A contractor's guide to door coordination.

Doors are a small line item that can stall a whole project when they arrive wrong or late. Here is how to keep them off your critical path.

For builders and general contractors, doors are deceptively risky: low cost, high visibility, long lead times, and unforgiving tolerances. A back-ordered or mis-handed front door can hold up a final walkthrough. This guide is about coordination — getting the right doors to the site at the right time, sized to the openings your framers actually built.

Get rough openings and tolerances right

• Frame openings to the door schedule, not the other way around. Confirm rough-opening dimensions per unit before framing closes in.
• Mind jamb depth. Wall assemblies vary; supply the wall thickness so frames match without field surgery.
• Plan for squaring and shimming. Pre-hung units need clearance; an opening framed exactly to slab size will bind.
• Document handing per opening on the schedule — inswing/outswing and left/right — to eliminate the most common reorder.

Respect the lead times

Stocked interior styles move fast, but custom exterior doors, oversized openings, iron, and pivot units commonly run two to four months. Treat long-lead doors as early-release items in your procurement schedule, ordered as soon as openings are confirmed — not at trim-out.

Stage delivery to the build

• Exterior doors often want to be on site for dry-in and weather sealing.
• Interior doors are typically a trim-phase delivery — staging them too early invites jobsite damage.
• Coordinate a single delivery window per phase to reduce handling and protect finishes.

Use scope-friendly itemized quotes

Itemized, per-opening quotes that map to your door schedule make change orders, allowances, and client upgrades clean. They also help homeowners apply insurance or allowance dollars line by line. We provide scope-friendly quotes built for this — see the contractor and builder supply guide.

Protect the install quality

Even a perfect door fails if the install is rushed: square the frame, tune weatherstripping compression, fully engage multipoint locks at all points, and seal the threshold. For premium and oversized doors, a specialist install protects both the warranty and your reputation. The installation cost guide covers labor expectations.

A simple coordination checklist

1. Lock the door schedule (size, handing, swing, finish) before framing closes.
2. Release long-lead exterior and pivot doors early.
3. Confirm jamb depth and rough-opening tolerances per unit.
4. Stage exterior for dry-in, interior for trim.
5. Use itemized quotes that match the schedule.
6. Specify install standards in the scope.

We work directly with contractors and builders across Greater Los Angeles and ship nationwide. Set up a trade consultation or browse all doors.

Frequently asked questions

How early should doors be ordered on a build?

Release long-lead items as soon as openings are confirmed, not at trim-out. Stocked interior doors move quickly, but custom exterior, oversized, iron, and pivot units commonly run two to four months and should be treated as early-release procurement items.

How should rough openings be framed for pre-hung doors?

Frame to the door schedule with clearance for the frame, shims, and squaring — an opening framed exactly to slab size will bind. Confirm rough-opening dimensions and jamb depth per unit before framing closes in, and document handing and swing on the schedule.

Do you provide itemized quotes for contractors?

Yes. We provide scope-friendly, per-opening itemized quotes that map to your door schedule, which keeps change orders, allowances, and client upgrades clean and helps homeowners apply insurance or allowance dollars line by line.

Do you work directly with builders and general contractors?

Yes. We coordinate door supply for contractors and builders across Greater Los Angeles and ship nationwide, including rough-opening coordination, staged delivery, and whole-home packages. Contact us to set up a trade consultation.