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…
Peg says
OH and by the way, my husband hates installing doors too! Which is why the ONLY doors that have been installed in our house are the front and back doors. Literally. Maybe I should become suddenly pee – shy so I could get the rest of the doors up!
Keri P says
I love the doors!
I struggle with this a lot, since I work full-time and have two little kids so any projects are done late at night. I’m pretty good at painting (cabinets, walls, furniture) and I can do it little by little, so I do that myself. Anything that disrupts the order of our house, I will usually hire someone.
Jackie says
The new door is beautiful!
My husband was in our new home (a 1927 colonial) about ten minutes before he murdered our ailing front door lock. :) You better bet that job went to the home deport professional! The price of the door doubled because our door size is custom so that was not too great, but to be expected with an old house.
I was really happy with my experience with home depot and the contractor who can out to install the door. He also made an extra tip to the hardware store and took the extra time to make sure the door was hung correctly.
YoungHouseLove says
So glad! Yeah, our guy did a great job!
xo
s
Nicole says
Looks great! The things we’ve hired out have been windows and a new bathroom vent fan since the bathroom didn’t even have one in there. Didn’t want to deal with electrical and plumbing and crawling around in the attic.
And we are in the process of having someone come out to install two doors since they both require replacing the frame. Not something we want to do ourselves.
monica says
ummmm the new french doors look amazeballs and i’m still impressed you built the deck yourselves so you deserve a break every now and again!!
Rebecca A. says
We replaced our sliding back door with french door about 2 years ago. We fundamentally changed the design of the back entrance look and the opening. The opening was so big we had to custom order a door and add those sidelight windows. It was a lot of framing. It took about another half day longer than thought. Agree – thank goodness for a flat install fee. I love the look.
harmony says
Wow! those new doors changed the whole look of that area of the house. Nice choice.
I’m glad you all didnt do this one yourselves. Its actually really nice as a reader to see that even you let the pros do the job when it feels right to do so. :)
Shannon aka design says
LOVE LOVE LOVE the new doors!!! They’re simply gorgeous. And oh yes – it’s totally cool to know when to DIY and when to hire out!
xo,
Shannon
Jen says
Looks amazing!!!!
In the finished pic it looks like the moulding is different from the rest of your house. Is it, or maybe it’s just the picture? Just curious.
YoungHouseLove says
The molding is a bit thicker just to make it look the most seamless (we wanted the height of the door frame to be exactly the same as the height of the door frame to our bedroom, etc – so that meant cheating the molding a bit thicker- but not in any ornate way that’s obvious). Thankfully it blends right in like it has always been there!
xo
s
Elizabeth says
I haven’t commented before, but I love your blog! In fact I pop in so often, I worry that it could be considered stalking :)
But I just had to say that I LOVE the new french doors. It opens and brightens the inside space so much that before I read the post, I wondered who you were house crashing, because it took me a few seconds to notice the deck beyond the doors, I was so mesmerized.
It looks amazing, and your cost breakdown makes me want to cry with jealousy. I’m Australian and the equvalent project (from our Home Depot equivalent Bunnings) would have still cost closer to your “budgeted cost” and that without installation costs.
Small rant: The Australian dollar might be in good shape, but our retailers aren’t dolling out the rewards price-wise, and I doubt very much they ever will. And they keep wondering why so many people buy smaller goods from the US and Asian countries. Rant over.
Love the blog! You guys are awesome – and you’re right, Burger and Clara steal the show!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Elizabeth! You’re so sweet. Here’s hoping Australia steals and deals start popping up left and right (like I imagine those cute kangaroos do, haha).
xo
s
Leanna says
After a horrible “DIY” experience carrying a washer and dryer upstairs to the third floor of my 100-year-old apartment building, I now will pay whatever it takes to get appliances delivered!
Erica says
I love the door and I understand why you hired it out! :-)
I’ve refinished hardwood floors and tiled my kitchen. I had no problems with refinishing the floors, but I was super worried about doing the tile. My dad helped me, so I was ok with it. It wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought! We also built a pergola outside, put up cabinets, and built a small deck outside my kitchen. That stuff doesn’t bother me, as long as I know what I’m doing and/or my dad is helping me!
