I had them over the house to estimate a bunch of things. Windows and a slider. I think we gave them the job on the slider af beating the hell out of the saleman and then just saying if he didn't give me price A, were just going with installer B. The windows went to installer B.

 

hmm rather disappointed. I went to post a photo of the front door we currently have and paid membership doesn't include photo-hosting anymore.

but anyways.
In a few years we'll be downsizing and we'll be competing with new or recent construction vs our 30 year old home.
The vast majority of nearby homes our size are rather upscale.
The first thing you encounter when looking at houses is the front door.
It has to look and feel right. Cheap out here and the tone is set in the wrong way.
So I fully appreciate getting a good high quality door. Skimping on the entrance might save me a grand or two now at the cost of tens of thousands later in a lost buyer.
With that said, Replacement by Anderson, has got to be doing some shrooms if they think I'll ever drop that kind of money on just an OK quality door.
It looked like it might meet the minimum standards I was after but if they moved the decimal point right one spot they might have a sale.

I'm getting the Anderson 400 series real wood door re-quoted at the hardware store. With a little luck, I'll be squeezing the trigger on that tomorrow or the day after.
lead time is on the order or 5 or 6 weeks and I really want to get it on order for two reasons.
Houston and Florida are going to be jamming the order books soon.
and as they say in Game of Thrones.... Winter is coming!!!

 

Do you wonder if the quote was jacked up just because you have a nice house? I know it happens. I have a carpenter friend who charges more in the pricier neighborhoods. What the market will bear.

​​​​​In my case, I think some guys think women don't have a clue. I've had four guys out in the past three days (exterminator, garage floors, plumber and carpeting) who were all professional and respectful but there was one creep, yesterday.

I just had a painting bid of over $2,200 for five normal sized walls and two small area accents. I was insulted and wanted to tell the jerks to get out of my house. Oh, he says, his two helpers made a mistake. The price was cut in half. Get out! He was creepy and his cohorts were worse, all of them talking in Spanish to each other and acting very unprofessional asking me how much I paid for my house and splitting up once inside. The biggest loser, main guy, Luis, left his Sherwin-Williams paint sample collection here. It's come in very useful. I've tried four color samples with it. I'd have let him know he left it if he didn't leave me with a nasty feeling about him and his guys. Who comes to a bid with three guys, anyway, just for a painting price?

 

Sounds like you handled it well. Some men still think women are pushovers/not informed/whatever. The one time I remember in my case is when I went to buy the S I have now. Negotiating with the dealer rep. He kept running back and forth for about 45 min telling me his boss would not go for the deal I wanted and I told him that I could leave with the S I had and it would be no problem. After the deal was struck, he asked me if I wanted a job there!

 

Patty, are you staying in the house now with the work being done?

 

I deal with this kind of thing all the time. Automatically everything gets doubled or tripled when they cruise down my street. I also feel your pain, Bolt. I'm really hoping we never have to leave, but when sell-time comes, this house will be competing with all those new houses that are EVERYWHERE down here. Everyone in my neighborhood that has sold a house recently really "took it on the chin" because of all the new construction. Additionally insurance is really expensive because of our proximity to the ocean. If they simply look just across the highway, insurance drops by thousands of dollars a year. Then of course there are all those people who've bought into the HGTV culture who have absolutely no sense of culture and think everything has to be absolutely brand new and made of a certain material. There is little to no thought as to quality and integrity.
Patty, a while back I joined a forum called Nextdoor. It is a place for neighbors to meet and exchange ideas and talk about repair people, where to buy things, etc. Some of the ladies in my adjoining neighborhoods even get together for dinner, etc. once a month and opened up a facebook group. I've gotten the names of a lot of folks to do handyman work, house painting, etc. and they give honest opinions about who is good, who is too pricey, etc. Here's a link and you can check to see if your neighbors are a part of this: https://nextdoor.com/

 

We've almost got the breakfast room completed;
replaced 5 double casement windows and the double french door to the deck.
Matching the oddball custom stain has been a pain in th...
New tile comes in today. should be installed grouted bu the end of the week.
then it's on to the front door and re-tiling that entrance area.
After that the next project will be the kitchen flooring and counters.

you'd think I had money coming out the wazoo

 

Post pics!

 

It does happen, and at times, if a contractor believes what you do for a living is most lucrative, the price does seem to rise. Hope you find a better price/contractors for the work in your house, Patricia. I do have a painter guy, he's not cheap at all, but he's trustworthy.

On the front door topic, we don't have any side inserts, just your plain Jane door, so obviously, our cost to replace was much less than the ones some of you describe. The previous one was 40+ years old, wood and drafty. It needed replacement. We don't use our front door either. The driveway is on the side of the house, next to the door which leads into the kitchen.

 

I so wish Jim had that wazoo issue! My life would be much easier.