So you need doors. Tired of everything just blowing into the house from stray cats to strange people. Great! But what do I know about this stuff you ask yourself. How do I know that I'm not being taken? Then you need them installed, how do I get it done right and save time and money?

I love saving people money. It's like sticking it to the man. I will bring up some points and questions that you have to get answered before you even think about leaving the house.

I'll also save you from asking questions that would just expose your unlearned self to a good old fashioned wallet wrenching or purse pilfering.

Let's face it when some one sees an opportunity to make cash they'll make it. If you are walking around the lumber yard with out a clue you could get hurt.

Step1  First we must ask ourselves some questions. Are you going to paint or stain? Do you want wood or fiberglass? How do I measure? Is this door going to have side lights? Am I going to put a transom above the door? Will all of it fit?

If you use wood find out what species you want. Usually most distributors have access to pine or fir quickly. There are of course many exceptions some distributors have some limited oak and mahogany. For the most part the exotics ie. ash, knotty alder, walnut, cherry etc. are special order.

Factory orders can have lead time of up to 4-6 weeks sometimes higher. That's why you should plan a head. If you have never istalled a door you could learn, have someone you know help or out just hire some one.

If you are handy enough and have the confidence to do it don't wing it do your research! The money you save will slip out in your heating costs over time and/or water rot problems. If a wood door swells you could be sucking it up and doing the whole job again.

That being said on to fiberglass. The best door on the market is still a Thermatru. They have put much technology and craftsmanship into their product. Fiberglass doors in general wont warp, need little maintenance and are more energy efficient than wood. But you must know what your buying. There is a saying in the industry "it is what it is". So if you buy junk you'll have junk. If a company will not tell you anything about their construction it's because they can't boast on it. If they can't boast on it you bought the farm. With any product you must compare "apples to apples" another industry saying. If your pricing is way off your probably not apples to apples. Now we will need to next measure
Step2  The rough opening is by definition the amount of space that you have to work with. Keep in mind that when you have a brick face on the house you are dealing with a "fixed opening". Simply measure the brick to brick opening width by height. By the way, in the building materials industry always order windows and doors width by height. Normally on newer homes the opening is anywhere from 36" to 72". That's just a range though. If you have to have a door cut down in height understand that it no longer has a warranty. That is a fact no matter what anyone say' s. The warranty is from the manufacturer and the distributor cuts it for you at your request. The manufacturer has no obligation to what the distributor does for their retailer.
Step3  Ok. Now that I've left you dry with all that stuff on to hiring a professional. You'll either want to get some one that your yard gives you or some one who's work and customer you can talk to. If your lumber yard referred the contractor they're probably very reputable. I would never refer some one who I was not sure of just because I don't want a headache. Don't go with the cheapest guy. If they are really cheap they more than likely don't have any insurance. If you have a problem you will really have a problem. Stay middle of the road unless your willing to pay for the very best$. Just be sure he is the best and not just high priced.

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