We’ve DIY’ed everything in this house, except siding/roofing stuff. I also have no desire to play with electricity, including installing lighting fixtures. (Dad does that!!!) My house needs all of the light switches and plugs replaced since they are nasty nasty dirty, but I would be more than happy to pay somebody to do it! I don’t particularly like plumbing either.
heyruthie says
thanks for sharing. i feel so relieved that you still choose to hire out sometimes.
lesismore says
we’ve done just about everything ourselves on our current house-even cutting into the foundation to put in egress windows in the basement, but one thing i refuse to try on our own is refinishing the floors. i just have NO desire to put in the work it will take. i’d much rather pay someone to deal with the sanding and removing nails, filling holes, staining, etc. my husband has lived in our home for 12 years, and i’ve lived here for 6 and neither one of us want to tackle it ourselves. give me a complete kitchen demo any day over that noise!
Jessica says
Wow! The doors look great, and really opens up the space! I love how your cute little light cover pops now, too. Sometimes the simplest changes can really be the most powerful. Looking forward to all of the juicy details! :)
Gordana says
OMG…looks fantastic.
I want your house. ;)
L says
It. Is. Gorgeous!!! SO glad y’all went with a French door instead of a slider; elegance and to spare.
I love my French doors, too. Found ’em (it?) for dirt cheap at Lowes, because they were a return. I elected to let someone else install, because a big hole to the outdoors would have freaked me out if anything went wrong.
Also selected the pricier of the two contractors I got bids from, and am glad for that, too. The doors were replacing a double window, so there was already a header, but they had to be moved over a few inches to allow for swing. The lower-priced guy was going to add on to the existing header; the more expensive one explained in detail why he had to rebuild it. Two years in, there is not a single saggy, sticking, I-cheaped-out-on-installation problem, so I’m really, really glad I went the route I did.
YoungHouseLove says
So glad! They sound amazing!!
xo
s
Gillian says
Love them. We have just put in the same. I’m not sure what we are going to do for screens now. How are you going to put screens on them with them opening outward?
YoungHouseLove says
They actually open inward. More info on that (and screens) today!
xo
s
Ashley says
I really wish I would have checked out Lowe’s (our town consists only of Lowe’s and Menards)… We just purchased doors from Menards – originally thinking we could tackle the installation ourselves. But that proved to be more daunting than we thought it was worth, so we’re calling a few contractors that specialize in door installation now. $25 an hour!!!!!!!!!!!!! Had I known that Lowe’s had the whole meal deal, we probably would have purchased from them. Just goes to show, do your research!!!
Ang says
We’re going to redo our bathroom but move the pipes around – and break the foundation – so we’re going to hire out all the plumbing to our favorite guy and do everything else ourselves. Plus I have a dad who loves everything electrical, so that’s an easy DIY or DID (Do It Dad) for us!
jane says
My fiance and I just bought a little (emphasis on little) Spanish style house (built in 1926!) in West Palm Beach. The inside walls of the living room and dining room are really really rough stucco. I have no idea why they are, but they are. Well I decided that I wanted them flat! So by dear fiance, who is a construction manager said he would tackle the job. Well halfway through sanding the living room he gave me the scariest look I have ever seen and said if I even mention sanding the dining room he will not marry me. So now we have a perfectly flat living room and a stucco dining room. I have decided it gives the room character :-) Ps. Feel like coming to WPB and helping me decorate? I like dogs and babies!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah! That’s such a funny story. I love it! Here’s hoping we end up in WPB someday. Hah!
xo
s
threadbndr says
Funny, my son and his buddy installed almost exactly that same french door at his house last spring. Same question, opposite decision.
AND he’s doing it twice more – at my sister’s duplex for her and her long time renters in a few weeks (weather permitting).
I love the new look (at your house and at his) and hated the old sliders with a passion.
Kim H says
I’m interested to know what (if anything) you will do for screens. I had a similar door installed in my kitchen. I love it but I would really like to be able to open the door and allow the cool fall breeze in.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we’ll be chatting about that in this morning’s post- going up in a few mins!
xo
s
Kate K says
We have very similar French doors (if not that same) that were put in by the previous owners. Love the look, but the retractable screen they put in confounds all that try to use it (read: our guests always pull it off the track). I’m interested to see what you guys pick. I saw an accordion version on House Crashers that I covet…
[email protected] says
It looks classy! I never though about the french doors. Looks nice!!
TerDickison says
Love those doors, look very classy and makes me want to sit on that deck and stare at them all day.
