We speak as professional DIYers *irony*: >We are currently in the learning phase where everything always ends up being much more expensive than expected, and online research doesn’t necessarily provide realistic prices – or does it?
“Problem”: We probably underestimated the cost for interior doors, at least if we want to buy them locally in stores instead of online. The dimensions are standard, 3 times 198.5x86 cm (78.1x33.9 inches) and 2 times 198.5x73 cm (78.1x28.7 inches).
The current doors are 22 years old, still in good condition apart from the door handles, but they have an orange tint that we don’t like visually. The existing laminate flooring (also brownish-orange) matches the doors but probably no longer fits our idea of a new floor.
The owner once suggested the idea of only replacing the door panels, but then the frames would not match the color of the doors anymore, right? We want white door panels or doors in a light wood finish.
Anyway, based on some online research, we thought that for about 120 euros (around $130), you could definitely get good door panels, especially since there are appealing doors online for around 70 euros (about $75) at first glance.
In a local specialist store, we nearly had a heart attack, as even the simplest white doors including the frame and handle barely cost less than 500 euros (about $540).
Or were we simply looking in an overpriced store?
We cannot replace frames ourselves. We have a trained carpenter among our acquaintances who once agreed to help us. We initially thought that replacing 5 door frames, door panels, and handles would take about 2 hours? Probably another miscalculation?
If we were to have the doors fully installed by a professional, based on your experience, what would be a rough estimate for 5 doors?
We originally didn’t want to order online because we thought: the doors might not fit afterward, complaints and returns might be much more complicated than buying locally, sometimes extremely high shipping costs, etc. But since these are basically standard sizes, given the local prices and our miscalculation, we are now uncertain whether we should consider ordering doors, frames, and so on online after all?
“Problem”: We probably underestimated the cost for interior doors, at least if we want to buy them locally in stores instead of online. The dimensions are standard, 3 times 198.5x86 cm (78.1x33.9 inches) and 2 times 198.5x73 cm (78.1x28.7 inches).
The current doors are 22 years old, still in good condition apart from the door handles, but they have an orange tint that we don’t like visually. The existing laminate flooring (also brownish-orange) matches the doors but probably no longer fits our idea of a new floor.
The owner once suggested the idea of only replacing the door panels, but then the frames would not match the color of the doors anymore, right? We want white door panels or doors in a light wood finish.
Anyway, based on some online research, we thought that for about 120 euros (around $130), you could definitely get good door panels, especially since there are appealing doors online for around 70 euros (about $75) at first glance.
In a local specialist store, we nearly had a heart attack, as even the simplest white doors including the frame and handle barely cost less than 500 euros (about $540).
Or were we simply looking in an overpriced store?
We cannot replace frames ourselves. We have a trained carpenter among our acquaintances who once agreed to help us. We initially thought that replacing 5 door frames, door panels, and handles would take about 2 hours? Probably another miscalculation?
If we were to have the doors fully installed by a professional, based on your experience, what would be a rough estimate for 5 doors?
We originally didn’t want to order online because we thought: the doors might not fit afterward, complaints and returns might be much more complicated than buying locally, sometimes extremely high shipping costs, etc. But since these are basically standard sizes, given the local prices and our miscalculation, we are now uncertain whether we should consider ordering doors, frames, and so on online after all?
Winniefred22 Mar 2017 11:55Are certain outdoor temperatures required for this, or is it also possible in springtime when it’s sunny?
Hello Yvonne,
We are not in the house yet – we will be soon, but the handover has been delayed by another 4 weeks. Therefore, we haven’t done anything with the doors so far.
However, we have been reconsidering and are not 100% sure yet. After seeing a door frame that someone had painted themselves, someone likely more skilled than us, we are leaning back toward getting a new frame. The paint job didn’t look uniform, somewhat like an orange peel texture, and it also differed from the white of the door, which made it appear somewhat "dirty."
But we’re still undecided; it all sounds easier here than it actually is...
We are not in the house yet – we will be soon, but the handover has been delayed by another 4 weeks. Therefore, we haven’t done anything with the doors so far.
However, we have been reconsidering and are not 100% sure yet. After seeing a door frame that someone had painted themselves, someone likely more skilled than us, we are leaning back toward getting a new frame. The paint job didn’t look uniform, somewhat like an orange peel texture, and it also differed from the white of the door, which made it appear somewhat "dirty."
But we’re still undecided; it all sounds easier here than it actually is...
In another post, you "revealed" that it’s about a Kampa house. At that time, they targeted the upper-middle-class market segment. With new DIY products, you can significantly worsen the situation compared to an imperfect renovation. Just move in first; interior doors can be easily replaced "during ongoing use." And maybe you will also find more suitable spots for adding white accents.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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