07-24-2007, 12:43 PM
robguz,
Well I looked through my old stuff and found some of the receipts for the disappearing wall. I'm not including the cost of the construction to make that 24' space since you would have to do it in construction or retro.
I bought eight 36X80 single panel wood glass doors from a local discount door company for a total of $1,200. They weren't drilled or mortised for anything. They weren't double pane, something I wished I considered. And they were unfinished.
The cost of the Johnson Hardware pivots, tracks, channels, hinges and stuff from a local company was about $800.
The cost of special locksets and knobs was $250.
The cost of a carpenter who specializes in doors was first $1,000 to put this all together and hang the unit, but ended up at $1,500 because of the unique need of the $350 worth of weather-stripping.
Add $500 for the DIY finishing (stain & poly).
So the cost was around $4,600. Now compare that to the $25,000 plus for doors an installation of the other system and you save around 75%. I will admit it's not as refined or smooth as the premade systems, but unless you can see them side by side to compare, most people think it's still a damn nice door system.
Unless you are handy, this isn't a job for a DIY as the need for quality and accurate installation of the pivots, hinges, tracks and such is too close to make a mistake. (not to mention needing the right tools) The weather-stripping also was a bear as we spent hours starring and playing with it before we could figure out how to do it and make it work right.
There's nothing quite like having a door that opens 24' with nothing to block your view. However, if I were to do it over again, I must honestly admit that installing a bank of French Doors probably would have been the better choice. Just try and find a 24' screen!
Well I looked through my old stuff and found some of the receipts for the disappearing wall. I'm not including the cost of the construction to make that 24' space since you would have to do it in construction or retro.
I bought eight 36X80 single panel wood glass doors from a local discount door company for a total of $1,200. They weren't drilled or mortised for anything. They weren't double pane, something I wished I considered. And they were unfinished.
The cost of the Johnson Hardware pivots, tracks, channels, hinges and stuff from a local company was about $800.
The cost of special locksets and knobs was $250.
The cost of a carpenter who specializes in doors was first $1,000 to put this all together and hang the unit, but ended up at $1,500 because of the unique need of the $350 worth of weather-stripping.
Add $500 for the DIY finishing (stain & poly).
So the cost was around $4,600. Now compare that to the $25,000 plus for doors an installation of the other system and you save around 75%. I will admit it's not as refined or smooth as the premade systems, but unless you can see them side by side to compare, most people think it's still a damn nice door system.
Unless you are handy, this isn't a job for a DIY as the need for quality and accurate installation of the pivots, hinges, tracks and such is too close to make a mistake. (not to mention needing the right tools) The weather-stripping also was a bear as we spent hours starring and playing with it before we could figure out how to do it and make it work right.
There's nothing quite like having a door that opens 24' with nothing to block your view. However, if I were to do it over again, I must honestly admit that installing a bank of French Doors probably would have been the better choice. Just try and find a 24' screen!
