DIY replacing sliding patio door

You could do it yourself. Just be prepared to not get it done in a day. So you will need some plywood to close the opening over night.

It's also a rather large door, so you will need a few guys to help demo and twice as many to install the new one. I like to have 3 guys on a 6' slider. An 8' would get a few more.

And if you do get someone to install, if Lowe's and HD installers are anything like the ones in my neck of the woods, find someone else . HD and Lowe's installers are working for the store not you . So if you have any issues with the work everything has to go through store and the corporate bureaucracy . HD and Lowe's font always make the best general contractors. With the proper tools is not too difficult but you will need help as others have said . If they just slapped something up , then you may have framing issues as well. Best to be prepared

I would do a little bit of probing and investigating to determine if the lintel above the opening is adequate. Anyone that puts in a door "backwards" may have not have really made sure it is adequate for the large (8') unit proposed.

Better to have an idea what you are getting into before buying a new unit.

Dick

Unless it's brick it won't have a lintel.

Call it a lintel or a beam it needs something to span the opening since no door unit has the strength to carry vertical loads from above.

Dick

I understand the purpose of a header. My assumption is that if the door is operating then it most likely is adequate, but I would also suggest that when giving advice of this nature you be more specific. If the advice is to check the structural integrity of the framing for required span loads, I would think that you would further the explanation with what he is to look for instead of throwing out general advice with no context or substantial information and detail.

So far we have no picture.
No idea what type siding your dealing with.
Why you think it was installed backwards.
No idea how it was flashed, at least 95% of the time when I replace one of these there's damage under it because it was flashed wrong or was installed to close to a deck or stoop.

i had my 6' slider on my deck. the next morning i cut the wall open (was a window there). did all the framing and flashing. then tilted the door up into place, with the help of my female neighbor. was done, clean up and nearly everything, before BEER-O-clock.

concretemasonry said:

I would do a little bit of probing and investigating to determine if the lintel above the opening is adequate. Anyone that puts in a door "backwards" may have not have really made sure it is adequate for the large (8') unit proposed.

Better to have an idea what you are getting into before buying a new unit.

Dick

Click to expand...

Good point, Dick. They didn't know it was backward, they may have an undersized header/(lintel; https://www.google.com/search?q=lintel&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=lintel&start=0)

Gary