*
I am building a home for a client of mine, and after sending out 6 Requests for Quotes to lumberyards and a new Home Depot in my area for pre-hung doors and trim, Home Depot came in at least 50% less than anyone else.
I am talking red oak not birch or luann.
I am surprised at the cost differance.
Has anyone ever used Home Depots doors before?
I still am loyal to local lumberyards for my wood, but I am crazy for not spending my $ with H.D.
Thanks cc
Listeners write in about running a profitable contracting business and ask questions about patching drywall, adding air barriers, and fixing a patio poured against the house.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
*
I use Home Depot for all of my remodeling. I am a do-it-yourselfer, not a pro. But I have added a bath, rebuilt the roof, and am deep into a kitchen rebuild. HD has not let me down yet.
*cc,Can't speek as to your local Home Depot, but, I've had some less than good luck with (exterior) doors from mine. I've had experience with both the homeowner buying the door and myself buying it in a pinch. It seems very much like they are seconds as almost everytime there is some defect-sometimes small and sometimes large. I haven't seen these same defects when I order through my local lumber yard.Hope this helps, Dan
*
cc: The doors from the Home Depot, are either one of two kinds. A special model made for the Depot, by the Manufacturer or a regular model at discount. Example: Stanley Steel Entry Door, with a leaded glass pattern ONLY available through the Depot; or a Morgan Fir Entry Door, standard model as available to any building material or lumber retailer. As to the condition of the doors when received: the Home Depot is a self-service warehouse, the regular stock merchandise sees much more abuse by the environment (employees, customers, freight handlers) than a special order door to you local lumberyard. Which is ordered, and received, for pick-up or delivery. This summer, a GC I did some work for, got three doors.
Two from a lumberyard, one from the Depot. Only the Stanley from the Depot arrived in good condition. Inspect your merchandise, and return it to the Home Depot if inferior or defective. If a special order, be certain of the specifications:
Trim, swing, style, jamb depth, etc...
*
I think I would go with the Home Depot doors. Just because they are half the other doors. However be prepared to waste time ordering them, picking them up and don't expect the order to be right the first time. I think I've had one custom order come in right. I usually have stuff delivered so I don't waste time picking the stuff up. Just tell the client the it will take twice as long as what Home Depot tells you.
Louis
*
Special orders through HD can be a nightmare. Make sure the vendor for your doors can meet your time deadline before you pay the deposit. My " 10-day delivery" on 2 sets of closet doors turned into a 2-month wait, with 5 visits to Customer Service to try and determine when or if they would be shipped. On the other hand, I did save 20 bucks!
*cc. wow. that much different in price? You should see if you are comparing apples with apples. Check to see that the doors are what you want before you order because there is a minor charge for taking special order items back if something is not right. I use Home Depot almost exclusively for supplies on all my jobs, mainly because of price. How ever I have left the stores more than once so angry I could spit, so dont feel bad about spending more for an entry door. I have always have had the thought that the better quality is usually more expensive, and a person should never go cheep when it comes to windows and doors for exterior closures.
*
CC.
I was told by a manufacture that HD gets better pricing because they buy on a huge basis. My experience was with windows I needed for a job
the qoute from the manufacture was 2500.00 higher than from HD for the same exact windows.
Frank N
*A homeowner provided fir 4-panel doors from Home Depot. They were OK, but watch out for the veneer lifting, and check if the panels are parallel to stil
*A homeowner provided fir 4-panel doors from Home Depot. They were OK, but watch out for the veneer lifting, and check if the panels are parallel to stile. They were also about $70 cheaper than the local lumberyard.
*
I bought a pair of 10 lite doors at HD to hang together as French doors. They had to fit an existing opening so I had to trim considerably. One door was fj lumber core, it was fine. The other door was veneer core! No indication until I cut past the edge veneer as to which was which.
Beware of hc doors with lock blocks on only one side. I've always take the straightest side of the door for the hinge side, assuming that there would be lock blocks on both sides. Wrong. I finally found some esoteric marking on the tops to indicate which side was which, but only after I screwed up a couple of them.
*
Home depot has a variety of quality levels in the goods it sells, as do most building supply yards. I have been building for 20 years in Sonoma county, I have used many vendors in this industry. I do not buy from Home Depot for the damage they are doing all over America to locally owned hardware stores. When I worked for clients that wanted to spend their money there, I let them do the shopping, it is their money afterall. It has been a death knell for many of the family run hardward stores and other vendors. I vote with my dollars for the type of world I would rather live in.
*As to the original post...you should also be aware that ALL Home Depot paneled doors (Oak and/or fir) have solid wood panels that are inferior to those doors bought at a lumberyard, two things to note, (1) the thickness of the panels (1/2" less) and, (2) top quality doors have a panel that after initial glue-up, they are re-sawn, then one half is flipped 180 degrees, then re-glued (this prevents the panels from cracking). I have finished/installed three HD fir doors in the past five years, ALL now have checked panels, they are garbage, spend the extra money and get yourself first quality doors. cheers, Will
*
I have had cheap pre-hung door jambs shrink, had to re-shim and re-trim the whole job!
*That seems a little too good of a deal, but only you would know. Home Depot does have some good deals on standard sizes, but the savings evaporate when the door is non standard.DO NOT have them rout the hinges or set the lockset. I order all doors from an experienced supplier of doors and windows. If there is a screw up, they back their product and care about my business. Home Depot doesn't give a *#%&.
*
I am building a home for a client of mine, and after sending out 6 Requests for Quotes to lumberyards and a new Home Depot in my area for pre-hung doors and trim, Home Depot came in at least 50% less than anyone else.
I am talking red oak not birch or luann.
I am surprised at the cost differance.
Has anyone ever used Home Depots doors before?
I still am loyal to local lumberyards for my wood, but I am crazy for not spending my $ with H.D.
Thanks cc