Is this joinery quote taking the p***?

[razza13]

We need our front door stripped, repaired, painted, plus the door frame and panel above it are rotten and need replacing. The whole thing also needs to be made windproof and rainproof. Our local joiner has suggested that he will need to cut out part of the tiled doorstep so that the sloping water board at the bottom of the door will fit better and stop water coming in under the door.

This is all complicated by the fact that the door and frame are a Gothic arch shape.

This guy is done great work for us before, so I don't doubt that his suggestions are valid, however he has quoted nearly £4000 to do the job and my DH is saying it is way too high.

Any thoughts? Should I try to convince DH that this is simply what it costs for a skilled joiner , or am I being gullible?

If the guy is genuinely capable of dealing with it then it’s a good price.

It’s specialist work, and could easily be more than that.

Sounds a lot to me. I’d ask how long he reckons it will take and see how his day rate compares to other joiners. Get other quotes.

You could ask for a break down in quote (his rate, materials).
however, if he’s skilled at what he does and you’ve always been happy with his work, that counts for a lot.

If he’s capable of doing that job properly I doubt he has a day rate.

You could do the stripping and painting yourself, it's not hard.

Originally we were going to do the painting ourselves, but the stripping is a bit beyond us. You can't see from the pictures but there's a small viewing shutter that's been painted shut and the hinges etc possibly need to be replaced also. It really needs to be taken away and properly restored before painting.

Thanks for the replies - I'm coming out somewhere in the middle so will give it more thought. Will get some more quotes but (as ever) difficult to find people who have the expertise so that we're comparing like with like!

Yikes I would say that is on the low side for the amount of work needing doing.

I think it sounds reasonable for a skilled craftsman.

So it's already more work than the OP described - it's a full restoration of bespoke work, he's having to make bespoke doorframe plus the structural panel for the whole entrance by the sounds of it?

£4k is a bargain.

Always get a second quote, but if this guy is a highly skilled and competent carpenter who turns up, actually does the job and won't leave you stranded without a very specialist front door if he fails to complete the work then he's worth every penny.

For restoration work it’s probably about right.
Definitely get another quote, but if he’s done work for you before that’s a positive.
ask for a breakdown or if there is any wiggle room on price

I think it's ridiculous if youre paying that you are just asking to be ripped off. Presumably not many other people willing to do it?

I figure they gouge you as the only people with houses with fancy doors have oodles of cash.

Are you also Southern? In a fancy area?

Your DH is right. If I were you I'd look into DIY. Rather than stripping in situ could you Find a place where they strip doors amd go and get it dipped?. Would you board the door until it can be dipped and use your back door?

When you're busting a gut over a couple of weekends Think of the holiday you can have with your £4k saved.

We’re about to have a door replaced on a listed property (previous owner put a crappy modern one on the back entrance) and it’s c£4K for proper traditional hardwood but very plain, nowhere near as ornate as yours. I suspect many people won’t want to touch it and replacement would be much more £££. Get another quote to compare but go with someone with lots of experience.

also assuming it has to be done in situ/the entrance needs secured for the duration which makes it a much harder job.

Most dipping places won’t touch it if it’s v old/listed the wood may not withstand it so be aware that a diy job may result in a replacement

Absolutely no practical advice, but what a beautiful front door! Stunning

That is extortionate! Always repair traditional doors as the wood is much better than modern wood which isn’t slow grown or as hardy as old slow grown wood from the Victorian era. How did things work out in the end?

Sounds reasonable to me given the door is virtually unique.

I had something similar done last year to the door in our Victorian house ("normal" rectangular door without your complications) cost me £2,800.

We've been quoted £1000 plus car just for a replacement wooden stable door with fitting. No new frame or anything like that. No fancy shape. No surround. Just the door fitted and painted. HTH.

I think I'd want to renew the whole door frame and panel, it might be possible to align it better so the weather bar clears the step. I think that's a reasonable quote, front doors are expensive and it makes a difference to warmth and security as well as being a heritage feature of your house.

@Isthiscorrect are you living on Billionaire’s row in London or something like that? 🤭

@MagicMiracles Sadly not. Just a stone terrace (not posh) in Leeds. Apparently it's the cost of wood dontcha know? So the chap said to me.

@Isthiscorrect the wood is pennies! But good try! 😂 It’s always best to get 10 quotes. Never use a 'Bespoke' always use joiners. Everything is bespoke in Carpentery. 😂

If I was a skilled carpenter and someone asked me to breakdown fully a quote for something like that, I would send a quote outlining the work required and the sum total.

the point is, you’re not paying an hourly rate - you’re paying for his experience, skill and expertise that he has developed over the years. For sure you could get a cheaper rate and some chap will come along and butcher your door for you. It may even look nice until the problems that he didn’t address come to cause issues and cost more in the long run to fix. that is very much non standard works and one of the downsides of owning old houses is that they can cost a lot to be sympathetically restored.

if the lumpsum is an issue, is he able to stage the work at all to allow for incremental bills?

Get some epoxy wood filler, electric sander and a bucket of fresh paint... For GBP 20 it can last another five years or so.

That does look like quite a lot of fiddly work. I wouldn't be happy about touching the tiled steps, they look lovely, is there another way of making sure the door is weatherproof? The whole thing will look very stylish when finished. It does sound rather expensive, but possibly worth it for what should be a real character feature, I wouldn't trust just anyone to 'have a go' at it.

Aah FFS just noticed the op posted back in April. The door is either a thing of beauty or in the skip by now. Schrödingers door.

@razza13 dont suppose you’d be able to put us out of our misery?