Do I Have to Be Home for a Door Installation?
You cannot take a day off for a door. You do not have to. Here is what we need you for, and how the rest of the day runs without you.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-250-3621.
Do I have to be home for a door installation? For the in-home measure, yes. On install day we like you there for a few minutes at the start and for the walkthrough at the end; in between, go to work, or leave a lockbox or garage code and we walk you through by phone. JMB Builders, Twin Cities metro. Send photos and we reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
- Measure: yes, be home
- Install: start and end, or a lockbox and a call
- New keys handed to you, not left in the door
There are two visits. The measure is the one to be home for: we look at the opening from both sides, check the sill and the subfloor, read the swing, measure the jamb, and you pick the door, glass, color and hardware from samples. That is half an hour to an hour and it is what the order is built from. Install day is the long one, and it mostly does not need you.
On install day the ideal is ten minutes at the start, to let us in, show us where the dog goes and point at anything you want left alone, and twenty minutes at the end for the walkthrough: you work the lock, check the swing and the seal, and get the keys. Between those, go to work. If you cannot be there at all, a lockbox with a key, a garage code or a neighbor with a key gets us in, and we do the walkthrough by phone or video, with the photos going into your job folder as the day goes.
The house is never left open. The old door does not come out until the new one is unboxed and checked, and the new door is locking before we leave. The keys that come with the new lockset go to you by hand or into the lockbox, never left in the door, and if you asked for the new deadbolt to be keyed to your old key, that is done before we go.
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 763-250-3621.
What you supply
- Being home for the measure, with whoever is picking the door
- A way in on install day if you will be out: lockbox, garage code or a neighbor with a key
- A phone number we can reach you on during the day, and a plan for pets
- Where you want the new keys left if you are not back by the end
What JMB supplies
- A measure visit scheduled around your day, usually under an hour
- Install day without you if needed: the house locked and the new door locking before we leave
- A phone or video walkthrough and photos in your job folder as the work goes
- The door, ordered through ABC Supply and installed with sill pan, flashing, foam and sealant
- Exterior trim or capping, interior casing, lockset and deadbolt adjusted
- New keys handed to you or left where you said, never in the door
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Being home or not does not change the price; the quote is per door
- The door itself: steel vs. fiberglass, glass, finish and hardware
- Rot at the sill, jamb feet or subfloor once the old door is out
- Siding type and exterior trim
- A lockset keyed to your existing key, or a smart lock set up with you by phone
If you will be out on install day, tell us how we get in and where the keys go when we book. That is all that changes.
How long it takes
Measure: under an hour, with you home. Install: about a day for one door in a sound opening, with you there at the start and end or reachable by phone.
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.
Do I Have to Be Home for a Door Installation?: questions, answered
Do I need to be there for the measure?
Yes. The measure is where we look at both sides of the opening, check the sill and the swing, and you pick the door, glass, color and hardware from samples. It takes half an hour to an hour. If two people are deciding, both should be there, because the order is built from that visit.
Can you install a door while I am at work?
Yes. Many door installs happen with the owner away. We need a way in, a phone number for the day, and a plan for pets. The old door comes out only after the new one is checked, the new door is locking before we leave, and the walkthrough happens by phone or video with photos in your job folder.
How do you get in if I am not home?
A lockbox with a key on the door or a railing, a garage keypad code, or a neighbor or family member who lets us in. For a front door replacement we can also come in through the garage or a back door. Tell us when we book and we confirm it the day before.
What happens with the new keys and locks?
The new lockset and deadbolt come with their own keys. They go to you by hand at the walkthrough or into the lockbox, never left in the door. If you want the new deadbolt keyed to your existing house key, say so at the measure and we have it done before install. A smart lock is set up with you on the phone or when you get home.
What about my dog?
The front door is open for stretches during the day and the yard gate may be too, so the dog needs to be somewhere closed: a room with the door shut, a crate, or the yard if it is fenced and the door is not on that side. Tell us at the start and we keep that door closed all day.
Do I need to be there at the end?
It is better if you are, for twenty minutes: you work the lock, check the swing and the sweep, and ask anything. If you cannot, we do it by video or phone, leave the keys where you said, lock up, and the photos are in your job folder. Anything you spot later, call and we come back.
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 27, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All doors pages
Where we work
Door Replacement & Installation near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: