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…
Jenna at Homeslice says
So beautiful!!
Holly West says
This is one of those improvements that, for the cost, just makes such a big difference. It looks fantastic.
Claudie says
My husband and I have been getting quotes on new patio doors, so this post comes at a perfect time. The sliding doors we have now are wood and there is some decay near the glass on one side so they’ve got to be replaced before winter sets in and we’ve decided to get French doors instead of another slider. I was wondering how long it took from ordering the door to actually getting it installed (though you’ll probably go over that in your post tomorrow)?
Oh, and we definitely won’t be DIYing the installation. My Dad and brother offered to install them for us, but I’m kind of scared of getting the door safely home without breaking the glass somehow. I don’t want to buy the door twice, that’s for sure!
Your doors look great and I’m glad that you mentioned the Masonite brand since we had been leaning in that direction.
YoungHouseLove says
It took about two weeks between ordering it and getting it installed. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Claudie says
Yes, that does so thank you!
Amy @ a new old house says
The doors look fantastic! Can’t wait to see tomorrow’s before & after shots!
We just finished up our 100% DIY bathroom (including replacing all of the plumbing & stack!) I think the only thing we got really frustrated with was the spackling & sanding… I think we’ll hire someone for that part of future projects!
http://www.new1790house.blogspot.com/2012/10/bathroom-reveal.html
Lindsey says
Your headstone is hilarious!
Lisa says
This makes total sense. We are adding a small addition to our house by ourselves yet we are going to hire out for someone to refinish our floors. The thought of sanding, cleaning and refinishing was too much for me to think of.
Starr @ The Kiefer Cottage says
That’s a nice problem to have. Our budget is too tight to hire out anything except tree removal (which would be so ridiculous if we tried it oursevles. my husband up in a tree with a chain saw? nah).
Jimmy says
We paid for someone to do about 30 sq ft of tile flooring in our old kitchen. Mostly because I’m a chicken about ceramic tile. Our next tiling job is on me though, I have to get over that hump, and it just costs too much for someone else to do it.
Of course, I replaced 500 sq ft of roof with my dad a few weekends ago (underlayment and all, down to the joists) http://www.thebookofjimmy.com/tin-roof-rusted/ – which is considerably harder, more involved, and more important to get right than that little patch of ceramic tiling, and it ended up costing about half of the tiling job to do the roof ourselves. Go figure.
Outside of tiling I tend to stick with two DIY rules: I pay for plumping and electrical (major stuff, like re-wiring the circuit board and such). The former because all it takes is a little “drip drip” to not only ruin the project but also the walls/floors/subfloors around it, causing big problems down the road, and as much as I cut corners when I DIY I know I’d screw something up. The latter because I just dont know enough about electrical loads and all that to be confident I am doing it right or to code. I’ll replace fixtures, outlets, light switches and stuff on my own though. Just nothing structural.
Otherwise, I try to DIY everything else.
Also, I just wanted to add that I love that deck that you guys added to the house. Such a great use of otherwise wasted space, and a perfect spot to host dinner parties.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Jimmy!
xo
s
Jenn says
I love the new doors! They somehow even make the floors look modern instead of 80s.
We DIY about 90-95% of our projects. At our last house we hired out the carpet installation for the bedrooms because we didn’t have (nor want to rent) the proper tools. We did everything else once we completely gutted the house – electrical, plumbing, drywall, hardwood, kitchen, bathroom, etc. I feel like once you reno an entire house from the studs, nothing really seems scary anymore! You’re totally right about the balance of time v. money v. other life obligations.
Christina @ Homemade Ocean says
Oh la la! They are so pretty!!!!
It is also refreshing to know that you guys do occaionally hire things out :) Once you started moving light fixtures and messing with electrical you were way out of my league :)
Karen T says
Plumbing. We don’t do plumbing. We are renovating a house and had several things that needed plumbing help. It would have taken us all day to do it, and even then, I’m not confident it would have been correct. So, to save our sanity, our new floors, and our time, we hired plumbers. They had everything done in 45 minutes! And they were (surprisingly) reasonable too! Three cheers for pros!
