Do-it-yourself weekend projects have become widely popular among homeowners who are looking to save on labor costs and who experience self-fulfillment and pride from completing a project on their own. However, while there are some projects that you can definitely do on your own — such as changing out light fixtures and simple paint retouching — others are best left in the hands of professionals. Among the projects that you should not attempt to DIY is door replacement.
Why You Should Not DIY Door Replacement
There are local home stores that sell pre-hung doors, making some homeowners think that door replacement can easily be done on their own. Before you’re tempted to test this theory out, you need to understand the potential consequences:
- Jeopardizing security and weather resistance – Exterior doors, in particular, are meant to provide your home with adequate security against intruders and inclement weather. If you don’t get your door replacement process right, your new door may not be able to adequately protect your home.
- Voiding warranty – Most reliable manufacturers offer warranties along with their replacement doors. Under these warranties, you may get free door repair or replacement should the product fail within the covered time period. However, most manufacturers require that the doors be installed by a well-trained, certified contractor. Otherwise, the warranties will be deemed invalid.
Finding a Reliable Door Replacement Pro
So now that we’ve established that you should hire a professional to install your door, the next thing you should focus on is finding the right one. Here are some tips.
- Ask for manufacturer certifications – As mentioned above, most manufacturers require that their doors be installed by a certified contractor. Typically, when a contractor has manufacturer certification, they also possess all other important qualifications such as permits and licenses, which manufacturers require them to have. More importantly, a certified contractor has passed manufacturer training and skill tests that qualify them to capably install your new door.
- Ask for customer references – When you’ve found a certified installer, the next thing to do is ask for a list of previous customers and their contact details. You can contact these clients to ask about the contractor’s performance. This will give you a better idea of how they treat their customers and how well they perform their services.
In the next post, we’ll talk about why being careless about choosing a door design can compromise your door replacement project. Stay tuned!