Patio door replacement

[wild_turkey 3,182]

I have 3 patio French style doors that need to be replaced. They are wood and they have rotted at the bottom due to being in an area that's exposed to rain. See pic below.

I got a quote from Andersen that was $31,000 total to replace all 3 with similar French style doors. That seems significantly more expensive than I was expecting. They then offered sliding doors instead of French style doors, which they could get for around $24,000 total. That doesn't include staining or painting. So less desirable doors, pretty expensive, and the lead time is 6 months.

I also scheduled a consult with Pella but I expect them to be in the same ballpark.

I'm in Fort Worth and I expect to keep this house about 1-3 more years, so I'm not necessarily concerned about getting the best possible doors with a 20 year warranty. I just want something that looks fairly similar to what I have and will last at least 3 years without significant wear.

Any advice?

Edited July 27, 2022 by wild_turkey

[Gil Bang 26,020]

I don't think you need to call a window company.  A good GC should be able to handle that for you for considerably less cost.  Because you've got wood siding, the demo and new install will be easier. 

Price out doors that you like on Lowes or HD website.  Figure on 1500 a door or so to have them installed, and I think you'll be in the ballpark.

[Your Mom 4,852]

That seems like a job for a basic and local carpenter/handyman, rather than a big corporation.  

[ERhine 1,907]

That seems like a job for a basic and local carpenter/handyman, rather than a big corporation.  

This.

Had to replace our the doors to our backyard in 2020. We purchased the doors from the local door supplier our carpenter recommended. They did the rest for far far less than you’re being quoted.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,356]

You sure they need to be replaced? They don't look that bad IMO, especially if looking at a 1-3yr timeframe.  I would think some wood rot epoxy could address the rot issue and sanding/re-finishing could do the rest.  Worst case scenario if rot was really bad would be having to paint finish instead of stain.  Talking hundreds vs thousands.

[Redneck Mutha 8,007]

We had two custom-sized French doors going to the patio replaced almost 4 years ago.  Bought the doors from Builders FirstSource.  The installer we used was actually a contractor through Lowe's - we got some other doors replaced through Lowe's but their ordering process was a clusterfuck, so contractor suggested getting the French doors from Builders FirstSource.  And then we already knew a painter we liked to do the painting.

The two French doors cost less than $1700 with tax.  Installation less than $800.  And the total bill from the painter, which included 3 other regular doors along with the French doors, was $850.  Granted this was 4 years ago and we did a little legwork to hire/pay 3 different companies (doors, install, paint), but those prices from Andersen seem crazy.  

Just Googled and appears Builders FirstSource has locations in FW area.  Good luck!

[dmtx 159]

We bought our double, fiberglass doors from www.doors4home.com. Our GC did a little shim hear and there, used Old World stain. they look great. check with resdoor (local), they might be cheaper.

[Gene Parmesan 4,014]

Pics don't look that bad, but holy hell $31,000 is that a typo?   Someone quoted you 31k for patio doors?

[dmtx 159]

Stain is Old Masters

We went from a single door to a double. 

 

Edited July 28, 2022 by dmtx

[tx 3 putt 77,426]

4 hours ago, Gene Parmesan said:

Pics don't look that bad, but holy hell $31,000 is that a typo?   Someone quoted you 31k for patio doors?

that quote is insane. Find a good local gc or ask around

 

The local lowes, one of their managers gc’s on the side. He replaced my moms sliding door to French doors, new back fence, doubled her patio slab and new patio covering for $9000. His work was extreme top quality 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,921]

Putting in prehung doors is not really difficult.  There are plenty of discount door places where you can buy good quality prehung doors for pretty cheap.  I did my back door just recently.  The door is fiberglass and has a double-paned window with the shade in between the panes.  The door was $299 and I probably spent another $100 on the trim and hardware.  It took me a weekend to do.  Sebastian thinks I did a great job.

 

[CooterBrown 18,029]

Look on Yelp for door installers or go to Lowes/HD’s door department and asks what company they use. They’ll tell you.