You’re right about how it’s weird what people will and won’t DIY. I bought the house I grew up in from my parents and it was like a DIY fantasy come true for me. I was finally able to realize all my renovation dreams about what I didn’t like about it (getting rid of fabulous knotty pine paneling, removing four layers of flooring in the kitchen).
Long story short, I finished the entire basement myself (drywalling, ceiling, painting, electrical) but when I had to replace the back storm door I didn’t even think twice. I bought the door but I hired someone to hang it for me. Turns out that hanging doors is my idea of DIY purgatory :)
Wendy B. says
Hi guys!
Your doors look GREAT! As we found out a few years ago doors can be very delicate to install. We were not confident to do them ourselves so we had the guy who did our roof and siding and windows do them(sure we can do your doors too!) Sadly, the doors have never worked right. I would definitly reccomend hiring a professional who is very experienced, and check his references!
YoungHouseLove says
So good to know Wendy!
xo
s
Chris says
Please tell me about the light fixture pictured with your fab new doors. I have been searching forever and those are IT! You always have the best finds. Thanks, Chris
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Chris! That was actually original with the house (it looks like an old Tiffany light with white and gray glass that’s sort of marble-ish). Maybe try antique shops or ebay?
xo
s
Tara says
That headstone was so funny I laughed out loud. This is why I always read your blog first – not only is it fun to follow along on your DIY Adventures in Decorating but very entertaining also!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Tara!
xo
s
Garrett C says
Hey guys, love the new doors. I enjoyed running into you in the Barnes and Noble the other day. I forgot to mention that I am an electrician and would love to help you guys out if you have any electrical needs. I live in Bon Air.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you’re so sweet Garrett! Good to know!
xo
s
Rosie says
Great post! Did you tip the guy who did the installation? Why or why not? I never know!
YoungHouseLove says
We actually didn’t. Should we have? They made such a big deal of saying “no money when he comes, just pay at the store up front” that we didn’t think about it! Ack!
xo
s
Nicole says
Sometimes you’re just time poor rather than money poor, so that’s when a little paid help is definitely worthwhile!
Kathy says
Did Home Depot also fix the rotting wood? We are getting ready to replace our sunroom windows (presently drywalled over by the prior owners!) and are looking into our options.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, the wood was in the door that was rotting, so that was popped out and replaced with the new door.
xo
s
Erin says
Love them! Huge upgrade, and I really like the “presence” of the molding around them!
We can be pretty ambitious with projects – replacing water heaters and windows – but we definitely have found places where we draw the line. Like drywalling/mudding an entire ceiling – we can patch holes from light fixtures ourselves but beyond that, it’s time for the pros! Also, we thought that installing kitchen cabinets was a huge headache in our first house, so when we did our current kitchen, we hired that out.
Ellen says
I have done enough DIY to have a pretty firm stance about what I will/won’t do. French doors- definitely leave to the professionals. It’s very hard to get those darn things plumb AND level AND straight when they are so heavy and unwieldly. We had french doors in our old house that a friend helped us install. Those doors never quite closed right, even after we had one door replaced as it was warped. NEVER AGAIN. My other absolute hire out is mudding & taping. Not enough money in the world to get me to do that again. Everything else (pretty much) is fair game, although we do a fair amount of our hire-out now based on the infinitely longer amount of time it takes us to complete projects now that we have kids.
Autumn says
Did the installer replace the molding around the door, or just the door itself? We have some doors to replace, but I think we need the interior molding replaced too and I’m worried installers through Home Depot and Lowe’s won’t be up for the whole job?
Also, we are having a front yard fence installed by real professionals today. We refaced the back yard fences ourselves, but digging post holes to put in a whole new fence in our rocky soil just didn’t seem worth it. I’m SOOO glad, it’s taking the installers a lot longer than they expected. They can’t believe the big rocks throughout the yard!
YoungHouseLove says
They did the molding too- and even caulked! All we had to do was paint! I think they have to rehang trim since they have to remove it to get the other door out and stuff. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Jenelle Ricci @ Del Mar Fans & Lighting says
I love french doors and definitely will want them in my home when it comes to renovating! I am so glad that you both had a great Home Depot experience and that it really wasn’t as expensive as I thought that it would be! This story really gives me hope for my home renovation budget!
