere (which we later converted to a deck) would need to be completely replaced.
Not only did they get stuck and have a screen that no longer worked, they didn’t even have a lock (we used one of those bars on the floor along with installing one of our alarm sensors right on the door so it was always armed).
They were also super rotten and waaay past their prime. Ick.
So the good news is that when we put an offer on our house, we accounted for replacement doors being something that we’d have to purchase (and assumed they’d be around 1-2K, just in case there was any rot around the framing or they were a non-standard size that we’d have to special order). And now that the deck is all built and furnished…
… we decided it was the right time to replace them (since we’re actually going in and out of those swear-inducing broken doors all the time). But with so much extra behind the scenes book stuff going on (early promotion, scheduling chats, planning presentations and talks for the road, etc) along with doubling up on extra projects to share while we’re away (and the usual Clara & Burger chaos), it just came down to pricing things out and deciding whether it was smarter for our family to hire it out or DIY it.
First we hit up a bunch of secondhand/thrift/architectural salvage places like the Habitat or Humanity ReStore and a local spot called Caravati’s to see if we could find a secondhand french door that would fit our opening. The only issue is that we didn’t want it to have any mullions, so it would look like the laundry room door that leads to our carport to keep things consistent (although we do have plans to ORB the old brass handle on that guy, we love the clean lines and that giant pane of glass).
But alas, we came up empty since it was such a specific size and style. So next we got three quotes from a few different vendors (they all included both the door and the installation) which came in at:
- $1200 total (from a large window & door chain)
- $3200 total (from a local door & window specialist)
- $730 total (from Home Depot)
- $830 total (from Lowe’s – but they didn’t have the exact door style that we wanted)
Those were all for a pretty comparable door except for the much pricier one (that was sort of the Cadillac of door companies, which doesn’t make sense for our house/neighborhood). Oh and of course each company takes jabs at their competition during their little pitch, but the remaining three companies all had extremely similar ratings, eco benefits (like low-e glass), manufacturing standards, hardware options, consumer feedback, etc – so it was a pretty straight-forward comparison.
And out of those four places, if we wanted to install them ourselves it would have cost:
- This vendor didn’t allow anyone to DIY it for their warranty to work
- This vendor didn’t allow anyone to DIY it for their warranty to work
- It would be around $350 without installation (so we’d save $380)
- It would be around $450 without installation (so we’d save $380, but not have the door style we wanted)
Do you guys see where we’re going? As we learned more about each option, Home Depot slowly inched ahead as the best fit for us. Why?
- The total cost (with delivery and installation) was the most affordable for an extremely comparable product – and actually was a lot lower than we initially estimated that it would cost to remedy the door situation when we bought our house
- The door was exactly the same style (and maker, actually!) as the door that we already have in our laundry room. So we know that we like it and after almost two years of living with that one we don’t have any complaints.
Next we had to decide whether we’d rather save $380 and haul it/install it ourselves or leave it to a pro would could bang it out while we worked away on all the other things on our fat little to-do list (basement stuff, hall bathroom stuff, sunroom stuff, playroom stuff, guest bathroom stuff, carport stuff, etc). It wasn’t an easy decision, but in the end we realized that with all of the extra things on our plates right now, it would probably mean a few days without the door being completely installed/secure if we tried to do it ourselves (since we’d only have a few hours a day in the late evening to work on it). So we concluded that it was just best to use a bit of the budget that we had already counted on spending towards fixing this issue when we bought the house and have it installed.
After lots of jobs that we’ve taken on ourselves, it might sound weird to have someone install a french door (ex: we’ve built our own a deck along with a patio, renovated our entire kitchen, added a built-in desk to our office, rebuilt our entire first house’s bathroom from the studs, etc), but the best way I can explain it is that:
… you just know in your gut what you want to tackle and what’s worth it to you. And that answer is different for everyone.
One person might hire out an entire bathroom reno and it’s completely the right choice for their family, while someone else might literally build their own house (seriously, we know people who have even poured the foundation themselves). In the end, I think our general percentage is that we prefer to DIY around 90% of the home projects that we tackle, but we still love hiring a pro for things like knocking out load bearing walls, major electrical or plumbing upgrades, and even smaller things like installing an exterior slider if:
- it’s a planned expense that we’ve already built into the budget or saved up for
- it’s something we have zero interest/excitement about tackling ourselves (which is usually pretty rare)
- life is just too crazy for us to take it on ourselves, even if we wanted to give it a go
And if we’re being honest it probably comes down to that middle bullet. If we’re psyched to tackle it ourselves we usually do (saving our pennies until we can, and making time for it if we’re psyched about it). And if there are a million other ways we’d rather spend our time and the money is sitting there at the ready since it’s a long-planned expense, we might just hire a pro to get ‘er done. Sort of like how we were happy to hire someone to re-roof our first house, especially after hearing from a bunch of our buddies who told horror stories and said they would never re-roof a house again for as long as they lived.
