With their enormous advertising budgets even the most loyal hardware store patron can’t resist purchasing from a Home Depot or Lowe’s. In the Big Box Store or Local Lumber Yard article, I wrote about the advantages of each from a purchasing experience. This article addresses the installation services of these home improvement giants and how they compare to your local contractor.

   Do Lowe’s and Home Depot charge more than most local contractors for installation services? I have found that the teaser price is just that, and the actual cost is usually higher.

   Let's look at a simple example. Suppose you want to replace your front door with a new one. The basic installation price from either of these two box stores is around $380. This is to remove the old door and install the new one. However, you need to  consider the extra charges for incidental work. If  you need someone to double check the size of the door or the handing of the door, expect to pay another $25.00 to 35.00. To have someone come to your home and measure and check the handing is done at for additional fee.

   Okay, so you ordered the door from Lowe’s or Home Depot and paid the extra fee for someone to come and measure the door. The employee arrives, replaces the door, re-uses the old trim and casing. Wait, did you want to replace the old water stained casing, too? That’s not included in the price either. Expect another $95 to $100 for new casing.

   With a new door and replaced casing, you’re set. You thank the Lowe’s contractor and you’re so happy that forgot about the extra charges and you offer to help him load the old door into his truck. He gives you a puzzled look - he's not going to remove the old door for free...disposal of the old door is an extra $30.00-$40.00. You realize you can’t load it into your Prius and haul it to the recycling center, so you are now stuck for the disposal charges. Let's see...no initial measure, advice, insulation, caulking, door casing, touch-up painting, disposal or any other incidental task related to the bargain door install you signed for. So your basic install was just that…the installation.

   A reputable contractor would never charge extra for looking at the job and offering advice to a client.  Casings would be an extra as they are not always needed - but disposal is always included, and never added on after the job. You can expect to pay no more than $350 for a door install, including measuring, caulking, insulating, and yes, disposal too.

   The Home Depot or Lowe’s makes money on the product and the installer, so common sense dictates the higher price. You haven’t escaped one of the universal laws of value this time either…you get what you pay for - period.

Post Office Box 957 - North Conway, NH -  TEL/FAX 603-356-7777