Amanda says
Another vote from someone who’s replaced French doors themselves. NEVER again. Two guys (I left, it gave me a heart attack to see that giant hole in my house), all day, and an impending storm moving our way. Got it done in time – barely – but it was by FAR not the best installation job we’ve ever done….still trying to figure out how to cosmetically fully hide some of the shims, LOL…
Your new door looks great!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha thanks Amanda!
xo,
s
Stacy Esparza says
Been trying to convince my husband to change our sliding doors out and this is a great idea. Definitely thought it would be a lot more, but that HD price is great! Will be checking out this option soon for our sliding door. :)
Veronica says
Absolutely love your new doors. When I bought my house last September, I knew I would definitely be changing out the sliding doors at some point(they function just fine, but I hate sliding doors). Yesterday my 3 yr old got our door stuck, how I don’t know. Fortunately I tinkered with it for about 15 mins and go it sliding again, but it reminded me that I want them gone. Then today I stop by your site and you’ve replaced yours! I read in the comments that the install price included framing, but did it also include removal and disposal of the old doors? Thanks in advance. PS, I live in San Antonio and hope to make it to your book tour stop in Austin! So exciting!
YoungHouseLove says
Yep, it did! It was an option we added but it was soooo worth it.
-John
House Painter Sydney says
I am a house painter and think you guys are doing an amazing job with colour and finishes. The colours are earthy yet light and fun and really show how great colour and design come together to create a very warm and homely feel. Well done!
Nicole says
Sherry-
Where did you find the $50 off $500 coupon for HD? I have been googling and cannot find it….maybe expired? We are about to purchase two doors for our home and every penny counts! Thanks in advance!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re on their mailing list, so they come in the mail for us. I’m also in their “garden club” which gives us coupons for the garden center as well. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Esther says
We just moved into our new house, and we decided to have our floors done by professionals! What we spent in money we more than made up for with a higher quality product and MUCH lower stress and frustration.
Now that the big project is out of the way, we can do the smaller tweaks ourselves!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that! Congrats Esther!
xo
s
Anna K says
Oh thank you for this post! Got to replace ours and I had no idea what to think or do!
Rachel W says
Hi! My husband and I have a large set of windows in our dining room overlooking our deck. We want to replace them with a french door and have been looking at the door at Home Depot in the price range you got. Any problems you have experienced with leaking of air or water? The price seems too good to be true!!
YoungHouseLove says
It has been awesome! No complaints whatsoever! I do think it depends on the quality of the install (bad installer = bad fit = air leaks) but our guy was awesome!
xo
s
Amy says
I’ve been investigating replacing our sliding door in our master with french doors. I think they look so much classier! But I’ve always wondered about the screen. How does that work? Thanks! I’m the 420th comment so I guess people are interested in this topic. : )
YoungHouseLove says
We didn’t get a screen here because we have two other sliders on the other side of the room with screens so we figured we’d just use those for air/circulation and since this door is a french door, we went without a screen (the old door was broken so we never used the screen, so we were used to not having it anyway).
xo
s
Alana says
I got super inspired by you door install, and finally went to Home Depot to order (and get installed) the same door you guys purchased. I allotted the same budget as I am in Bel Air, Md and assumed it would cost about the same. It turns out you guys live in one of the ONLY states on the east coast that Masonite delivers too!
This meant we had to go with a door that was the next cheapest (yet had good reviews). This put us over our budget by $150. Then, it turns out our door opening of 60×80 is not “standard” it ended up costing more than the standard, yet larger, 72″x80″. Another $120 over the budget.
I did manage to talk Home Depot down $50 (ask and you shall receive). But now I’m waiting for the install, and I hope they don’t charge me another possible $60 for installing from a slider to a french door. Home Depot said the installers may charge me.
All in all, I am still excited to finally replace our 1989 slider that is on its last leg. I wanted to share my budget busting experience. Expected $850, spent $1100. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, that stinks about the price creep, but awesome that you asked and got $50 off! That’s awesome. I hope you don’t get that delivery charge and you love it so much! We really loved ours so much better than the broken slider that used to be there!
xo
s
Krissy says
I needed to find and read this post today! I am about to install new windows, and a co-worker said “your husband is a carpenter, just have him do it”. He has never installed windows before, so why should he just take a stab at such an important project? I thought I would check your archives, because I can pretty much find ANYTHING I am thinking of doing already in a post that you have done. And sure enough, this post just completely restored my faith in my gut feeling of hiring a professional. I also had just scheduled an estimate with HD, so I am glad you actually used them too. Now I feel much more secure. Thank J&S!