In the end it took the door installation guy, who originally said it would be “two hours tops” a total of five hours and a trip back and forth to the hardware store thanks to some unforeseen complications once he got in there and saw what he was working with. Thank goodness for the flat installation fee!
And thank goodness it wasn’t us trying to make things work, because we’re pretty sure if the big strong guy who installs about twenty doors a week has a bunch of hiccups and it ends up taking more than twice as long as he thought, it might have just been the job that killed us. And then our headstone would look like this:
In the end… the new doors are 100% worth it and we’re so happy they’re here.
Update: Due to a few folks asking how the whole Home Depot door ordering process worked, here’s a little rundown: you do a rough measurement, go to the store with that and look at options, then you pay $35 for them to come out and measure again and make sure what you want will work, and that $35 goes towards the installation fee (so it’s not extra). They called a few days after coming out to measure things to install, so it was all pretty simple.
What about you guys? What percentage of things do you like to DIY? Is there anything you just won’t do yourself? We know super savvy contractors who still refuse certain jobs (one hates mudding and sanding drywall since it’s so messy, so he’s happy to hire that out while another hates all things electrical and always pays someone else to do it). It’s so funny what certain people love and loathe…
Jillian@TheHumbleGourmet says
I love the french doors! We have sliding doors off of our bedroom that go to the garden, and I can’t wait to install some french doors in their place.
Lauren says
LOVE the doors. They look beautiful!
Ok kids, now for my safety talk. Just so you don’t think I’m some wacko who is spouting off nonsense, I’m a police officer. I’m currently a crime prevention officer and I do home security inspections for citizens on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis.
One thing I always tell my peeps is that sliding glass and french doors are weak points in security. They are beautiful, but we have to take a little more precautions when it comes to security with them.
Some options you have are:
Making sure that there are pins installed in the top AND bottom of the doors. This will make it harder for them to be kicked in. These are normally already on new doors, and since you had a professional install them, I’m assuming that he put these in as well. If the frame isn’t metal, you can reinforce where the pins go into the frame by adding a strike plate. The longer the better…(hehehehehe that’s what she said). Sorry, that was totally inappropriate. :)
Another thing that needs special attention is the dead bolt. Since French doors don’t bolt into an actual frame, instead into the small piece of wood between the doors, reinforcing this area is especially important. You can get an extended strike plate that will spread the force of a kick rather than it being focused on the small area around the bolt. The important thing to remember when it comes to any lock is that the dead-bolt needs to throw at least 1 inch into the frame, and the screws used to install the strike plate, etc. should be AT LEAST 3 inches long. Check it out here:
http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Hardware-Door-Knobs-Hardware-Door-Security/h_d1/N-5yc1vZc3hb/R-203104726/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051
Another (more expensive option) is security laminate). This starts at about $14 per square foot, but you can have it installed (not a DIY project…it has to be put on by a professional in order to work properly) to prevent burglars from breaking through the glass. ACE laminates and 3G are both manufacturers of this type product and it comes in tint and clear versions. Also this helps with storms…tree limbs hitting glass….it’ll break the glass but not penitrate into your home.
So now that all my Debbie Downering is done, I’ll let you return to your normally upbeat and praising comments. I really do love the change by the way. French doors are beautiful and a nice upgrade from the sliding glass doors.
Please let me know if you ever have any security questions…I’d be happy to help.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Lauren! Always great stuff to remember! We actually do have pins in both the top and bottom of each one and the door frame is super strong (metal)! Without giving away too much about our alarm system (since the folks who installed it said the less we talk about it the better, so we can catch any potential intruder by surprise) we do have features to deal with glass breaking, sensors for movement, and even cameras. Dude, we’re crazy! Haha!
xo
s (& the fam)
Lauren says
I don’t think that’s crazy at all! Good idea not to talk about it on here though. I can email you some other tips if you want. Don’t want to be pushy. :) I just like to see people taking care of themselves and their homes.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Lauren! We’d love email tips for sure!
xo
s
michelle says
the new doors look fabulous!
i often wonder when reading your posts if the previous owners of your house have discovered you…
YoungHouseLove says
OH yes, when they sold to us their friend tipped them off and they have been reading. They’re so sweet! We even see them sometimes when they come into town to visit our neighbors (their old friends!).
xo
s
Whitney Dupuis says
They look beautiful!!! I agree that some things are just worth having a professional do it – especially when you are talking security (an external door) and everything else on your plate!