Nora Rose says
Love it! It looks great. We’re starting to think kitchen reno and we’re going to hire out for anything that we’re not “neat” enough to do because we want a nice finished project. It’s good to know your limitations, prevents problems and disappointments!
Kate says
Just beautiful!
Karly says
The doors look great! My husband and I replaced a window in our last house with french doors, with the help of our Dads. It turned out great in the end, but I had some serious anxiety watching the hubs cut a hole in the side of our house! Sometimes DIY is not for the faint of heart :)
Erin says
We’re one of those crazy couples who laid our own foundation and built our own house. We moved from DC to Richmond and my husband had a few months before starting his new job, so he acted as our GC. We did several of the phases on our own. We had the footings poured by someone else, but we laid the concrete block and brick foundation. I’ve told him I will never do that again though! He worked for a solid month (and I helped after I got off work in the PM and on weekends). We hired out the rest of the big stuff and did the cosmetic stuff ourselves. It was a huge task, but it definitely makes you appreciate the final product!
As for now, with 2 young kids and a husband who coaches soccer and travels quite a bit, we have started to hire out the larger projects. We’re in the middle of settling on some quotes for a patio/outdoor fireplace. I’m more relieved and excited that we’re not doing that ourselves!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that’s amazing!
xo
s
Erika says
I agree. We recently bought a total fixer-upper. We’ve been doing so much ourselves even the crazy load bearing wall breaking, plumbing, and re-framing. We saved a lot, learned a lot, and it’s been a good experience. However, sometimes we have to know where are time, strength, and priorities are. I have the best father in law in the world that has been a superman to us but with both of us working full time and parenting a 3 year old, it made sense to hire out once in a while. We just paid someone to put up our chain link fence. It wasn’t fun to write the check but at the end, it was the best decision ever. Thanks for being an inspiration and yet being totally down to earth and realistic. We love ya!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Erika! We love you right back.
xo
s
Amanda says
It’s soo pretty. Can’t wait to see how it looks tomorrow. And I agree, there are some things you just know in your gut. It looks like you made a great decision; 5 hours from a PRO? EEK!
Amanda K says
turns out my husband and i are lazy (and hate spending ANY money) and we end up deciding between 1) paying someone 2) DIY and 3) just living with it.
and the lazy option #3 usually wins out, unfortunately for our home.
but we’re getting better ;)
also, i love the stealth shot of the guy hanging the doors. very sneaky.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, picture me sneaking that while hanging my head out of the kitchen while he had a loud tool running so he wouldn’t hear the click of the camera. Haha! He was so nice though!
xo
s
Olivia says
Looks like you definitely made the right decision, especially when the installer ran into unforseen obstacles! Must have been so satisfying to have it done by someone else without going through the headache yourself!
And yes, I’ve heard that sanding a hardwood floor is incredibly physically taxing and difficult – one false move can leave a permanent mark on the floor. We opted to pay for it and they did an awesome job – so worth it!
Bethie says
Hurray! It looks fantastic!
We redid our kitchen in a house we owned in Maryland (before moving to London where sadly we’re still renting!). My lawyer husband tackled all the demo, I designed the kitchen with the help of Ikea software and then my husby hung all the cabinets and installed new lights and electrics and did all sorts of other crazy things I didn’t know he had in him. I was pumped to tackle the tiling and floor laying and was super bummed to realise that my baby bump was too big for me to even reach the backsplash! Haha!
PS: A few pics of the reno can be seen in the middle of this (kind of emotional) post: http://miltonsmanor.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/this-time-last-year.html
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, you’re so cute Bethie!
xo
s
Nancy says
We had new doors just like yours installed a few months ago and we love them! Except that ours are three tall panes, plus a separate door in the kitchen. We are so glad we decided to hire out for the door installation. We demolished and re-built our entire kitchen from the studs ourselves. We even made the cabinets from scratch and concrete countertops (although that was a fail and we ended up having granite installed afterwards). It was a feat that took us 18 months since we both work full-time. After that, we were just exhausted but we love every inch of our new kitchen. It was so amazing to have brand new doors in 6 hours tops!
