Monday, August 15, 2011

The Installation Costs of New Front Doors

You can pretty much figure that it's going to cost you several hundred dollars, at minimum, to have a new door installed. Some door suppliers will hang doors for a percentage of their cost, against a minimum price. For example, the minimum price for a prehung door might be 0, with a 15 or 20 percent cost increase for more expensive doors. Hanging a door from scratch adds to the cost.

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To save money, don't special-order a door. There are a great many door manufacturers, and each has dozens if not hundreds of designs. Typically, however, a showroom will have only a couple of styles on display, and may have those models in stock. If you buy what's in stock, you can often save half or more off the full special-order price. Of course, what you gain in savings you lose in choice.

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Install prehung doors yourself. First remove the old door and jamb. Since the new unit includes the door on its hinges, the jamb, and the insulation, there's no real "hanging" involved. The only trick is getting the door lock or handles in place. You can always hire a handyperson to do that if you're not sure how.

A best bet is to spend the money to have a professional install individual doors. It's a project that looks disarmingly simple. Yet it takes great skill to get the doors on their hinges and working correctly.

Get a prehung door. The hinges are already in place, as are the framing and weather stripping. It's easier and cheaper to install.

What Extras Do I Need?

Hinges

If the door is prehung, it will come with hinges. If not, you'll need to buy new ones.
Hinges come in solid brass, steel, and steel plated with brass. The most expensive, and best, are the solid brass hinges, but they do cost more. (They may discolor from oxidation, but can quickly be cleaned up. But they won't rust or fail to function properly in cold weather.)

Don't think you can reuse the old door hinges. Just discard them. Typically they will be the original, brass-plated hinges installed when the home was built. If they show any rust at all, you can be sure of the plating. The hinges may be sprung and usually aren't worth playing with.

Always use more hinges rather than fewer. Three hinges at minimum on a front door, four if possible, will help prevent warping.

Hardware

A wide variety of door fixtures are available. Solid brass is highly attractive (and expensive), but you will have to spend time cleaning the parts. I prefer brass-plated steel. Yes, they may rust out in time, but they are so much less expensive than solid brass that after five or ten years you can afford to replace them. Expect to pay and up for the hardware. (Lower-end products tend to rust, are usually more difficult to install, and do not look particularly attractive.)

Be sure to get both a door lock and a deadbolt, for security. You get what you pay for here. Typically the more you spend, the more quality and security you get. I once bought a home on which the pre¬vious owner had installed a -type door lock. One day I misplaced the key and didn't want to break an expensive window to get in, so I decided to break the door lock. One swing from a hammer sent it flying and the door opened! So much for inexpensive locks.

Some manufacturers offer deadbolts with keys for both inside and out. Besides being a terrible idea, it may be illegal in some areas. If there is a fire and you don't have the inside key, you may not be able to open the door and escape.

Viewer

A viewer, sometimes called a peephole, is not a necessity, particularly when you have glass panels in a door. However, it is a plus where security is a concern. It typically costs around .

Side Panels

If you're replacing two 30-inch doors with one 36-inch door, you'll need two 12-inch side panels. These should match the door and often come with their own glass inserts. Side panels for both or just one side are widely available.

You can often buy side panels either as separate items or as part of a prehung door set. Go with the prehung. It is far, far, far easier to install and the results are usually more eye-appealing.

Weather Stripping

If you get a prehung door, all the weather strip¬ping should be included. If not, you'll have to install it in addition to the door. Be wary here. The procedure is not always that easy. It can be particularly difficult to get the weather stripping to lay right so that the door closes easily yet maintains a tight fit.

The Installation Costs of New Front Doors

You can also create an outdoor living in your garden but for that you need to learn how to create an outdoor living in garden and also how to decorate a child's bedroom, which requires creativity and attention at the same time.

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