Tina says
Just an FYI, the photos in your posts haven’t been loading for me in Google Reader or directly on the site for the last week or so. (I’m not complaining, I just thought that I’d let you know in case anyone else is encountering problems.) I work in Chrome, Version 22.0.1229.92 on Windows.
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry about that Tina! We think it might be a spyware update glitch (we haven’t changed anything on our end, but a very small amount of folks are having similar issues to yours, and it usually happens when something like Norton AntiVirus or McAffee has an update). Hopefully soon enough they’ll pop back up!
xo
s
Tanja says
Sherry and John, the doors are amazing – LOVE THEM. It also makes me super excited because we are also replacing our sliding glass doors to the back yard with French doors. We’re also replacing ALL our windows at the same time. I haven’t been super excited about this reno since its expensive and not high impact like a kitchen reno but seeing your doors has lifted the excitement level for me.
Lisa says
Yep, it is all about time! I like to DIY many things, but I know my limits. Plus, my husband is not handy at all and his first question is always, “can’t we pay someone to do that?”. It is funny! He doesn’t like to DIY and he doesn’t like the time it takes away from fun things…we both work full time and have two little kids, so often for us, hiring someone to do the job is more about time than whether or not we want to do it or know how.
Time is money, right? :)
Alyssa says
They are already beautiful and you haven’t even painted them yet! I’m sure you’ll use the deck even more now that you don’t have to fight with the doors everytime you open and close them!
Vicki says
Those look great! I’m inspired!
I just contracted out refinishing all the hardwood floors in my first house (2nd week living there now!). I was going to do it myself, but looking at renting the equipment, renting a truck to move it, buying the paper, the stain, the finish, the sheer square footage, the stairs and the nervousness of sanding a hole in the floor… it was TOTALLY worth it to have them done professionally. They look amazing and I didn’t have to shed any tears. Next stop: DIY table for the entryway!
Chrissy says
What I will do myself is changing as I get older, have more money and have more kids!!! I used to install all our lighting fixtures, assemble everything, paint every wall, demo anything that we were replacing…etc. Now we are debt free and can save up money to hire things out ….so we do. We have three sons and are very busy living life with them….I no longer have the time/patience/interest in painting my kitchen with it’s multiple open shelves = taping off nightmare. Not to mention the windows we just installed…I would be doing that on my own because my original helper, my un-handy but strong husband, now has a back problem and can’t help me any longer with heavy things.
Perhaps some people would miss the DIYing…and I thought I would….but I don’t. lol It is a quite luxurious to make all the fun choices and then watch someone else do the work. Luckily we have lots of contractor friends that do things at a deep discount for us. I make them dinner and send home treats to their wives/kids and everyone is super happy!
To replace the heavy duty DIYing I have started to get really interested in smaller projects like gallery walls, ORBing our old door knobs, rehabbing Goodwill scores that have been living in our basement storage room for years…and that is just as much fun with a much more manageable time commitment.
Jenn says
Perfect timing on this post since we want to out French doors in where our slider is. It looks uhhh-mazing and so much fancier in there.
Cassie says
I’ve been happily plugging away at installing my engineered hardwood myself, but when it came to the stairs I knew I would need some help. It’s just a little outside of my comfort zone!
Anna P says
The doors look awesome! I think it looks like it was totally worth it to have someone else hang the door. Smart choice. Quick question. Is the door metal? Our front door is metal and someone yesterday told us we should paint the inside of it, since it’s still the primed white it came with. Can you paint a metal door by hand? I thought we had to have it sprayed or something?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, it’s a no-rot metal french door. We’ll be back with the details about painting it tomorrow!
xo
s
Anna P says
Thanks! I’ve been scared to paint metal, so will be looking forward to your post!
