Door Repair and Installation in Fort Collins
A door that has stopped closing properly is almost never the door. It is the house moving around the door, and that is usually a straightforward fix once you know what shifted.
Fort Collins housing stock has a median build year around 1992, and roughly two thirds of it predates 2000. That matters for doors more than almost anything else in a house, because a door is the most sensitive thing in the building to the frame around it moving.
What is actually wrong
The latch does not catch. The commonest one by a mile. The jamb has moved a few millimetres and the latch no longer lines up with the hole. The fix is moving the strike plate, not a new door and not a new lock.
It drags at the top corner. Hinge screws have pulled, or the top hinge has worked loose in soft framing. Longer screws into solid material fixes it permanently. Shimming a hinge fixes the rest.
It sticks in spring and is fine in autumn. Seasonal moisture. If it is bad enough to plane, the cut edge has to be sealed or it takes up water again next year and you are back where you started.
It closes but the draught is awful. That is not the door, it is the weatherstripping and the threshold. On an older house this is one of the cheapest comfort wins available.
Older houses near Old Town
The pre-1980 stock near Old Town is a different animal. Doors and openings there were often not square when they were built and have had eighty years to get further out. Sometimes the honest answer is that a door will close reliably but never look perfectly even in its frame, and I will tell you that before I take money rather than after.
What is included
- Diagnosing whether it is the hinges, the jamb, the strike plate or the door itself.
- Adjusting or shimming hinges, and re-seating a jamb that has moved.
- Moving or replacing a strike plate so the latch actually catches.
- Planing a door that has swollen, and sealing the cut edge so it does not take up water again.
- Replacing handles, deadbolts, closers and hinges.
- Thresholds, weatherstripping and door sweeps on exterior doors.
What it costs
| Job | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Door adjusted so it latches and closes | $125 | Most interior doors. Minimum call-out |
| Handle, deadbolt or hinge replacement | $125 | Often combined with the above in one visit |
| Interior door and jamb replacement | $260 to $420 | Plus the door |
| Weatherstripping and threshold, exterior door | $150 to $240 | Noticeable on winter draughts |
Full rates, block pricing and the minimum call-out are on the pricing page.
What I do not do here
- Cutting a new opening in a wall. That is structural.
- Garage door springs or openers.
- Rekeying to a master system, though a straight rekey is fine.
- Glass replacement in a door panel.
Who to call instead: a garage door company for springs and openers, and a glazier for door glass.
The full list is on what I do not do.
How it works
- Send a photo. Text or email a picture. Most jobs get priced without a site visit.
- Get a flat price. Written and fixed before I start.
- I show up and finish. On the day I said, parts in the truck, swept up after.
Why a solo operator
The same person quotes the job, does the job and cleans up after it. There is no call centre, no dispatcher and no rotating crew who have not seen your house. The price you were given is the price, because the person who quoted it is the person holding the tools.
Related work
Doors & windows questions
Why has my door suddenly stopped closing?
Usually the house, not the door. Framing dries out and moves, and a jamb that shifts a few millimetres is enough to stop a latch catching. Seasonal humidity swings in Colorado make it worse in spring. The fix is normally hinges or the strike plate, not a new door.
Can you fix a door that drags on the carpet?
Yes. Depending on how much needs to come off, that is either a hinge adjustment or planing the bottom edge. If it is planed, the cut edge gets sealed so the door does not absorb moisture and swell straight back.
Do you replace exterior doors?
I repair, adjust and weatherproof them, and I replace interior doors and jambs. A full exterior door and frame replacement on a structural opening is a contractor job and I will say so.
What about draughts around the door?
That is weatherstripping, a threshold, or a door sweep, and it is one of the cheapest comfort improvements in an older Fort Collins house. Usually a single visit.
Can you rekey locks?
A straight rekey so all your doors take one key, yes. A master key system for a rental portfolio is a locksmith job.