What to expect from a door replacement consultation with Southwest Exteriors (Article)

It’s been months since you’ve gotten your front door to open and close properly. Though you’ve tried countlessly to adjust the hinges to make it fit better, you still have to slam your entire body weight against the door to get it to close and lock.

You finally decide it’s time for a replacement. The bottom of the door looks worn, and the threshold has been loose for a while. 

So, you look up local door replacement contractors and schedule a few consultations. What are you to expect when a sales consultant arrives at your doorstep?

Southwest Exteriors has been a local door replacement contractor for over 30 years. Our design consultants see hundreds of homeowners a month, and we know it is a privilege to be in your home. 

When you schedule a consultation with us, we aim to educate and guide you through your project so that we can help you make the best decision for you.

In this article, we will go through the steps of a door replacement consultation so you will know exactly what to expect regarding your appointment.

Knowing what to expect and prepare helps relieve anxiety when letting a stranger into your home and will help the process go smoothly.

1. We’ll talk about your needs and goals for your project

The first step in the consultation is to establish what you hope to get out of your project. 

We’ll discuss any issues you are experiencing with your door and why you are looking for a replacement. This helps us know how we can best guide you through this process and offer what we recommend to help. 

We’ll also introduce you to the different types of doors we offer and explain the quality that comes with them. 

Our first goal during this consultation is to serve you as best we can. We want to guide you through the door replacement process and help you make the best decision, whether that involves Southwest Exteriors or not. 

2. We’ll thoroughly inspect the door

We need to inspect the entire door system to look at the issues you are experiencing and how they can be solved.

We will look at not only the slab of the door but also the interior and exterior trim, threshold, weatherstripping, hardware, and hinges. 

While you know the problem you are experiencing, you might not know exactly where it is coming from. Looking at the entire door area through a professional lens allows us to inspect the issue further and identify other trouble spots you might not have noticed. 

This will help us provide more accurate solutions for your replacement door so that you will have all your problems fixed and be satisfied with your new door.

During this time, we will also take measurements of the door to present you with an accurate price for your project later in the consultation. 

3. We’ll sit down and start designing your door

Now that we understand what you want from your new door and the issues you have been facing, we can start designing your door.

We use an application that allows us to completely build and design your door from scratch. We’ll review the grain options, textures and finishes, trim designs, threshold, glass design, type, hardware, and paint and stain colors.

Looking through the designs, we can choose which way you would like the door to swing. As long as there are no permanent structures that would impede the swing, you can choose to have it swing from the opposite side and direction.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to designing your door. If you can dream it, the chances are we can do it. 

Your design's different elements will affect your project's overall cost. The more complex the glass design and different textures will increase the price. 

4. We’ll go over the warranties for your replacement door

Once you’ve designed your dream door, we will go into the details of the warranties that will come with it.

Southwest Exteriors offers a lifetime warranty for your door for as long as you are in your home. If anything goes wrong with the door, the labor, installation, and service cost is covered. 

Each door manufacturer has a product warranty, but most offer a lifetime product warranty. 

It is important to note that the warranty for the door covers the entire system. So, that will be covered if anything goes wrong with the trim or threshold. 

5. We’ll present you with an exact price

We’ve identified the problems you’re experiencing with your door, and you’ve designed your dream replacement door. The last step of the consultation is to present you with the exact cost of your project. 

We can offer multiple discounts to the overall project, and this price will be good for seven days. After seven days, the retail price of your project is still guaranteed for 30 days. 

The cost of a project can be the most stressful element, and we understand that. We want to alleviate that stress as much as possible and offer multiple monthly payment plans to fit your needs best.

What to prepare before your consultation

The best thing you can do to prepare for your consultation is to research the different door types and styles you like. 

When it comes to the designing phase, it can be overwhelming. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of options for the different elements of your door. 

Pinterest is a great resource to find inspiration for the style of door you like. Driving around your neighborhood is another tactic many homeowners use to see what they like and don’t like.

Knowing what you are looking for ahead of time will help save time for you during the consultation. 

Researching and preparing questions ahead of time is another important element when preparing for your consultation. Knowing what should be included in a door replacement and what makes a quality door replacement will help you avoid a faulty installation.

Ready for your door replacement consultation?

Now that you know our agenda for door replacement consultations, you can feel more comfortable before the appointment. 

Our goal during the consultation and for your entire project is to serve you however we can. We are not there to shove a certain product down your throat. We want to help you make the best decision for yourself. 

Although not the least expensive on the market, we offer the highest-quality doors and installation because you deserve the best.