We’re often asked “to DIY or not to DIY?” so we decided to walk through our thought process using our new French doors that lead to the deck as an example. They turned out great, so we thought they’d make a helpful case study for how we decide when to hire a pro and when to tackle a project ourselves.
We’ll share more before-and-after photos and details about why we chose French doors, how the screen situation is handled, and what they look like open and closed once we paint them (many pre-hung doors come primed but unpainted). For context: when we bought the house the home inspection flagged the sliding doors that opened onto what became our deck as needing replacement.
Those sliders were stuck, the screens were broken, and there wasn’t even a working lock (we’d been using a metal bar in the track and had an alarm sensor on the door so it was always monitored).
The frames and sills were also rotten and well past their prime — not something you want to ignore.
When we put an offer on the house we had already factored in replacing the doors into our budget, estimating roughly $1,000–$2,000 to allow for possible rot or nonstandard sizes that might require special ordering. With the deck finished and in regular use, we decided the time had come to replace them for good.
We weighed whether to DIY or hire it out. Besides the usual family and work commitments, we were juggling book promotion, presentations, and several other renovation projects — so time was a major factor.
First, we scoured secondhand and architectural salvage stores — Habitat for Humanity ReStore and a local place called Caravati’s — hoping to find a used French door that matched our opening and didn’t have mullions, because we wanted a clean, single-pane look to match our laundry room door.
We couldn’t find the exact size and style, so next we got quotes — each including both the door and installation:
- $1,200 total — a large window & door chain
- $3,200 total — a local door & window specialist (a higher-end option)
- $730 total — Home Depot
- $830 total — Lowe’s (but they didn’t carry the exact door style we wanted)
Aside from the pricier, “Cadillac” option, the other three offerings were very similar in ratings, features (like low-e glass), hardware choices, and manufacturing standards, so it was easy to compare.
We also checked the cost to buy the door without installation for each vendor:
- Vendor A wouldn’t allow DIY installs without voiding the warranty.
- Vendor B also required professional installation for warranty coverage.
- Home Depot: around $350 without installation (about $380 saved vs. full install).
- Lowe’s: around $450 without installation (about $380 saved, but not the style we wanted).
Home Depot emerged as the best fit for us because:
- The total cost with delivery and installation was the most affordable and well below our original allowance.
- The door matched the same style and manufacturer as our laundry room door, which we already liked after living with it for almost two years.
Then came the decision: save roughly $380 and install it ourselves, or hire a pro and keep our schedule manageable. With so many projects and limited evening hours, DIY would have likely meant several days without a secure door. In the end we used the budget we’d set aside for this replacement and paid for professional installation.
Even though we DIY a lot — from building a deck and renovating a kitchen to reconstructing bathrooms — sometimes it’s smarter to hire a pro. You learn to trust your instincts about what you want to tackle and what’s worth outsourcing. For us, the deciding factors typically are:
- If the expense is already planned and budgeted;
- If we have no interest in doing the task ourselves;
- If life is too busy to take it on, even if we wanted to try.
That middle reason often wins. If we’re excited about a project we’ll save and make time for it. But if it’s a necessary job and we’d rather spend our time elsewhere, we’ll hire someone. For example, we happily hired professionals to re-roof our first house after hearing plenty of horror stories from friends about how difficult that job can be.
Although the installer originally estimated “two hours tops,” the job ended up taking five hours and required an extra trip to the hardware store due to unexpected complications once he opened the frame — which is exactly why paying a flat installation fee felt worth it.
We’re glad it wasn’t us dealing with those surprises. Even a seasoned installer who fits dozens of doors a week ran into hiccups that doubled the expected time, so doing it ourselves could have been a real headache.
In the end, the new doors were absolutely worth it — we’re thrilled with how they look and perform.
Update: Several people asked about the Home Depot ordering process. Here’s the quick rundown: bring a rough measurement to the store and choose an option; pay $35 for a professional to come measure (that fee is applied toward installation); they measure and confirm what will work and then schedule the install. They called a few days after measuring to arrange installation — straightforward and simple.
What about you? What percentage of projects do you DIY? Are there jobs you won’t tackle yourself? We know contractors who avoid mudding drywall because it’s messy and others who always hire out electrical work. Everyone has preferences, and it’s interesting to see what different people love and loathe when it comes to home projects.