Door Installation in Central Texas
Entry doors, patio doors and interior doors, hung plumb in the opening and sealed against Central Texas weather.
What the work covers
A door looks like the easiest part of a house to replace, and it is the easiest to get slightly wrong. A door that is a quarter inch out of plumb rubs the jamb in August, when summer humidity swells the slab, and lets air through in January. Most of the real work in a door installation happens before the door shows up: measuring the rough opening, checking the sill and the framing around it for rot or movement, and deciding whether the existing frame is sound enough to keep.
We install pre-hung exterior doors, slab replacements in an existing frame, swinging and sliding patio doors, and interior doors, including pocket doors, bifolds and barn-style tracks. On exterior doors the sill gets a pan or flashing tape and a bead of sealant under the threshold, the unit is shimmed at the hinges and the strike so the frame stays straight, and the gap around the jamb is filled with low-expansion foam or packed insulation. The weatherstripping and the sweep are adjusted last, with the door closed, until the seal is even all the way around.
Replacing only the slab can be the right call when the jamb, the sill and the brickmold are in good shape. When the frame is soft, out of square or too small for the door you want, a full pre-hung unit costs more but gives you a new, square, sealed opening. We tell you which one the opening needs after we look at it, not before.
Choices that change the result
Material, glass and hardware decide how a door looks. The opening and the weather decide how long it lasts.
- Steel
- Fiberglass
- Solid wood
- Glass lites
- Sidelites and transoms
- Sliding patio doors
- Pocket doors
- Bifold doors
Steel and fiberglass doors handle weather better than bare wood, and Central Texas gives them plenty to deal with. Afternoon sun on a west-facing entry can heat a dark door surface far past the air temperature, which is why many manufacturers set limits on dark finishes and on storm doors that trap heat. Solid wood is beautiful and needs a finish that is kept up on the sun side. Whatever the material, the threshold, the sill pan and the overhang above the door matter as much as the slab.
The door between an attached garage and the house has its own rule. The International Residential Code, in section R302.5.1, asks for a solid wood or steel door at least 1 3/8 inches thick, or a 20 minute fire-rated door, in that opening, and it does not allow an opening from a garage straight into a bedroom. We read the label on the door before it is hung.
For interior doors the usual trouble is a floor that is not level or a wall that is not plumb. A door can be hung to the opening or hung to the room, and we pick one by checking how the floor, the casing and the nearest wall line up before we cut anything.
How a doors job runs
Measure the opening
Width, height, wall thickness, swing direction, and the condition of the sill and the framing around it.
Order and confirm
Door unit, hardware, finish and swing are confirmed in writing, along with the lead time on the unit.
Install and seal
The sill is flashed, the frame is shimmed plumb and square, and the gaps are insulated and sealed.
Check and clean up
Latch, lock, hinges and weatherstripping are tested, and the old door and packaging leave with us.
Permits and rules for doors
Rules differ from city to city. Kyle lists window and exterior door replacement among the work that needs a permit, and it asks contractors to be registered with the city. Austin treats finish work such as painting, tiling, carpeting, cabinets and countertops as exempt from a building permit, and says exempt work still has to meet the building code. Round Rock and Bastrop both say a historic property can need a Certificate of Appropriateness before a building permit is issued, so call first if your house sits in a historic district.
Each town page names its permit office. Start there before you order a door for an older house.
Sources: [1] cityofkyle.gov [2] austintexas.gov [3] roundrocktexas.gov [4] cityofbastrop.org
Where we quote this work
Door Installation is quoted across four Central Texas counties. Each town page has its permit office, neighborhoods and the building context that shapes a project there.
Related work: Window Installation, Demolition, Flooring, Wood and Trim Remodeling, Interior Remodeling.
Questions about doors work
Should I replace the whole door or only the slab?
If the jamb, sill and brickmold are solid and square, a new slab in the existing frame is faster and costs less. If the frame is soft, damaged or the wrong size for the door you want, a pre-hung unit gives you a new square opening. We check the frame before we quote.
Do I need a permit to replace an exterior door?
It depends on the city. Kyle lists exterior door replacement as permit work. Other cities treat a like-for-like swap differently, and a historic property can need approval first. Each town page names its permit office, and we put the permit question in the quote for your address.
How long does a door installation take?
A pre-hung replacement in an existing, square opening is usually a day's work or less. Widening an opening, adding a header or adding sidelites takes longer because framing, siding or stucco, and paint all come into it. The quote says which case your door is.
Can you install a door I bought myself?
Yes, we can quote installation of a door you supply. We check it against the opening before work starts, and any defect in the door itself stays between you and the supplier. Catching a damaged or wrong-size unit on the driveway is cheaper than catching it in the doorway.
What about doors in homes built before 1978?
Paint on older doors and frames can contain lead. Under the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, a firm paid to disturb paint in a home built before 1978 has to be certified and follow lead-safe work practices. Ask any contractor for their certification before work starts on an older house.
Sources: [1] epa.gov
Tell us about the project
Describe the work and the town. We follow up using the phone number you provide.
Martinez & Sons Remodeling1190 Airport Blvd #214
Austin, TX 78702