Changing doors and windows yourselves

Since we moved here I've been wanting to change the front door (all glass) and, while most of the windows are UPVC, two are wooden and have seen better days.

I know that places like Wickes and B&Q do windows and doors and wondered if anyone had any experiences, good or bad, of changing them themselves.

We're fairly competent at DIY, we've done fencing, decking, put up sheds, sliding door wardrobes and put in new kitchens and bathrooms. Any thoughts anyone?

My husband has done it many a time in the past and it's worked out ok, but he's well clued up on diy and carpentry, good with his hands.

When the professionals did it here, with the front, the back and the french doors, they always changed the frames with it, so I suggest you buy the door with a frame and it'll make your life a whole lot easier, coz even if you measure your door properly it normally won't fit into your frame (here and there kind of thing!). When you put a new frame in with the door, then all you've got to do is fill in around the outside of the frame, so much easier than fiddling about with a door that won't fit your existing frame, it's not as easy as it looks in some cases!

That's great, many thanks H I know they do just doors and doors in frames and we had planned to get a door with a frame as we figured it would be easier

I know that we could get someone to come out and do it and if we were doing several windows we would do. As we've done quite a few different DIY projects we are hoping it is something we can do ourselves. Fingers crossed!

It's not difficult we moved our upvc kitchen door which became surplus to requirements when we remodelled the kitchen and cut a hole in the side of the house where the garage is and added a lintel and fitted the door so we can access the garage from the side access way.

That's great, thanks Shirley

It sounds promising then, perhaps the most difficult part will be finding a day dry enough for long enough to change them then

Excellant advice from Helena as always,

The door fits the frame and the frame fits the gap in the wall and get a few tubes of expanding foam to fill the gap and job done Well almost. Doors are quite heavy and putting them on and taking them off to trim a bit here and there is a very time consuming business. DAMHIKT

Thanks for the tip Harvey

We'll top up on the expanding foam although we already have a large supply after some furry little friends tried to move in

We get them too and that expanding foam is by far the best way to stop them 'tho i do believe some of ours are actually eating it they are so determined to get inside the house int he Autumn.

Ours started to eat it too and then the problem was solved when the chickens ate them......