Do I need to hire a contractor for my door installation?

For many, installing a secret door is an exciting new adventure. But when that large, beautiful package arrives at your front door, the most intimidating part begins — installing it.

However, like most doors, secret door installation is straightforward. While many of our clients at Hidden Door Store choose to work with local contractors to install their doors, many have also found success taking it on themselves.  Doors from the Hidden Door Store are specifically designed for easy installation, allowing even those with basic DIY skills to successfully install them without needing specialized tools or extensive experience. Any handy homeowner can undertake the project with confidence and ease.

The Process of Installing a Hidden Door

Before you decide to take on installing a hidden door yourself or hire professional support, it can be helpful to understand the steps of acquiring and implementing your secret door. The start-to-finish process includes:

• Taking measurements: Make sure you have the proper measurements to compare. To get the most accurate measurement, you’ll need to remove the door and trim from the doorway before measuring. Our technical specs page can tell you exactly what size your doorway should be to fit our products.
• Choosing the door: The secret door bookshelf is a classic design, but it’s not for everyone. Consider what will be most useful and aesthetically pleasing in your home — how about a wine rack? What about a mirror? Perhaps a hidden closet? The Hidden Door Store offers plenty of options to complement your preferences.
• Delivery: Once you’ve chosen a set product, the next step for the Hidden Door Store is to prepare your hidden door for transportation. You can choose to have the door delivered directly to your home, though we recommend you have assistance to offload it and move it indoors. Some clients choose to ship it to their contractor’s place of business to simplify offloading, as many contractors may have forklifts or loading docks available.
• Installation: In a short time, your door will arrive, ready for installation. Every door comes with instructions on installing the door, including extra tools you may need. You may be able to take on the project yourself, but you can also pass the directions on to your local contractor or handyman who can complete your installation with precision and expedience.

The Benefits of Using a Contractor for Hidden Door Installation

At Hidden Door Store, we set ourselves apart by providing our clients with fully assembled, pre-hung units. Part of our testing process is installing the doors in our facility so we know that everything is ready and convenient for you and your installation team.

If we make our units so user-friendly, why do you need a contractor to assist you? Roughly half of our clients choose to work with a local contractor or handyman because they want to:

• Save time: With our pre-assembled doors, most professionals can install them within an hour. Competitors’ kits often come in pieces that may take a day or even longer to assemble.
• Save stress: Though our manufacturing process streamlines installation, some people balk at the thought of doing such a project on their own. A contractor comes certified and with significant experience, so you can rest assured they’re doing the job well. 
• Stay safe: While the simplicity of a pre-hung door is unlikely to have any risk of property damage and personal injury, working with contractors can help alleviate any worries.

When working with a contractor, don’t get hung up on quotes early into the project. Contractors who haven’t worked with Hidden Door Store’s products before may overestimate the difficulty of the project when in reality we make it as easy as installing a normal door — and sometimes even easier. 

What you do want to look for is a foundation of honesty, transparency and communication with your contractor. Look for contractors with a proven track record of successfully completing similar projects that indicate professionalism and reliability. While we typically don’t recommend specific contractors, we’re happy to answer any questions they may have about the installation, though more often than not the installation goes without a hitch.

Can You Do It Yourself?

At the end of the day, installing a hidden door is much like any other door installation. Anyone with the right tools, a bit of patience and basic hardware knowledge can install one of our doors. Beyond that, we have a team of experts ready to get on a video call and talk you through the installation process if need be. However, if any of these cases apply to you, it may be best to leave your installation in the hands of professionals:

• You have little to no experience in construction: Even doing a few home renovation projects can give you adequate knowledge to install a secret door, but if this is your first home DIY project, it’s helpful to have a professional lead the way.
• You are older, have limited mobility or weight lifting restrictions: The person installing the door should be able to remove their own door and any trim and install the new door with a little help. If you have any concerns about your ability to do so, protect yourself and call someone to assist.
• Your home is older: More than 38% of homes were built prior to 1970. Older homes are more likely to have narrow or nonstandard doorways and tilted walls, which can make installation more challenging. Older homes can still be fine for self-installation, but pay extra attention to making sure your walls are plum and your floors are level.

The Benefits of Installing a Hidden Door Yourself

While a contractor can be a big help when installing a hidden door, our doors are designed for ease of installation with DIY enthusiasts in mind. Our pre-hung units come ready to install, making it a straightforward process that you can take on yourself. Clients often choose to install their hidden doors themselves because of:

• Cost Savings: By handling the installation yourself, you avoid labor costs associated with hiring a contractor. This can be particularly useful if you’re working within a tighter budget. 
• Privacy and Security: Many clients looking to install a hidden door do so for security reasons. Installing the door yourself allows you to maintain total control over who knows about your secret space. If you’re not personally familiar with your local contractor or don’t want anyone knowing about the hidden door, this can provide some peace of mind.
• Personal Satisfaction: Installing a hidden door can be incredibly rewarding, especially if you’re a hobbyist who enjoys tackling new challenges. It gives you the chance to directly oversee every step of the installation process to make sure things go the way you want them to, and provides a unique sense of accomplishment once it’s complete.

Should any questions arise during the installation process, our support team is just a video call away. Should you decide to install the door yourself, our trained experts are ready to help you out with any hiccups you may encounter.

Explore Your Options at the Hidden Door Store

DIY or professional installation — the choice is yours with the easy-to-install options from Hidden Door Store. With a 100% customer satisfaction rating from our clients and 2-year warranties on our parts and materials, you can feel confident that our hidden door solutions will protect what matters most to you.

Shop our solutions today and reach out to your local contractor to add new levels of security and intrigue to your property.