Carmel says
We had to have all of our exterior doors replaced – and we went with Home Depot – and I’m SO glad we didn’t diy the installation – it looked like a hot mess – and not one that I’d want to get in the middle of ;) – your new doors look great!
Reenie says
WOW!! What a difference….. beautiful :)
Kim @ Yellow Brick Home says
Ack, great post!
We learned just this year that when it comes to re-upholstering a chair with more than just one dimension (i.e., just a seat bottom), it’s SO worth it to hire the pros. We save up for the cost, pick out our own fabrics and hand it over to them. We actually just talked about it today!
http://www.yellowbrickhome.com/2012/10/09/velvet-here/
YoungHouseLove says
Love that post Kim!
xo
s
JebberA says
I’m getting new shingles on my roof and asked myself whether Sherry and John would DIY. Then this post comes up. Weird. Or maybe not weird. I agree completely that everyone has their own threshold for what is a DIY and what is not.
Kiki says
Love the new doors! We are struggling with this right now. I think our problem is that we don’t know when we HAVE to have someone, and if we do, who to call. Ex: we have plans to reno our kitchen. It’s small, which means we feel like we can tackle most of it. But we do want to take out part of a wall. We are pretty sure it’s not load bearing, but don’t know for a fact. So we were scratching our heads to figure out how you even come to know that. Otherwise it’s mostly taking out things and replacing them. We’re great with lots of little things that would be involved in the reno, but I think getting started is freaking us out because we don’t know which things we’d HAVE to have help with. Like: can we actually install cabinets ourselves? And can we take out the granite counters and backsplash without doing more damage to walls we need without having to repair things?
So if you have thoughts on when to hire/who to hire to help get started and kind of assess reno plans like that, that’d be great!
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone have advice for Kiki! It’s so hard because it’s different for everyone. I think you can definitely learn how to do anything you set your mind to, especially things like installing cabinets. Just go slow and steady, read tutorials, check that they’re level, etc. The same is true for lots of other stuff. There are tutorials online for seeing if something is load bearing (usually walls that run in the same direction as hardwood floors are load bearing). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Tricia H says
You guys definitely made the right choice to hire this project out. My hubby and I installed french doors in our old house and ended up busting one of the panes of the double-paned glass in the process! We couldn’t afford to purchase a new door and the estimate to fix it was more than the door cost. So we lived with it and the door leaked every time we got a hard rain!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! So sorry Tricia!
xo
s
Danielle says
I love the new door! But I’m a huge fan of French doors in general – they’re so much nicer than sliders. Congrats! And kudos on realizing your strengths – and limitations.
We just bought a new (2-story)house and have come to the realization that we’re going to have to hire out our gutter cleaning for the first time ever. My husband isn’t a fan of heights and to add to the misery, there’s a stretch of gutter that is impossible for us to reach even with all the ladders that we own.
We’re big DIYers so this kinda irks us, but better safe and spend a few bucks than the alternative!
Michelle Kersey says
So pretty!!! I just installed with my dad a new entry door. Took us quite a few hours, but we got er done and I needed to save the money on installation, so that was my motivating factor in installing my own door.
Speaking of my dad. I had to laugh a little at your comment about people who build their entire house. My dad did. :) Top to bottom, he did it all. And two barns and a detached garage too. :) I’m a lucky girl to have him as my personal handyman to help me with little projects. Next up…. a window seat for a bay window in my house. :D Gotta love daddies.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that’s amazing!!
xo
s
Lesley says
Looks fabulous!!
