A door insert is an ideal way to bring light into an entryway or brighten a dark hallway and at the same time improve an ordinary door. The insert gives an existing door a new lease on life while opening up the interior with daylight. These door inserts come in kits for both interior and exterior doors, some with internal blinds, in a variety of sizes. For example a kit for an interior door fits a standard slab or panel door that is 1 3/8 inches thick, while the exterior kit fits a typical 1 3/4-inch thick slab or panel on an exterior door.
The insert kits are designed for easy installation with a handy homeowner in mind, or you can hire a carpenter to do the job. To install a 22-inch-by-58-inch exterior door kit, a carpenter will charge $580, which includes labor and material. If you have carpentry experience and tools, you can buy the kit for $380 and do the installation yourself, saving 34 percent.
The insert is completely assembled with both sides of the frame screwed in place. To do the job you’ll need a jigsaw, a center punch, a hammer, an electric drill with bits, a Phillips screwdriver, a tape measure, masking tape, and a pair of sawhorses. Once you remove the door from its hinges, you can work on it on sawhorses using a full-size template to align and cut the hole in the door for the insert. Then you’ll set the insert inside the cutout and fasten it to the door with frame pieces and screws.
To find more DIY project costs and to post comments and questions, visit www.diyornot.com and m.diyornot.com on smartphones.
Pro Cost—DIY Cost—Pro time—DIY Time—DIY Savings—Percent Saved
$580—$380—2.5—3.5—$200—34 percent
