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AfterDouble & French Doors in Columbus, OH
Door Installation services for Double and French doors in Columbus typically run between $1,800 and $5,500 installed, depending on the door unit, glass configuration, and whether the rough opening needs modification. Most jobs are completed in a single day. TruePane Windows & Doors has been setting doors in Columbus homes since our founding, and every installation is covered by The Keystone Standard: both manufacturer warranty layers registered in writing before our truck leaves your driveway.
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably lived in your house long enough to know what a door that swings true feels like – and you know the difference between one that was set right and one that was set fast. We’ve replaced a fair number of French and double door units that were installed by someone who rushed the rough opening, shimmed the frame with whatever was on hand, and handed over a warranty card that nobody ever registered. That’s the problem Dale Kessler built TruePane to fix, and it’s still the standard he holds every crew to: if the pane is not true, the job is not done.
Our Door Installation in Columbus service covers the full range of entryway work, and double and French doors are among the most nuanced jobs we do. The tolerances are tighter than a single door, the glass area is larger, and the sightlines through a French door will tell you immediately if the frame is square. We welcome that scrutiny. Call us at (888) 635-0804 – a live person answers around the clock, any day of the week – and we’ll set up a time to measure the opening, walk you through manufacturer options side by side on paper, and give you a price you can hold us to.
When You Need Double & French Doors
- Your existing doors bind in summer and gap in winter. Columbus winters push well below freezing and July humidity regularly hits the upper 70s in dew point. Wood frames that were never sealed properly will move with the seasons. A door that drags across the threshold in July and lets cold air through at the bottom rail in January has usually lost its square – and that problem compounds every year you leave it.
- The glass is fogged, cracked, or single-pane. Older Columbus homes – particularly those built in Bexley, German Village, and Upper Arlington before the 1980s – often still have original French door glass or early-generation double-pane sealed units that have long since failed. A fogged lite is not just cosmetic; it means the insulating gas is gone and you’re losing heat through that glass every night.
- You’re opening up a wall or widening an existing doorway. Many Columbus homeowners in Clintonville and Worthington are converting rear rooms into open-plan living spaces. Moving from a 36-inch single door to a 6-foot double or French door unit is a structural project, and the rough opening has to be framed and headed correctly before any door goes in.
- The hardware is failing or the multi-point lock no longer latches. French doors depend on a multi-point locking system that engages at the top, middle, and bottom of the active panel. When that mechanism wears out – typically after 15 to 20 years of daily use – the door may close but won’t lock securely. That’s a problem worth addressing before another Ohio winter.
- You’re replacing a sliding patio door with a hinged French door unit. Some Columbus homeowners find that a sliding patio door no longer suits the way they use the space – especially where a rear deck or patio has been rebuilt and the traffic pattern changed. Converting the opening to an inswing or outswing French configuration is a project we handle regularly in neighborhoods like Grandview Heights and Dublin.
- The existing door is original to a 1960s or 1970s build. If your home was built during that period and the back entry double doors are original, they are almost certainly under-insulated, the weatherstripping is compressed flat, and the threshold seal has failed. Replacing the unit pays for itself in reduced heating costs within a few seasons.
Our Double & French Doors Process
- Measure the rough opening – twice, in two dimensions. We measure the width and height of the rough opening at multiple points, not just at center. Columbus homes from the mid-century era are notorious for settled frames where the top of the opening is narrower than the bottom by as much as half an inch. We note that before we price anything, not after the door unit arrives on site.
- Walk you through options on paper, side by side. We’re authorized installers for more than a dozen manufacturer lines. For double and French doors in Columbus, we frequently quote Pella, Andersen, and Marvin units, and depending on the application we’ll also present options from PGT for higher-performance glass packages. You see the model numbers, the glass specifications, the U-factors, and the warranty durations – all on paper, next to each other – so the choice is yours to make with full information.
- Prepare and verify the rough opening. Before the door unit goes in, we confirm the sill is level, the jack studs are plumb, and the header carries the load correctly. If the opening needs to be modified – widened, raised, or reframed – we address that as part of the installation, not as an add-on discovered mid-job. Upfront pricing means the quote you approved is the bill you receive.
- Set, shim, and fasten the frame to manufacturer specification. Every manufacturer has a specific shimming and fastening pattern for their door frames, and we follow it. A French door frame that’s shimmed incorrectly will bind at the astragal – the vertical bar where the two panels meet – within a season. We set it to spec, check the reveal around every panel, and adjust until the gap is even top to bottom before we move on.
- Seal, flash, and weatherstrip the installation. The outer frame gets flashed at the sill and head with the appropriate flashing tape for Columbus’s climate – a detail that matters more in a freeze-thaw cycle than it does in a mild climate. Interior and exterior trim is fitted, caulked, and painted to match where possible. The door should look like it was built into the house, not added to it.
- Register both warranty layers in writing before we leave. This is The Keystone Standard, and it’s non-negotiable. The manufacturer’s product warranty and the glass/seal warranty are both registered in your name, with durations stated, before our crew loads the truck. You receive written confirmation. If anything goes wrong in the first 90 days that’s attributable to our workmanship, the Done Right Promise covers it – no paperwork fight, no back-and-forth about whose fault it is.
