Door installation: a guide for pros

What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.

Offering door installation

You install interior and exterior doors, squaring the frame, shimming and hanging the door, setting the lock and sealing it against weather. Customers judge you on even reveals, a latch that closes easily and an exterior door that keeps the weather out.

What customers ask

  • Can you fit this door in my existing frame?
  • Will the new door stop the drafts?
  • Does the deadbolt go in as well?
  • Why does my door rub on the frame?
  • Can you handle a steel or fiberglass door?

How to win the job

  • On the first call, ask for the door size, the opening and the frame material, plus photos of the frame and the threshold, then confirm the door type.
  • Check the rough opening for square, plumb and level before you order, and tell the customer about any frame repair the install needs.
  • Shim the door so the reveals are even, and screw the shims into the framing so the door stays put.
  • Install the lockset and deadbolt, and test the latch under load and the weather seal before you leave.
  • In the quote, list the door type, the hardware, the sealing method and any frame repair.
  • Show the customer how to adjust the strike and the hinges, so small fixes do not need a visit.

What to put on your profile

  • Photos of finished installs with even reveals and clean trim
  • The door types you install, such as solid wood, fiberglass and steel, listed by name
  • The lock and deadbolt brands you install most, and the security options you offer

Follow-up that helps the customer

  • Offer an adjustment check after the first season, when the door has settled
  • Suggest replacing the weatherstripping on exterior doors every few years
  • Suggest checking that the deadbolt still throws fully into the strike after the door swells and shrinks with the seasons

Licenses and permits

Door installation is often not licensed as a trade, but some areas require a contractor registration for paid work, and structural or exterior opening changes can need a permit. Check state and local rules with your licensing agency and building department before taking this work.

Questions

Do I need a permit to install an exterior door?

Replacing a door in an existing opening often needs no permit, but changing the size of the opening or the framing often does. Check with your local building department first.

How do I get leads on infinibell?

Pros join free and pay only for the leads they accept. You can decline any lead for free. We review profiles before they go live, and the Insured badge shows once we have checked your current insurance.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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