Jennifer says
My husband and I are pretty handy and not afraid to take on projects ourselves. We cut a hole in the side of our house after only a month of living there!
http://www.jjmodern.com/2012/04/24/sketch-finds-his-special-purpose/
However, our house is over 50 years old and being new homeowners, we haven’t gotten up the courage to do too much electrical. We have an outdated system (totally safe though, its been checked out) and that scares us a little. We will dive into it someday, but until then my uncle (who is an electrician) can help us out when we need it.
LauraC says
We hired out our bathroom reno last year (though hubby demoed it himself) but in a year or two when we do the kitchen we’re planning to do it ourselves (DIO). The key for us was bathroom=lots of tiling, so with a perfectionist wife and a very much not perfectionist husband, it was best for a pro to tile. The kitchen won’t have tile, and I’m confident we can do it on our own.
Taya says
Love the new doors!! It gives such a modern, yet classy feel to the hallway! I agree with your DIY/Hire out advice. It all depends on what’s good for you and your family.
Bethie says
ADVICE FOR KIKI:
My husband renovated our kitchen himself with ZERO experience going in. He didn’t buy a single book to help him, but relied 100% on the amazingness that is the internet. He was able to find tutorials for absolutely everything and read lots of discussions of other people’s trials and errors. There were certain things he read up on and decided to hand off to someone else (some of the finishing and some of the electricity work. There were also a few things (installing the hood) that he started and couldn’t finish, so we hired someone to finish it off. It still cost us less overall!
EmilyThompson says
Wow I totally get this post. My husband and I replaced the sliding glass door in our bedroom with french doors. I wanted to DIY them and he wanted to hire it out. We ended up doing the time vs money comparison and decided to hire it out to a contractor friend of ours, and after watching them install it, OMG I am so glad we hired it out. Shimming those things in and levelling it all so the doors swing properly. That stuff is not for the faint of heart! They turned out beautifully, so glad for you guys :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Emily!
xo
s
Robin @ our semi organic life says
I think this is a great post. Perfect time for this topic. You made the right choice. I can totally invision myself doing big DIY stuff one day, I can also see my future self taking time off work, writing a check and having it be done.
GreenInOC says
They’re beautiful!
I’m curious about the price – did you have any coupons or anything?
I need a slider replaced, standard size, and I’m pricing it at Home Depot and it’s going to be $1,500+! French doors are even more expensive.
It’s getting desperate – I currently have French Doors (installed incorrectly, so they swing in instead of out), and the frame has come loose and they are actually slowly falling INto my house!
GreenInOC says
Just want to make sure I’m clear – they’re installed incorrectly according the California Code due to fire. I also think it has something to do with they’re on the 2nd floor and only 1 of two exits.
YoungHouseLove says
Gotcha!
xo
s
GreenInOC says
OMG – they swing OUT instead of IN!!! The frame is what’s coming IN my house. Could I be more confusing I ask in a Chandler voice!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we used a $50 off your purchase over $500 coupon and got the 5% off for using our HD card (they match that perk at Lowe’s, so you just have to ask at the register). I would go in store and ask someone to show you stuff (the online prices were way different than what we found in the store). Good luck!
xo
s
Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says
I love the french door.
I will admit – my biggest fault is always thinking we can do it ourselves. My husband just hates when I say….it’ll only take a couple of minutes…or….let’s get this done real quick.
Sure I may not know what I am doing but it is mind over matter, baby. If you think it you can do it. ;-)
Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says
LOL – I can see him now just shaking his head. ;-)
Cara says
I’m fairly handy but my hubby is not. I would love to diy everything but usually just stick to small projects. We have done ventilation fan and ceiling fan replacements, painting, furniture reupholstery, replacing faucets and toilets ourselves, landscaping and working on replacing the fireplace mantel. Hired out installing bamboo floors and a fence so far.
I just found retractable screen doors I plan to get for our french doors. Can’t wait to see what you pick.
