DIY or Not? Replacing a sliding glass door

[mellaw6565]

We desperately need to replace our old sliding glass door and have talked to Home Depot and some other window/door companies and are finding the prices for installation somewhat steep.

I was watching a few videos on the internet about doing this project ourselves, but I’m always a little skeptical of my own skills when it comes to this stuff.

Has anyone else out there done this and, if so, how easy was it?

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[Anonymous]

Mellaw, like everything else, it’s very easy when everything goes right. If it doesn’t, not so much. If you’re fairly handy, don’t let it frighten you. From personal experience with projects, start early in the day so there is plenty of time to run to the hardware store for everything you come across that you’ve forgotten.

The worst that can happen is you have to nail a sheet of plywood over it until you can get someone to fix what you’ve done. And don’t forget sliding doors are hella heavy. Have help available.

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[FullTilt]

You said hella!!! har har

How many skaters does it take to change a light bulb?

Hella.

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[PDieter]

Helping DIY remodelers is exactly what my business does. Consulting and education for your home remodeling. If you think you can do the job you probably can. I can be there to teach you some of the finner points and short cuts as well as head off issues that arise once you tear into it. It’s a very small job but since you are in the neighborhood it would be easy to just drop by a couple brief times and assist you through this one.

Just click on my “member name” and it will link you to a page with more information.

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[JenV]

mellaw- there is a guy who posts here under the name PDieter – he runs a DIY Consulting biz. Find a post with his name in it and click on it- it will take you to his website. I bet he will be able to help you in some way.

Full Tilt- that cracked me up.

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[cruiser]

May I also recommend Paul (PDieter) who is a very knowledgeable and likeable guy:) I met him through here and whilst we ended doing more consultancy then physical work, it’s very clear he knows his stuff.

ps Paul, Guinness sometime?

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[mellaw6565]

Thanks Paul and others who responded. The only things that are making us nervous are 1)getting it sealed with caulk properly and 2)every frickin’ thing we touch in this house goes from simple to complex – wood rot, bad electrical, etc…. So we want to make sure that we’re ready to tackle whatever we find under the threshhold, etc..

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[mellaw6565]

Are there any other places other than Home Depot that have good deals on sliding doors?

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[cruiser]

Try http://www.seattlehabitatoutlet.org or my fav craigslist

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[PDieter]

The box stores are probably your best bet for value sliders. Cruiser’s ideas are good if you want to find a used one or have the time to wait for the right one to show up.

You are right to be concerned about what you might find when you rip the old one out, but you can usually tell if you are going to find big trouble by other signs before you start. There are many little details that need to be addressed when installing these doors to prevent rot issues and the previous installer may have cut some corners. Obviously you have experience with that possibility.

How old is the house?

Crusier…next week @ BPP would be nice.

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[mellaw6565]

The house is circa 1949 but I’m guessing the slider is probably 80’s or early 90’s. There was a deck of sorts added onto the back of the house probably 10 years ago and the slider’s threshold is between the house and the deck.

When you say box stores are you talking about places like Home Depot, etc…?

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[mellaw6565]

PD – I’d be happy to pay you to come out and take a look before we decide. I’ll contact you via your website:)

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