If you’re only gonna be there a couple of years, I wouldn’t spend much on it, or anything at all. It won’t mean shit when you sell.

[deadshank 24,653]

Don’t go with solid wood doors. 
 

fiberglass is good, clad is better

Make sure your installer puts in a stainless steel door pan set in a bed of NP-1 caulk into the rough opening prior to installing the door set. 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,921]

4 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

Look on Yelp for door installers or go to Lowes/HD’s door department and asks what company they use. They’ll tell you.

When the ex and I lived in Sugarland, we bought a set of French doors from Lowes to close off our upstairs game room.  We used their installer.  The ex gave them her cell phone number because she had to run some errands while they were putting them in.  The guy kept calling her to ask her if she wanted to meet up.  They did a shitty job too.  Come to think of it, she probably was banging him.

[shadow_operative2.0 16,028]

16 hours ago, dmtx said:

check with resdoor (local), they might be cheaper.

@wild_turkey, I got a buddy at resdoor, I’ll shoot him a text later today. 

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,356]

13 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Putting in prehung doors is not really difficult.  There are plenty of discount door places where you can buy good quality prehung doors for pretty cheap.  I did my back door just recently.  The door is fiberglass and has a double-paned window with the shade in between the panes.  The door was $299 and I probably spent another $100 on the trim and hardware.  It took me a weekend to do.  Sebastian thinks I did a great job.

 

Sebastian looks like he's asking where his dog door is

[UTPhil2006 3,812]

@lonestar3 is in Austin and does this for a living, but may be able to point/help you in the right direction

[lonestar3 274]

I'm a partner at a window & door company here in Austin. Which doesn't lend itself to a reasonable jobsite delivery in this situation. 

However, if you want to DM me your email address, I'll ask a few questions and get you some bids you can take to local retailers in the DFW area. I'll make the pricing fair so that you can make sure you aren't getting gouged (as some of these guys will do to homeowners rather than builders). 

[wild_turkey 3,182]

Thanks for all the input. I canceled the Pella consult because I thought it would be similar to Andersen. Gonna look into Builders First Source, Resdoor, etc. and then try to find a GC or carpenter in my area.

[lonestar3 274]

51 minutes ago, wild_turkey said:

Thanks for all the input. I canceled the Pella consult because I thought it would be similar to Andersen. Gonna look into Builders First Source, Resdoor, etc. and then try to find a GC or carpenter in my area.

If you're going this route, specifically with BFS (my former company before we broke off), I'd definitely urge you to heed my advice above. Nothing in it for me other than to try and help you out. 

[milkman 428]

If you have a Tri-Supply nearby go check with them. Look into a fiberglass door and you can use gel stain. Also would recommend looking into Endura frame savers.

[shadow_operative2.0 16,028]

@lonestar3 wants the glory, fuck any other suggestions. 

[wild_turkey 3,182]

On 7/29/2022 at 6:49 PM, lonestar3 said:

If you're going this route, specifically with BFS (my former company before we broke off), I'd definitely urge you to heed my advice above. Nothing in it for me other than to try and help you out. 

I sent you a PM a while back but never heard a response. Maybe check your inbox?

[wild_turkey 3,182]

This is apparently more problematic than I originally thought. My door dimensions are 76" H x 58" W, which is not a common size.

I contacted the contractor of our house (it was an extensive remodel, not entirely new construction) who told me the doors were purchased from a local surplus store 4 years ago. I went to the surplus store and they no longer have any doors that size, nor can they order them. They say it's a custom size (which almost everyone says) but that makes no sense to me because the contractor could've chosen any size doors for this space, so I don't see why they would opt for a more expensive custom size vs. a less expensive standard size. Builders/contractors generally lean towards cheaper options.

I went to another surplus store that has a nearly identical wood door for a $998 which I think is a great price, but that door size is 80" x 60". 

I also went to Lowe's who is going to send someone to my house to check everything out, but they are predicting that I will need to get fiberglass doors at about $2,000/door, then it will be painted instead of stained wood. Probably a little better longevity going with fiberglass, but it won't look as nice IMO.