Cathy says
My amazing (non-carpentry-trained) dad replaced some old sliding doors for us. Actually we also totally tore off a little four foot deep by six foot wide “addition” that some previous owner had built over the deck without properly protecting it from moisture, etc. — Can you say tons of nasty rotting wood? The 6 foot opening to that little “addition” is probably where there were originally sliding glass doors and that’s where Dad installed the new French doors. With a late 1950’s house, poor Dad ran into one snag after another and it definitely took way longer than he expected. They are so beautiful and I haven’t missed the lost space for one second! (Totally off the subject, I am going to be painting my hallway in Benjamin Moore Moonshine color sometime in the next few days. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.) :-)
Emily E says
We are remodeling our den/family room right now, and we hired out the framing, drywall, moving the gas fireplace, and electrical. We are doing the painting, trim and flooring ourselves. Oh, and we are having a door and window replaced professionally as well. I can do the cosmetic stuff, but don’t even dare with any structural stuff or things that require great precision.
Brady says
It looks great! DIY vs having someone else do it is definitely a big question for a lot of us.
I didn’t want to comment on your last post because I couldn’t enter the contest (boo) but I was super excited to see your tour dates listed and then bummed that the closest place to me (in NC) is the Richmond event and I’ll be away that weekend. BUT then I saw where else you’ll be that weekend – Chicago – which is where I’LL be!! So here’s to hoping to see you guys in Chicago =)
YoungHouseLove says
Sweet! Hope to see you there Brady!
xo
s
Natalie says
Well right now I wished we just hung our own front door. I am getting so much run around from my carpenter…it’s turning into a much bigger headache than if we had done it ourselves. You guys do some much DIY you should take a break just to keep from getting burnt out. Pace yourselves.
Letty says
I want to share that I literally did a double take, trying to figure out whose house that was! The doors look really, really good. What a great investment.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Letty!
xo
s
Heather says
Was it as exciting as watching your neighbors house get painted while they were at work? I remember you guys saying how cool it would be to come home and poof, your house is a different color? Good for you guys for prioritizing with such a hectic schedule looming!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Pretty much! Although we were DIYing other stuff in the background, so it was just basically a project-fest! Haha.
xo
s
Tina Bland says
Something like this JUST happened to us. We wanted to replace our old over-the-range microwave and after looking up DIY facts about it, it seemed fairly easy. So, we got a great deal on the new one and got to taking down the old. Then, we realized that because we dont have cabinets ABOVE the microwave like normal people, where the screws could just be removed and it would slip down…it was much more complicated. We had to knock down this weird little wall that was covering the contraption holding our microwave INTO THE CEILING. OY! So…after that I told my husband, we need to hire someone…this was way to complicated and we’d flubb it up! It seemed like it could be an easy DIY but once it got into uh-oh-territory, my gut told me that we needed help. $150 later to take down the old and put up the new one (and they guy hauled away the old, broken one) I am glad we decided to get help.
LOVE the new doors!! Did you get them in the master too?
YoungHouseLove says
I wish! We didn’t have the budget to convert the window in the bedroom into a french door yet (that’s a bigger load-bearing change) so we’ll hopefully get that done sometime down the line!
xo
s
Krystle @ Color Transformed Family says
We had to make a similar decision this past weekend. We are in the processing of ordering and replacing our kitchen/bathroom counters. Our original plan was to demo the current ones ourselves and then pay Lowes to install the new ones. But because there is a minimum for installation it makes more sense/cents for them to demo and install them. You won’t really find me complaining though!
Ashley Sissel says
New Door Looks Great! There is something almost glamorous about french doors, they really just polish off the hard work you guys did on the deck.
Misty says
YAY! BEAUTIFUL!!! LOVE ‘EM!
Jocelyn Pascall says
Great post. It totally is about what is right for each family. I grew up in a MAJOR DIY family. My Dad would never consider paying for ANYTHING he could do himself. So, when my husband and I bought our first house, it was without question that we would do all the interior painting I wanted done. However, we work in film, which means looooonnnng days and it got to a point where we just said, you know, the only way this will get done is to hire it out, which we did. I felt super guilty, but in the end, it was totally the right choice for us.