Finish & Trim Carpentry · Free Estimate
Labor-Only Door Installation in the Twin Cities
You buy the door, we install it right — entry doors, house-to-garage doors, and interior doors hung plumb, sealed tight, and trimmed out by a licensed Minnesota contractor.
A lot of homeowners would rather pick out their own door at Menards, Home Depot, or a local lumberyard and just hire someone to install it. That's a service most contractors won't touch — they want the markup on the door. JMB Builders does labor-only door installation throughout the Twin Cities metro, and we do it the same way we'd install a door we sold you: old door out, opening checked and repaired, new door set plumb and square, flashed, foamed, trimmed, and adjusted until it latches with a solid click.
A typical request looks like this: a homeowner replacing the front entry, the house-to-garage door, and the garage service door all at once, doors already sitting in the garage, and they just need someone to install them properly. That's a one-day job for us in most homes, and we quote it per opening before we start.
Doors we install for you
Bring the door, we bring everything else. Here's what we handle on a labor-only basis.
Prehung exterior entry doors
Steel, fiberglass, or wood entry units from any retailer. We pull the old door, check the sill and framing, set the unit in a sill pan with flashing, shim and foam it, and trim the inside and outside.
House-to-garage fire-rated doors
The door between your house and attached garage needs to be a rated, self-closing unit in Minnesota. We install it with the correct closer, weatherstrip, and threshold so it seals against fumes and cold.
Interior prehung doors
Bedroom, bathroom, closet, and office doors — set in the opening, shimmed at the hinges and strike, cased, and fitted with your hardware.
Door slabs (not prehung)
A bare slab with no jamb or hardware. We fit it to your existing jamb, cut it to size if needed, mortise the hinges, bore for the lockset, and hang it so the margins are even all the way around.
What affects the cost
Labor-only door installs are quoted per opening. Here's what determines the number:
- Exterior vs. interior — exterior doors involve flashing, a sill pan, foam, and weather sealing
- Prehung unit vs. bare slab that needs hinges mortised and hardware bored
- Condition of the existing framing, subfloor, and sill once the old door comes out (rot repair is common on older entries)
- Trim scope — reusing existing casing vs. new interior casing and exterior brickmould
- Number of doors — three doors in one visit costs less per door than three separate trips
How your project works
- 1
Free in-home estimate
We walk the space together, talk through what you want, and measure everything. You get a clear, itemized quote — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Profiles & materials
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit your home's style and budget — or match your existing millwork exactly. Then we order everything so it's right the first time.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
Our crew shows up on time, protects your floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. We treat your home like our own.
- 4
Final walkthrough
We walk the finished work with you room by room. If anything isn't right, we fix it before we call the job done.
Labor-Only Door Install questions, answered
Do you install doors I bought myself?
Yes. That's exactly what this service is. Buy the door wherever you like — Menards, Home Depot, Lowe's, a lumberyard, or online — and we'll install it. We supply the shims, low-expansion foam, flashing tape, sill pan, caulk, fasteners, and casing or brickmould; you supply the door and any handle set or deadbolt you want on it. If you're unsure whether you ordered the right size or handing, send us the order details before you buy and we'll check it for free.
Can you install a door slab that isn't prehung?
Yes. A slab takes more fitting than a prehung unit — we trim it to the opening, mortise the hinges to match your jamb, bore for the knob and latch, and plane the edges so it swings without rubbing. It's a good option when your existing jamb and casing are in good shape and you don't want to disturb the trim.
How do I know what size door to buy?
Measure the width and height of the door slab you have now, and if you can, measure the rough opening (the framing behind the trim) and the jamb width (usually 4-9/16 inches for a 2x4 wall, 6-9/16 for a 2x6 wall). You'll also need the handing — stand outside the room or house facing the door; if the hinges are on your right, it's a right-hand door. If any of that sounds like a headache, take a couple of photos and send them over. We'll tell you what to order before you spend the money.
What happens if there's rot or damage behind the old door?
We find it on a fair number of exterior doors, especially at the sill and the bottom of the jambs. We'll show you what's there, tell you what it takes to fix it, and quote the repair before we go further. We won't set a new door on a rotted subfloor and call it done.
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Learn moreGet a free labor-only door install estimate
Tell us about your project and we'll respond within one business day with a clear, itemized quote — no pressure, no obligation.