I may just buy the larger size wood door from the second surplus store and see if a carpenter can modify the door frame enough to accommodate the larger door.

Edited August 9, 2022 by wild_turkey

[CooterBrown 18,029]

This is apparently more problematic than I originally thought. My door dimensions are 76" H x 58" W, which is not a common size.
I contacted the builder of our house (it was an extensive remodel, not entirely new construction) who told me the doors were purchased from a local surplus store 4 years ago. I went to the surplus store and they no longer have any doors that size, nor can they order them.
I went to another surplus store that has a nearly identical wood door for a $998 which I think is a great price, but that door size is 80" x 60". 
I also went to Lowe's who is going to send someone to my house to check everything out, but they are predicting that I will need to get fiberglass doors at about $2,000/door, then it will be painted instead of stained wood. Probably a little better longevity going with fiberglass, but it won't look as nice IMO.
I may just buy the larger size wood door from the second surplus store and see if a carpenter can modify the door frame enough to accommodate the larger door.

An option is to also order a custom size through Lowes. I’ve done that before and it wasn’t much more expensive than a standard size. It does take like 4 months to get it though.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,356]

15 minutes ago, wild_turkey said:

This is apparently more problematic than I originally thought. My door dimensions are 76" H x 58" W, which is not a common size.

I contacted the contractor of our house (it was an extensive remodel, not entirely new construction) who told me the doors were purchased from a local surplus store 4 years ago. I went to the surplus store and they no longer have any doors that size, nor can they order them. They say it's a custom size (which almost everyone says) but that makes no sense to me because the contractor could've chosen any size doors for this space, so I don't see why they would opt for a more expensive custom size vs. a less expensive standard size. Builders/contractors generally lean towards cheaper options.

I went to another surplus store that has a nearly identical wood door for a $998 which I think is a great price, but that door size is 80" x 60". 

I also went to Lowe's who is going to send someone to my house to check everything out, but they are predicting that I will need to get fiberglass doors at about $2,000/door, then it will be painted instead of stained wood. Probably a little better longevity going with fiberglass, but it won't look as nice IMO.

I may just buy the larger size wood door from the second surplus store and see if a carpenter can modify the door frame enough to accommodate the larger door.

Could just have the carpenter trim down the larger wood doors

[milkman 428]

Are steel (iron) doors an option? They can be made to any size.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,977]

9 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

An option is to also order a custom size through Lowes. I’ve done that before and it wasn’t much more expensive than a standard size. It does take like 4 months to get it though.

Yep, I did this last year as well. 

[deadshank 24,653]

Why real wood and stain?  
 

You will do all this work and end up with the same, weather-beaten, ignored-maintenance mess you are currently trying to remedy. 

[Gil Bang 26,020]

You really can't go bigger because of your header.

[wild_turkey 3,182]

This has become an even bigger mess. I ended up contacting Resdoor in Fort Worth, which seems to a be a reputable local door supplier. They only sell doors, no installation, so they referred me to a local contractor.

I called the contractor who came out and took measurements, then gave me a quote for $10k that I thought was fair. I agreed to pay him $5k up front, he ordered the doors, and then I would pay the remaining $5k once the work was finished.

The doors got delivered to my house and he came out to do the install, then he said he couldn't because the doors were the wrong size. He said he gave Resdoor the correct measurements and he suggested the mistake was on their end. I felt like that should be a simple fix and that he could straighten it out with Resdoor and get the doors reordered correctly. 

I got busy for a couple weeks, then the holidays, then I hadn't heard anything from him so I checked back in. He kept saying he needed to come to my house to do something, which I assumed was to repeat the measurements. It took a couple more weeks to arrange a meeting date. When he showed up he wanted to see the doors and take pictures of them, which he said was because he now needs to sell the doors on Facebook marketplace. What the fuck.

He said Resdoor won't accept a return or replace the doors which obviously indicates the mistake was on his end and not theirs, even though he won't admit that to me directly. He also says "his company" doesn't have the money to reorder doors until these doors are sold. I have no faith in him selling custom sized doors on Facebook. I have no experience on Facebook, but using my wife's account and searching the marketplace, I can't even find the doors listed on there and it's been ~2 weeks.

I called Resdoor to get their version of the situation but the salesperson who sold him the doors is now on leave until March. Just my luck. They are looking into the situation for me, but it doesn't sound promising.

I've tried to play nice with the contractor to give this a chance to be resolved amicably (ideally that would mean the work eventually gets done correctly for the original agreed upon price). We're at the point where I need him to either pay for new doors out of his own personal finances or refund my money. I think the likelihood of either happening is less than 50%, which I guess that leaves me with the option of trying to sue him to get a refund, which sounds like a huge pain in the ass and hardly worth the time.

[shadow_operative2.0 16,028]

At least tell us his name. 

[tx 3 putt 77,426]

$10,000 ?????

 

[deadshank 24,653]

16 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

This has become an even bigger mess. I ended up contacting Resdoor in Fort Worth, which seems to a be a reputable local door supplier. They only sell doors, no installation, so they referred me to a local contractor.

I called the contractor who came out and took measurements, then gave me a quote for $10k that I thought was fair. I agreed to pay him $5k up front, he ordered the doors, and then I would pay the remaining $5k once the work was finished.

The doors got delivered to my house and he came out to do the install, then he said he couldn't because the doors were the wrong size. He said he gave Resdoor the correct measurements and he suggested the mistake was on their end. I felt like that should be a simple fix and that he could straighten it out with Resdoor and get the doors reordered correctly. 

I got busy for a couple weeks, then the holidays, then I hadn't heard anything from him so I checked back in. He kept saying he needed to come to my house to do something, which I assumed was to repeat the measurements. It took a couple more weeks to arrange a meeting date. When he showed up he wanted to see the doors and take pictures of them, which he said was because he now needs to sell the doors on Facebook marketplace. What the fuck.

He said Resdoor won't accept a return or replace the doors which obviously indicates the mistake was on his end and not theirs, even though he won't admit that to me directly. He also says "his company" doesn't have the money to reorder doors until these doors are sold. I have no faith in him selling custom sized doors on Facebook. I have no experience on Facebook, but using my wife's account and searching the marketplace, I can't even find the doors listed on there and it's been ~2 weeks.

I called Resdoor to get their version of the situation but the salesperson who sold him the doors is now on leave until March. Just my luck. They are looking into the situation for me, but it doesn't sound promising.

I've tried to play nice with the contractor to give this a chance to be resolved amicably (ideally that would mean the work eventually gets done correctly for the original agreed upon price). We're at the point where I need him to either pay for new doors out of his own personal finances or refund my money. I think the likelihood of either happening is less than 50%, which I guess that leaves me with the option of trying to sue him to get a refund, which sounds like a huge pain in the ass and hardly worth the time.

You paid $5K as half down and then HE ordered the doors based on his own measurements and the agreed upon count.   
 

What does the contract say?

[shadow_operative2.0 16,028]

Clearly I know jackshit about doors, but is measuring them more difficult than it would appear? 

[UT_OB1 2,225]

21 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

$10,000 ?????

 

No shit. @wild_turkey how much were the doors?  

[tx 3 putt 77,426]

6 hours ago, shadow_operative2.0 said:

Clearly I know jackshit about doors, but is measuring them more difficult than it would appear? 

[tx 3 putt 77,426]

Here’s what $8500 bought me in sa - tear down and replace entire back fence. More than double the back patio slab and bring it up four inches. New patio cover, half of it. Replaced sliding door with new French doors. Labor and material. They did excellent work 

[wild_turkey 3,182]

No shit. [mention=173]wild_turkey[/mention] how much were the doors?  

$4,900 for 3 pairs of exterior French style doors

[Redneck Mutha 8,007]

Measure?  Maybe. 

Cut once, twice, three times, SOLD! 

[UT_OB1 2,225]

Are the doors too big or too small and by how much?  If there are just a little too small should be easy enough to f frame it. Tell him to eat the cost of framing.  If the doors were $5k of the 10k, I think you paid about 4k too much anyway.