Is a 3-4 hour window realistic for replacing two interior doors and frames?

Three to four hours is actualy a very standard window for a pro who does this every day. Most of that time isn't even spent swinging the door; it's the setup, prep, and the finishing touches like the casing and hardware. If the rough openings are relatively square and he doesn't run into any wierd structural surprises behind the old jambs, an experienced carpenter can have a prehung unit shimmed, nailed, and plumbed in about twenty to thirty minutes.

What usally eats up the clock is the trim work. If you want those miter joints on the casing to be tight, he's going to be back and forth to the saw a few times. A guy who knows what he's doing will use a **laser level** or a long magnetic level to ensure the hinge side is dead-on before he even thinks about reaching for the nail gun. The fact that he quoted a specific window without seeing it suggests he's confident in his routine, but you shold definitely ask if that includes hauling away the old debris or if he's leaving the old frames for you to deal with.

There are always outliers where things get messy. If your floor is wildly out of level or the walls are different thicknesses (common in older homes), he might have to scribe the jambs or rip down custom extension jambs. That's where the job turns into a full-day project. But for a standard swap in a modern house, two hours per door is plenty of time to get the reveals perfect and the swing balanced so the door doesn't drift.

Just make sure you're clear about your expectations for the finish. Ask him how he handles the gap under the door if your flooring isn't consistent, and verify he's using **long screws** through the hinges into the framing. That's what keeps the door from sagging six months down the road. If he's doing those things, the timeframe is nothing to worry about.

Wow, that sounds so fast! I'm just getting into home projects and seeing a pro work at that speed woud be incredible to watch. I’m actualy looking to swap mine out soon too and I'm super pumped about the upgrade! Quick question though—since you mentioned hardware, what do you guys think about those invisible hidden hinges? They look so cool and modern, but do they make the install a total nightmare compared to the standard ones?

That timeline is totally doable if he uses a Quick Door Hanger kit. I used those brackets on my last three bedroom installs and it cuts the shimming headache out completly. It makes getting that perfect plumb line so much easier than the old-school wedge method. Just make sure you pick up some Schlage Latitude levers once he's done. They have a solid weight to them that makes a standard hollow core door feel way more expensive and high-end. If he's a pro, he'll appreciate not having to fight with cheap contractor-grade hardware.

Have you ruled out the possibility that your walls are 'plumb-ish' but not actually straight? A guy quoting four hours sight-unseen ussually assumes he’s working with perfectly flat drywall. If your house is older or has any settling, he’s going to run into 'cross-legging' where the door won't stay shut because the top and bottom of the jamb are in diferent planes. Three hours is tight if he has to plane down the back of the casing just to make it sit flush against the wall. Has he asked you about the wall thickness yet? If he shows up and finds out you have 1950s plaster instead of standard 2x4 studs, that quote is going out the window.

Quick update — the job is done and looks great! It turns out the guy used those Quick Door Hanger brackets someone mentioned, and it made the whole process way faster than I expected. He finished right at the four-hour mark. My walls were a bit 'plumb-ish' like you warned, but he handled the shimming perfectly. Glad I didn't overthink the timeline!