storm door installation

How difficult is it to install a storm door? Lowes contractor wanted about $300 on top of the cost of the door to install. They said something about "packing out" the frame. Can someone explain to me what was meant by this. If its something I can do in a few hours by myself and save the money than I would much rather do it.

Thanks, Luc

 

I'm not fimiliar with the term "packing out" but I'm thinking that it may be similar to "shimming out". It's possible that your frame opening may be larger than an opening that would accept a standard size door. The storm door size is usually 1/2" smaller thean the width opening and 1" smaller than the height opening. Do you know the opening size & storm door size?

 

The opening is 37 1/2" x 81 1/2" and the box for the new door reads that it is 36"x80".

 

To fit that door into that opening you would have to add 1" wood to the hinge side and 1" wood to the striker side of the door and 1/2" wood to the top plus some other trimming. It's not the best way to install a storm door. You should get a custom door that measures 37" X 80 1/2", pre-hung and you can install it yourself in a few hours.

 

Dont order custom, you'll pay an arm and leg! just use a 3/4 pine square piece from one of the home improvement stores all the way around the jamb.I usually add $30 labor to shim out all 3 sides and $80 per storm door and i install for one of the above mentioned stores.$300 is a crazy price, i would only get $110 privately and $100 through the store.

 

Thanks for the info. I am plannning on doing this myself now. If there install was around $100 I would be all over it but $300 was enough for me to do it myself.

 

Most homes they go together pretty good, these newer storms have ALOT of peices, so just read the destructions good prior to installing and refer as needed during installation.

We have a new housing addition that we've been installing storms on every other day it seems like, and the builder must have gotten a heck of a deal on the entry doors they used. The door knob sticks out past the door jamb 1 1/8"!! So we have to get material and build out the jambs, I always recommend wood that homie will have to paint he exposed edges, but a few are dead set on not painting and want vinyl material used as the build out base. Through the one store we work with I frown on it, but I do what's on my work order, my personal customers would have to find somebody else if they wanted vinyl for the build out-no strength at all in it and that's all that's holding the door in place.

Another PITa factor is the newer doors are all coming with aluminum brickmould and requires drilling for everything so that adds yet another 15 minutes to the entire job