Christine says
funniest post yet – the wording on the headstone just kills me! I’m reading this at work and just laughed out loud! :)
Holly B. says
Oh my heavens this post was perfect! My husband and I are in the process of purchasing our first home and there are so many things to be done to it, and this post was just what I needed to read. I seriously have had trouble going to sleep thinking about all the things we will need to work on/what we should tackle vs. a pro. Thanks for all the great advice with every post! It’s so nice to get the tips and tricks that you have. Thanks for all you do, you’re great!
Annie in Indiana says
The doors look fantastic! And how nice to have someone else worry about the installation!
Heidi P. says
WOW!!
Heather @ What Does She Do All Day? says
I once replaced just one jamb of the door on the side of our garage as the old one was rotted. The guy at the hardware store actually snickered at me for attempting it myself, but I figured it out! And 4 years later that sucker is holding up! When it was time to replace our back door, though, we hired it out. :)
YoungHouseLove says
I can’t believe he snickered at you! So glad you showed him! Haha.
xo
s
Heather says
*raises hand* We in the DIY foundation pour set. I’m liberally using the marital “we” when I say that. Just to be clear. Nothing wrong with having other people do/help though. We just did our chimney and Andy’s friend came and helped since it’s one area Andy hasn’t much experience in.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love it Heather!
xo
s
Deb says
Your new doors look lovely – what a nice surprise!
I agree with hiring out the big jobs that you aren’t psyched about doing yourselves. A couple of years ago, we replaced our 5-foot french doors (with small window panels) to the deck with a 9-foot sliding door (lots of glass!), which meant cutting a bigger hole into the side of our house, installing a new header, replacing siding & insulation, etc. No way we wanted to do that ourselves! It took four guys a solid 10 hours to get that sucker done, and they had to come back again the next day to do some final touch-ups. I love our sliding door so much better – way more light in the house, and now I can open the door but have a screen door there, for more air in the house. That was my main reason for wanting a sliding door instead of a french door – I like to have the door open without the bugs coming in.
Camilla Brown says
Very pretty! Did the installation include all the trim around the door as well? And if you didn’t already have an opening would it include cutting the hole in the wall? If so, that’s a pretty sweet deal (but I’m assuming it doesn’t)! We’re thinking of putting French doors in our living room (our tract home has no window looking out towards the beautiful view on that west side).
The previous owners of the home had DIY installed a bunch of sliders in the family room but DIDN’T BOTHER TO TRIM THEM OUT. Also, didn’t install them right and water leaks around them. Looks awful and we’re just getting to fixing them now. In their case, they really should have hired it out. Blerg!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, they trimmed everything out and finished it (caulking, etc) so all we had to do was paint. It didn’t include opening a wall to add a door, so you had to purchase a door the same size (or very very very close) to the opening and then they would swap it in. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Beth M. says
Love love love the new look! I often wonder when reading your blog… do you have any internal “itch” for the previous homeowners to see how much you’ve changed and upgraded in the home? Certainly everyone has their own style (and not that you’d ever want to come across as bragging, I know) but I’d be so proud if I were you of all the fun changes…and who better to surprise than the previous homeowners! Does that make sense? Anyway, the doors are beautiful– another fantastic upgrade! :)
YoungHouseLove says
They actually read our blog and are so sweet! They say they love peeking in on us and seeing us do all the work! Haha!
xo
s
Jessa says
Not only are the doors gorgeous, but I got so excited about the opening picture that I misread the last line of the opening paragraph as “burst out into enthusiastic applesauce”, which made me laugh. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahahahahhahah!
xo
s
Kimberly @ PaintedLoveBlog says
We’re just renting right now so I don’t have to worry about any major DIY projects. My husband would probably hire someone to hang some photos around the house if I wasn’t handy though (he’s an accountant. Do I need to explain any more?!…)…Bob Vila has taught me well!
Kay says
As someone who rents, I don’t do a lot of home reno but I do manage a youth services department at a public library and I frequently have to ponder the DIY vs. buy. Sure, I can have one of my staff members take an entire day to create something for a program but sometimes it’s out there in the world and available for $20. And then they can take those 8 hours and work on something unique and special that we won’t find elsewhere.
Great post!
liz says
Those look uh-mazing!!! Funny, my parents just replaced a picture window with french doors that I’m going to caulk for them later today!
