Windows & doors
French Door Cost Calculator
Prices French doors, which are the hardest patio opening to make weathertight.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Time, crew, the unit and the call-out, with more adjustment time than a slider or a single door. A French door has two leaves meeting in the middle with no frame between them, and that junction is the whole difficulty. Sealing it relies on an astragal on one leaf and weatherstripping that has to compress evenly along the full height of both. Getting that right needs the frame genuinely plumb and square and the leaves adjusted against each other, which takes longer than any single door, and it is the work that decides whether the pair draughts or leaks later.
What moves the number
- Frame accuracy, because two leaves that have to meet are far less forgiving than one.
- Which leaf is active and whether the inactive one has flush bolts, which changes adjustment and use.
- Material stability, since a leaf that moves seasonally breaks the seal at the meeting stile.
- Threshold detailing, as with any wide low patio opening.
Where this one goes wrong
Adjustment is not a finishing touch on French doors, it is most of the installation quality. Two leaves that do not meet evenly draught along their full height, and the reveal between them shows every error in the frame. Budget the time rather than treating the door as fitted once it is fastened. Material choice matters more here than on a single door too: wood leaves move with humidity, and a pair that seals well in winter can bind in summer, which is a reason many installations use a more dimensionally stable material on an exposed opening. The glazing is safety glass, and any replacement panel has to match.
Before you quote
- Allow real adjustment time for the meeting stile and weatherstripping.
- Confirm the frame is plumb and square before hanging, not after.
- Check flush bolt operation on the inactive leaf.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Why do French doors draught more than other doors?
Because two leaves meet in the middle with no frame between them, and the seal there depends on an astragal and weatherstripping compressing evenly over the full height. Any error in the frame or in the adjustment shows up as a gap along that joint, which a single door simply does not have.
Do French doors take longer to install?
Yes, and the extra time is adjustment rather than fitting. Getting two leaves to meet evenly, latch properly and seal along their height takes considerably longer than hanging one door, and rushing it is what produces the draught complaints.
Will wooden French doors stick in summer?
They can, because wood moves with humidity and two leaves that meet leave nowhere for that movement to go. A pair adjusted tight in dry weather may bind when damp. It is a reason exposed openings often use a more dimensionally stable material, and a reason not to adjust them to the absolute minimum clearance.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 16 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $92.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $4,200.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 16 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $92 |
| Parts and materials | $4,200 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $5,767 |
| Labour | $1,472 |
| Before tax | $5,767 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $5,767: $1,472 of labour, $4,200 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $46 | $5,031 |
| $69 | $5,399 |
| $92 example above | $5,767 |
| $138 | $6,503 |
| $184 | $7,239 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 16 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $92.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $4,200.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.