Replacing glass patio doors - price

[Walter Cohen]

My patio doors are really pretty old and the inner seal recently gave way on one of them so I want to get them replaced before winter sets in. The whole unit in the frame is 72" wide and 80 " in height which the local window showroom says is a standard opening.

They gave me a price on a standard sized Andersen Permashield vinyl clad door (which is all I want) at about $890. I had one local installer come by to give me an estimate and he said that the opening indeed is 'standard' and the Andersen doors should basically fit right in with no need to change the opening/size.

He quoted me a price of approximately $750 for installation! Is it me just me or does this price seem way too high for what he needs to do? He even said the doors should just fit right in and maybe he'd have to remove the inside wood trim around the door.

Of course he said that would be the price barring any unforseen circumstances, etc. He also said that he needs to take away the old doors/frame and the town / dump would charge him a disposal fee whereas if he left the doors out by the street in front of my house and have the town pick them up then he would save me the disposal fee (whatever that might be).

I'm thinking I need to get at least two more estimates....

What do you all think?

Thanks, Walter

[Greg]

I put in some Andersen Frenchwood doors and it was pretty easy. I did have to buck in the opening 3/4" smaller (width) than the door I took out. Look on the Andersen site and they will give you all the details on any door they sell.

[John‰]                      Â]

Why do you need to replace the whole door when all that has failed is the insulated glass unit on one side?

You can remove the failed door panel, take it apart, replace the insulated glass unit and put it back in place for a fraction of the cost of replacing the whole door. If there are other problems with the door that might justify replacement, then by all means do it, but don't replace the whole door just because of a failed IG unit.

If it ain't broke....

John

[curmudgeon]

Yea, I wanna come watch you put in that Argon gas between the panes.

If it's broke, .....fix it right.

[John‰]                      Â]

Never repaired one I see; I've repaired hundreds in many years working for a retail glass company. You could watch, but you clearly would have no idea what you were watching.

The insulated glass unit in the door is called an insulated glass

*unit*, because it comes as a sealed *unit*. It is not repairable.

You disassemble the frame, remove the old failed *unit* and replace it with a new sealed *unit* which you order from your local glass company. Standard size units(28X76,34X76 &46X76) are mass produced and relatively inexpensive. If you live in the US, they automatically come with tempered safety glass as required by law and you can order it tinted and/or argon filled if you wish. Unless you are reasonably skilled with hand tools I would recommend that you let them do it rather than attempting it yourself.

If it's broke...don't try to fix it if you don't have a clue.

John

[Walter Cohen]

No. These are 'really' old aluminum frames and I just want to be done with the whole unit. The space inbetween the two door panels does not seal well.

Also, I stand corrected. The installer wants to charge me another $125 over the $750 for removal/carting away.

I am looking for thoughts on if the price is too high.

Thanks, Walter

[Noble Pepper]

You must have "sucker" written across your forehead.

The most expensive sliding door on Lowes web site is under $500. I replaced an old aluminum sliding door at my mothers house with a friend of mine in under a day. The opening was to big and we had to frame it in so it wasn't the simplest installation.

I would think you could get a very nice door (installed) for less than $1000.

[Art Todesco]

[m Ransley]

Noble Pepper, he does not have " sucker written all over his face" His aluminum doors have probably a total R value of less than 1 , with high air infiltration. Anderson which I have have apx 3.5R and have maybe the best made glass in the industry. I paid 800 per slider and 750 per install, a area standard price. Sure you can go cheap, but you get what you pay for. On the instal be sure You check Plumb, Level, and Square, before you pay!! If you are more than 1/8" out you have No factory Warranty. The quality of the install- installer is far more important than going cheap and saving a buck.

My installer was a hack, grease, dirt on the wood, and out of square, locks not set right. Luckily I caught his mistakes before he left. Be sure the instaler has instaled Andersons, and call these people.

[Greg]

The Frenchwood sliders we have wholesale for about $1400. You are right about the quality tho.

[calhoun]

$450 going rate and that includes deliver and haul away. One often overlooked installation problem is that the new doors don't use brick mold. If old doors do than you will need to make a filler and cover it with aluminum to hide the new nail flange. Also some old aluminum doors have the siding installed over a nail flange this means either remove the siding or cut it back to remove the old door frame. Wall thickness will also cause additional work since the permashild is set up for 4 9/16 wall thickness.

[Alan Sung]

Don't forget to factor in the cost of getting the door to the job site. Does Lowes have delivery service?

Disposal of old construction material can be a real hassle nowadays. Sometimes you just pay extra, leave in the morning, come back at night, and a new door is installed and your yard and house are all cleaned up with no mess or fuss. What's it worth to you?

-al sung Rapid Realm Technology, Inc. Hopkinton, MA

[sueg]

i just bought special order out-swinging double french doors, low E, for $695 total. I took out a window, tore out the wall and framed the opening. Once that was done, it took maybe one hours work to install and square the door. Home Depot has low E sliders that will fit that opening, the RO is slightly smaller, but its easier to make an opening smaller that larger, for about $350. $750 seems high if everything goes in easy, which it almost never does. I think you're paying to high for the doors, not the installation.

[Walter Cohen]

The lowest I can get the door(s) for is $840. The $890 was from a local store front operation selling Andersen, Pella, Marvin, etc... The town said they would indeed take these doors if I leave them out. They suggested I remove the glass but when I asked them if they'd still take them with the glass they said they would.

Thanks, Walter

[Walter Cohen]

Question. I see the same Perma Shield doors at Home Depot. Does anyone know if it really is the same as I could get from a local window supplier that sells Andersen, Pella, Marvin, etc? Sometimes Andersen sells "similar" models only at HD or Lowes.

The model is the PS51 (OR or LR kit). They sell for $649 whereas I got a price from a local window supplier at $891 for the PSW510 (white, PermaShield).

Thanks, Walter

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Check them out carefully. I bought a Pella door from a dealer across the street from the HD. The Pella dealer had models not available at the big stores. In my case, the differences were easy to see.