Tiffany @MomNom says
Hey guys, I’m trying to find your email address – I handle the PR for the Cincinnati Zoo and I wanted to talk to you about passes and/or a possible behind the scenes tour, while you’re in town – if you’re interested. If you could tweet my personal account @MomNom – I can give you an email address that I actually check for work, if you want more info.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Tiffany! You’re so sweet. We’re not sure how long we’ll be there or if we’ll have time for that but we’ll try to reach out to you if we find out we can squeeze it in (we don’t take freebies, but we’d love to pay our own way and poke around).
xo
s
Shawna says
LOL…that headstone killed me…no pun intended!
[email protected] says
Two things: My motto is “what’s the worst that can happen?” If it’s roofing, bad things. Electricity, not my thing, but I’ll do it. So if the worst case is something I can live with (ie it didn’t work out, but I didn’t make it worse and I have to call in the plumber anyway), I’ll tackle it.
Second: The DIY squad around here is just me. So some things are just too big, usually too heavy to handle. So that has to come into play.
Other than those two? Bring it on!
David says
Off topic, but I’ve been wondering… What’s that nice condensed, san-serif font you’ve been using on a lot of stuff lately? It was on the Richmond pic yesterday, and I think it’s the same font on today’s tombstone. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s Ostrich Sans. It’s also in our header. Love that font, and the guy who designed it is really cool!
xo
s
Rachel says
We are about to embark on our first big home reno… our only bathroom. We live in a 1920s bungalow and we have some loose tile in the shower. If I had a ton of free time, I might consider doing it myself, but honestly, I don’t and we’re really afraid of what’s happening behind those tiles. So we’re contracting it out. I feel good about hiring this one out as it’s not something I’m interested in and just a bit above my skill-level.
Carolyn says
The way I determine whether or not to DIY something all boils down to whether or not the money I would save by doing it myself outweighs the time/aggravation of the project. For example, I’ll tackle just about everything but electrical work. For me, it’s not worth it…so I’ll happily pay my electrician to put in new junction boxes and re-route outlets for me. I’ll swap out fixtures, no problem…but I’m not running the wiring or installing those darn boxes. Too much hassle.
Love the new doors!
Louise says
I did I did I did just burst into a very enthusiastic mini applause lol! (was a mini one as I didn’t want to look mental ha!) the doors look excellent, trully they do :)
On the to do or not to do subject, we’ll have a bash at most things, but the shower packed in the other day and to me electricity + water = DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT haha!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- thanks for the claps Louise!
xo
s
Bboss says
Did you have any rotting issues? Did they reinstall the indoor trim?
We need to do this very thing at our house and have been putting it off. The prices from Lowe’s/Home Depot are VERY tempting. It would be worth the couple hundred bucks to have them install. We have no HD in Charlottesville, but it is hard to get ANYONE to help you in Lowe’s. That’s the real reason I’m putting it aside.
YoungHouseLove says
It turned out that only the door itself was rotted (we worried about the framing, but that was ok). So now that we have a no-rot metal door we’re all set!
xo
s
H. says
They may have been a pain in the rear to install, but the new French doors are GORGEOUS!
Lisa says
Doing a big DIY is like asking my husband to get into an argument. I would definitely hire the door to be done and make the drapes for them myself. We finished a basement together and that is the last time I ever want to do such a big project. I am really good a patching holes in walls now though. Your door looks great!!! I know you will love it.
Trista says
We live in a brand new garden home, and I would love to change out our sliders and replace them with french doors. I think it would add so much more character.
I know you were planning on eventually adding french doors to your office to separate it from the dining room. Are you still planning to DIY that since it’s just an interior doorway?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we still dream about it, but we wouldn’t want exterior doors, so it’ll come down to seeing if we can find interior doors that would work and saving up for them over time!
xo
s
Megan says
I love French doors! They are so much better than sliders. We had a couple of homes growing up with sliders and they always seem to have issues. I’d love to do French doors but they wouldn’t fit anywhere in my house. Maybe I’ll add that to the list of “if we ever move/build our own home”…
I’m definitely in agreement on the whole DIY or hire out. However my dad is my go to guy because he is the hired help for many people and has worked in construction for over 30 yers. Soooo, that helps! But he’ll even tell me some times that I may need to “hire a professional” when it comes to things a normal contractor doesn’t deal with normally – electrical (if a lot or hard to do), plumbing (more than the normal fixing something) and anything with brick or exteriors that could be tricky. He can do a lot and has built many homes but he always calls on help. I think that shows a true contractor though – knowing their limits and calling in others when necessary instead of half doing the job and doing it wrong.
Angela says
Love me some french doors! They look beautiful!
