Door Installation Cost in Los Angeles

Interior swap on existing jamb: $150–$280

About 40 percent of LA interior door jobs are a slab swap — keeping the existing jamb and hinges and replacing only the door itself. For a hollow-core six-panel slab on a standard 30 or 32-inch opening with hinges in standard locations, the typical LA price is $150–$200 with the homeowner supplying the slab. For a solid-core slab (heavier, takes longer to mortise and hang) or a slab in an unusual size requiring trimming, expect $200–$280.

What's actually included at this price: removing the old slab from the existing hinges, transferring the hinge mortises and latch bore to the new slab (or trimming the new slab so existing mortises line up), drilling a new latch bore if needed, hanging the slab on the existing hinges, and confirming the door swings cleanly without rubbing. Most pros also adjust the strike plate so the latch catches without slamming.

What's not included unless you specify: a new lockset or knob (homeowner usually supplies, $30–$80 for the hardware), painting or staining the slab (a different scope and a different pro), or planing a slab more than half an inch — at that point the door is undersized and a new slab is the right answer.

Pre-hung interior door: $240–$420

Pre-hung interior installation is more involved because the pro is replacing the entire jamb assembly — door, frame, hinges, and stop — as one unit. For a standard hollow-core pre-hung in a 30 or 32-inch rough opening on a single-story Valley home, the typical LA price is $240–$320 with homeowner-supplied unit. For a solid-core pre-hung, a five-foot French double, or a pre-hung in a 1920s Hancock Park bungalow with out-of-square framing, expect $320–$420.

The framing is where pre-hung jobs go right or wrong. A pro will check the rough opening for plumb on both sides, level on the header, and square at the corners — three things that are rarely all true in older LA homes. Shimming the new jamb plumb and securing it through the hinge-side and latch-side jambs (not just the casing) is what makes the door swing cleanly five years later. Skipping the shimming is how you end up with a door that won't latch by next winter.

One thing to know: the casing on a pre-hung is usually paint-grade pine that doesn't match your existing trim profile. Most LA homes built before 1960 have wider, more elaborate casing than what ships on a stock pre-hung. Either re-use the old casing (more labor, $60–$120 add) or plan to swap all the casing in the room for visual consistency.

Pre-hung exterior door: $380–$650

Exterior doors are a different job from interior, even though the install motion looks similar. The pro is dealing with a weatherproof threshold, a code-rated insulated slab, weatherstrip on the jamb, and exterior hardware that has to seal against wind-driven rain. For a standard fiberglass or steel pre-hung exterior on a typical Valley single-family rough opening, expect $380–$500. For a solid-wood front door pre-hung with sidelights, a custom-stained Craftsman replacement, or any door over 36 inches wide, $500–$650 is more typical.

What's actually included: setting and shimming the unit plumb and level, securing through the jamb into framing with proper-length screws (not just trim nails), installing the threshold with a continuous bead of sealant under it, adjusting the weatherstrip for an even compression seal all the way around, and confirming the door closes and latches with the deadbolt fully extending. Most pros also caulk the exterior casing to siding or stucco at the end.

What's not included unless you specify: replacing rotted framing or rim joist behind the existing door (carpentry repair, add $80–$200 depending on extent), enlarging the rough opening for a wider unit (likely contractor scope due to potential structural header changes), or installing a smart lock with Wi-Fi pairing (covered in our smart-lock pricing guide).

Patio sliding doors and pocket doors

Two specialty door types worth pricing separately:

• Patio sliding door swap ($300–$500): Removing an existing aluminum slider and installing a new vinyl or fiberglass slider in the same opening. Pricing assumes the rough opening is unchanged, the new unit ships pre-assembled, and the threshold flashing can be re-used or replaced inline. Add $80–$150 for new exterior trim and stucco patching where the old casing was nailed.
• Pocket door retrofit ($600–$1,200 — borderline contractor scope): Cutting out drywall, installing a pocket-door frame kit (Johnson Hardware, Eclisse), hanging the door on the track, and patching/finishing drywall. The catch is that pocket-door framing usually has to go inside an existing wall — which means dealing with whatever's already in the wall (electrical, plumbing, sometimes a load-bearing stud). For a non-load-bearing interior wall with no obstructions, the upper handyman tier handles it. For a wall with electrical to relocate or any load-bearing element, a contractor with framing scope is the right call.
• French double doors ($500–$900 interior, $700–$1,300 exterior pre-hung): The double-door install adds time at every step — two slabs to align, four hinges to mortise, two strikes to set, and the astragal between the doors to seat correctly. Standard exterior French doors with a fiberglass slab on a typical opening land in the middle of the range; full-wood custom French doors land at the top.

Pre-1940 Craftsman and Spanish-revival doors: restore or replace

A real share of LA housing stock is pre-1940 — Craftsman bungalows in West Adams and Highland Park, Spanish revivals in Silver Lake and Hancock Park, original duplexes in Mid-City. The original front doors and many interior doors in these homes are solid-wood with custom millwork that's not made anymore. Replacement-grade material would be a downgrade, sometimes a significant one.

What the pro will check on arrival: is the slab itself sound (no dry rot, no severe warping, no termite damage), are the original hinges and hardware repairable, is the weatherstrip the only failure point, and is the jamb still plumb. If the answer is mostly yes, restoration is usually the better call: re-plane and re-seal the slab, replace the weatherstrip, repaint or refinish, and you keep an original door that adds resale value. Cost: $200–$450 depending on slab condition.

If the slab is genuinely past repair (severe rot, warping that can't be planed out, structural cracking), replacement is the path — but the right replacement is a custom millwork match, not a stock big-box pre-hung. That's a different scope and budget than what this guide covers; expect a custom Craftsman replacement to start around $1,800 in materials alone.

What changes the quote: 5 common LA variables

Beyond the door type, five things most often push an LA door quote up:

• Out-of-square rough opening (1920s–40s LA homes): More shimming, more time. Add $40–$100.
• Solid-core or solid-wood slab: Heavier, harder to plane, slower to mortise. Add $40–$80 over hollow-core.
• Specialty hardware mortise (mortise lockset, multi-point lock): Pro has to chisel a pocket rather than drill a bore. Add $40–$120.
• Weatherstrip and threshold replacement on exterior: New kerf weatherstrip, threshold with adjustable cap. Add $50–$120 in materials.
• Stucco or brick exterior wall on swap (common in Valley homes and Spanish revivals): Cutting back stucco or matching brick at the casing line. Add $80–$200.

What you can supply to lower the quote

Two things you can do to keep the quote at the lower end:

First, supply the door yourself, but supply the right door. Most pros will install a homeowner-supplied pre-hung as long as it's a reputable brand (Therma-Tru, Masonite, Jeld-Wen for stock; specialty millworkers for custom) and the dimensions match the opening. The pro then doesn't markup the unit, and you save $80–$200 on hardware. Don't supply a unit you bought without measuring the rough opening first — wrong dimensions mean a return trip.

Second, clear and prep the area. Removing the old casing yourself, removing old hardware, and clearing furniture from a 6-foot radius around the door saves the pro 30–45 minutes. Some pros pass this savings on, especially when the door install is bundled with another job (trim refresh, lockset install, or a same-day weatherstrip on a different door).