Balcony Door Replacement — Upper-Floor Patio and Juliet Doors
The door to the upper deck leaks, sticks or drafts — and the stain shows up on the ceiling below.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Balcony door replacement is a patio or French door one floor up, opening onto an upper deck, a balcony or a Juliet rail. JMB Builders measures the opening, orders the door through ABC Supply and replaces it across the Twin Cities metro, with a sill pan and flashing lapped over the deck ledger flashing so water stays out of the wall. Priced per door, with a reply to your photos within one business day.
- Priced per door, door included
- Sill pan and flashing lapped over the ledger
- Sliders, French doors and Juliet doors
A door to a balcony or upper deck has the same parts as a patio door at grade, but water treats it worse. The deck surface sits just below the sill, rain splashes and snow piles against the threshold, and the deck ledger bolted to the house right under the door is where most leaks get into the wall. When an upstairs door leaks, the stain shows on the ceiling below, not at the door.
Replacing it means the old unit out, the sill and rim checked for rot, a sill pan with a back dam set in, flashing lapped over the ledger flashing and under the house wrap, and the new door set high enough above the deck that water does not run in. Getting the door upstairs is part of the plan: through the house, up the stairs, or lifted onto the deck.
A Juliet balcony — a rail across an in-swing French door with no deck — means the rail comes off and goes back on its anchors or new blocking when the door is changed. If the ledger or deck framing under the door is rotted, that repair is quoted separately, and JMB Builders pulls the permit when the job needs one. Painting is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- Photos of the door from inside and from the deck, and of the ceiling below if it is stained
- Your choice of sliding or French door, glass and color
- Access to the deck or balcony on install day
- Paint color if you want the trim painted — painting is quoted as a separate line
What JMB supplies
- Measurement of the opening and the door ordered through ABC Supply
- Removal and haul-away of the old door and frame
- Sill pan with a back dam, flashing tape lapped over the ledger flashing and under the house wrap
- Rot repair at the sill and rim, quoted from what is found
- Juliet rail taken off and put back on its anchors or new blocking
- Exterior trim and interior casing, lock and astragal adjusted
- Photos of the finished door and flashing in your job folder
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Sliding door vs. a French door (in-swing for a Juliet balcony)
- Getting the unit upstairs: through the house or lifted onto the deck
- Rot at the sill, rim or deck ledger under the door
- Deck boards lifted at the door to reach the ledger flashing
- Siding type around the door
- A Juliet rail that has to come off and go back on
- Ceiling or wall damage below, quoted separately
Send a photo from the deck looking straight at the threshold, so the gap between the deck surface and the sill shows.
How long it takes
One upper-floor door in a sound opening: about a day. Rot at the rim or ledger adds time.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Sliding door to an upper deck
The most common balcony door. Set in a sill pan, flashed over the ledger, rollers and lock adjusted. Slides with a screen on the outside track.
French door to a balcony
A hinged pair for a wider opening. On an upper deck it usually swings in so it clears snow on the deck. The astragal and bolts are adjusted so both doors latch tight.
Juliet balcony door
An in-swing French door behind a rail, with no deck. The rail comes off for the swap and goes back on its anchors or new blocking.
Balcony Door Replacement — Upper-Floor Patio and Juliet Doors: questions, answered
Why is my upstairs balcony door leaking?
Most leaks come in at the sill: no sill pan, flashing that does not lap over the deck ledger flashing, or a deck surface built up too close to the threshold. Worn seals and a failed caulk joint add to it. The water usually shows up on the ceiling below, not at the door.
Can you replace a second floor patio door from inside the house?
Most of the work is done from inside and from the deck. The new unit comes up through the house and the stairs when it fits, or is lifted onto the deck when it does not. The flashing is done from the deck side.
What door goes on a Juliet balcony?
An in-swing French door, since there is no deck for it to swing out onto. The rail across the opening comes off for the swap and goes back on its anchors or new blocking. The door is ordered with the swing and glass you choose.
Do you have to remove deck boards to replace a door to an upper deck?
Sometimes the first board or two at the door, to see the ledger flashing and lap the new flashing over it. They go back down when the door is in. If the boards are rotted, replacing them is quoted separately.
Does replacing a balcony door need a permit?
A same-size door swap often does not, while resizing the opening or rebuilding the ledger or deck framing may. Rules vary by city, so check with yours. JMB Builders pulls the permit when the job needs one.
What if the deck ledger under my balcony door is rotted?
Then the door is not the only repair. The rotted ledger and rim are opened, assessed and quoted before the new door goes in, since a new door on a wet wall leaks again. A ledger that carries the deck may need a permit, and JMB Builders pulls it when it does.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All doors pages
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Door Replacement & Installation near you
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