Caitlin @ Desert Domicile says
They’re gorgeous, I can’t wait to see more! And who knew that the big box stores would beat out the local guys in price/installation?! Crazy!
rachael says
My husband put in our doors and it went fairly well, but it is time consuming. We did hire out for having our siding and gutters redone, for having insulation blown in, and when we put a bathroom/laundry room in our basement, my husband dug up all the concrete and then we had a plumber come in to lay ABS pipes where we wanted them and then we did everything else. We didn’t have laundry for 3 months so I think would definately re-think some other steps if we could go back in time. Like you said, it depends on how much money and time is being saved, and how exciting the project is. Do I have a desire to re-brick a chimney? No thanks…
Mara says
Hey, I am taking a Photoshop class and so I would love to know how you did the tombstone!! I’m guessing you Googled for a tombstone pic and then used a font from Photoshop? Is that how it happens?? Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we always try to look for photos we took (we have about a million) and then alter them with type, cropping, a color-wash, etc. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Jessica @ Home and Faith says
We have never done anything major DIY or hired out (we live in a parsonage so the church takes care of any major problems), but I would SO hire someone out to clean my toilets each week if I could! LOL!! That is the one thing that I loathe! :) Congrats on your book! Can’t wait to get a copy!
Linda says
I had a kitchen faucet installed professionally – turns out that a prior homeowner somewhere had done a less than professional job with the old faucet with that installation and made it difficult, even for a pro, to do it quickly and easily. I probably would have been sobbing in frustration by that time.
I think you’re right on point- it’s the return on investment (whether time, money, or enthusiasm) that can indicate whether it’s time to hire the pro’s or not.
And the door looks fabulous!
Amy says
I’m glad to see that you contracted out the door…it was a good move on your part! We love our door & window guy, so we just decided to have him put an exterior door on for us. We are SO glad we did, because he had a horrible time getting it in even though it was the right size…it took him much longer than expected and he was really frustrated! As for things I won’t DIY…I am actually pretty good with plumbing, but I’m terrified of getting shocked so I won’t touch electrical stuff at all. Luckily, my husband and my dad are okay with doing that.
Erika says
Will you guys be adding curtains again? It looks like you have curtain rods on the top or am I mistaken that for something else?
YoungHouseLove says
More on that tomorrow!
xo,
s
Emma says
Nice! I had a patio slider installed from HD and I must say my install was ~$700 – as much as the window itself. They did a great job (I got a Jeldwen slider on a big opening). We considered installing ourselves but I’d rather defer to the experts when it comes to putting up a barrier between the inside and outside. Walls & windows are kinda fundamental – they DEFINE a shelter so I’m with you on leaving that jot to the pros. Also, as you mentioned, picking up the new doors and hauling and dumping your old one would have been a real downer. Enjoy!
Christine says
Wow! I actually thought you guys were crashing someone’s house- it totally makes the space look so refined! Great upgrade!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Christine!
xo
s
Brooke says
Love the door! We have a similar situation w/ our door. My dad, a major DIYer who cannot be without a major house project or he’ll die of boredom, said to always hire out a big door project. You could break the door, hurt yourself, etc and it’s totally worth the installation fee from Home Depot or Lowe’s to save yourself a potential nightmare. Kudos to you!
YoungHouseLove says
So fun to hear that your DIY dad is in the same camp when it comes to doors!
xo
s
Krys72599 says
We added a 2nd floor onto our ranch w/ a basement lake house several years ago. Although hubby is a HUGE DIY-er, and very talented at it, to boot, we figured, adding a floor? That HAD to be done by a professional, right?
So we started pricing it. Our estimates ranged from $150,000 to $225,000.
Hubby decided to act as general contractor and DIHimself where he could. We bought the lumber ourselves and hired a building crew, hired a plumber, a roofer and a sider, a crew to sheetrock the new floor and had the people we bought the gas fireplace install it. We had a local lumberyard build our staircase from the 1st floor to the new 2nd floor and install it.
We did the electric, we installed the hardwood floors, we painted it all, we bought and installed the fixtures in the bathroom and tiled it, installed the pull down attic stairs, customized the walk-in closet, bought a kit and built the Murphy Bed in the spare room.
Our grand total: around $95,000, soup to nuts.
Save $50-$125K? SOLD!!!
Krys72599 says
Oops, forgot that the fireplace guys also extended our existing fireplace – NOT a job for DIYers, in my opinion!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s amazing! Wow!
xo
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