Double & French Doors Pricing in Columbus
Double and French door installation in Columbus runs across a fairly wide range because the variables are real: door size, glass package, whether the rough opening needs structural work, and the manufacturer line all move the number. Below is an honest picture of what Columbus homeowners typically pay when they call us.
| Scope | Typical Installed Range |
|---|---|
| Standard 5-ft double door, no rough opening changes, mid-tier manufacturer | $1,800 – $2,800 |
| 6-ft French door unit, full-lite glass, existing opening fits | $2,400 – $3,800 |
| 8-ft French or double door, higher-performance glass, sidelites | $3,500 – $5,500 |
| Rough opening modification (structural reframe or widening) | $400 – $900 added to above |
| Interior and exterior trim, paint-match finish work | $200 – $600 added to above |
What moves the price up: a larger glass area, a higher-performance glass package (triple-pane, low-e coatings, argon fill), a premium manufacturer line like Marvin or Andersen versus a mid-tier option, sidelites or a transom above the door, and any structural work in the opening. What keeps the price honest: we quote it all upfront. There are no surprise line items on the bill because we’ve already walked the opening and measured it before we write the number down.
Seniors and veterans receive a permanent 5% discount on all work. If your job is a repair rather than a full replacement and the total exceeds $250, ask about our a free written repair estimate offer. Estimates are free. Call (888) 635-0804 and a live person will get you scheduled – no form to fill out, no callback window to wait through.
FAQs – Double & French Doors
How much does French door installation cost in Columbus?
French door installation in Columbus typically costs between $2,400 and $5,500 installed, depending on the door size, glass package, and whether the rough opening needs any structural modification. For exterior protection, many homeowners also ask about Storm Doors during the same visit. A standard 6-foot full-lite French door unit with an existing opening that fits correctly lands in the $2,400 to $3,800 range for most Columbus homes. If the opening needs to be widened or reframed, add $400 to $900. Call (888) 635-0804 for a free, written estimate – we’ll measure the opening and give you a number you can hold us to.
How long does a double or French door installation take?
Most double and French door installations in Columbus are completed in a single day – typically four to seven hours on site, depending on the scope. Jobs that involve structural rough opening modifications may run into a second day, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. We tell you the honest timeline before we start, not after the old door is already off its hinges.
What’s the difference between a double door and a French door?
A double door has two panels that meet at the center and are typically solid or have limited glass – common for Entry & Swing Doors where privacy or security is the priority. A French door is a specific style of double door where each panel carries a large glass area, traditionally divided into smaller lites by true divided light bars or simulated divided light overlays. In practice, most Columbus homeowners use the terms interchangeably for the hinged two-panel configuration, but the glass content and the visual weight of the door are what differ. We’ll show you both side by side on paper so you can see exactly what you’re choosing.
Can you replace a sliding patio door with French doors in an existing opening?
Yes, and it’s one of the more common conversions we do in Columbus – particularly in homes in Grandview Heights, Clintonville, and Hilliard where decks have been rebuilt and the traffic pattern changed. Pivot Doors are another option we can discuss if you’re rethinking the entire entry design. A sliding patio door and a French door unit don’t share the same rough opening dimensions, so the framing typically needs some adjustment, but it’s straightforward work. The bigger question is inswing versus outswing, which depends on where the door lands relative to the deck or interior flooring – we walk through that with you during the estimate. Call (888) 635-0804 to set one up.
Why Columbus Homeowners Call TruePane
Years of serving Columbus and the surrounding communities, we’ve seen most of what goes wrong when a French or double door is installed by someone more interested in moving to the next job than in getting this one right. Frames shimmed with scrap wood. Warranty cards handed over in an envelope and never registered. Multi-point locks set slightly out of alignment so they latch today but won’t in three years. These aren’t unusual failures – they’re what happens when installation is treated as a transaction rather than a craft commitment.
Dale Kessler started TruePane on a different premise: that the homeowner deserves to know exactly what they bought, exactly what it covers, and exactly who to call if it doesn’t hold. That’s why The Keystone Standard exists – both warranty layers, registered in writing, durations stated, before we leave. It’s why the Done Right Promise has no fine print. And it’s why a live person answers our phone at any hour, because a question about a door that’s binding shouldn’t have to wait until Monday morning.
We’re background-checked and uniformed, we measure every opening twice, and we quote manufacturer lines on paper so you see exactly what you’re comparing. We’re not the cheapest bid available in Columbus. We’re the last call most of our customers need to make on a door.
- Authorized installer for Andersen, Pella, Marvin, PGT, and more than a dozen other lines
- Both warranty layers registered in writing before we leave – The Keystone Standard
- Done Right Promise on all workmanship, no paperwork fight
- Upfront pricing, no surprise line items
- Live person answers every call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- 5% permanent discount for seniors and veterans
Schedule Your Free Estimate in Columbus
If you have a double or French door that binds, a sealed unit that’s fogged, or you’re planning a new opening in your Columbus home, call (888) 635-0804. A live person will answer – not a voicemail, not a form – and we’ll get you on the schedule for a free, no-pressure estimate. We’ll measure the opening, walk you through your options on paper, and give you a written price before we leave. That’s the square deal we’ve offered Columbus homeowners for over four decades, and it’s the only way we know how to work. You can also learn more about the full range of work we do on our home page.
Written by Dale Kessler, Owner at TruePane Windows & Doors, serving Columbus.