Method
How the number is built
A cost estimate you can't inspect is worth nothing. Here is every step, including where it stops being reliable.
The formula
national baseline × door size × material × age × urgency × local labour
Multipliers apply in that order, and the result is rounded to the nearest $5. Rounding matters: an estimate that reads $487claims a precision this method does not have.
1. National baseline
Every repair starts from an installed range — parts and labour together, the figure a homeowner pays, not a parts cost. A trip charge of $45–$125 sits outside that range and is shown separately, because most companies credit it against the repair when you go ahead.
2. Door size and material
Applied only to work that scales with door weight — springs, cables, rollers, track, hinges, panels. A photo-eye sensor or a remote costs the same on a single door as on a double, and inflating those would make the whole calculator less trustworthy for the sake of a bigger number.
- Single (one car)×1.00
- Double (two car)×1.18
- Oversized / RV×1.34
- Steel, non-insulated×1.00
- Insulated steel×1.08
- Aluminium & glass×1.16
- Wood or composite×1.26
- Not sure×1.05
3. Age
A door past 15 years adds ×1.08 for seized fasteners, corroded hardware, and the real chance that the exact part is discontinued.
4. Urgency
- Within a few days×1.00
- Same day×1.15
- Emergency / after hours×1.42
This is the largest avoidable cost on the list. The same spring job booked for Tuesday instead of tonight is materially cheaper, and unless the door is stuck open, waiting is usually safe.
5. Local labour
Parts ship at roughly the same price nationwide; skilled labour does not. Each state carries an index tracking trade wages and cost of living, from Mississippi at ×0.88 to Hawaii at ×1.42. City pages add a small further step by population tier, derived from the tier rather than set city by city — a rule you can check beats several hundred numbers you cannot.
What this does not do
- It cannot see your door. Hidden damage is the usual reason a real quote lands above the range.
- It prices one repair at a time. A broken spring often takes the cables with it, and two jobs on one visit cost less than two visits.
- It is not a quote and no company is bound by it. It is a range to judge quotes against.
- It does not model brand premiums, permit fees, or wind-load requirements on replacement doors in coastal counties.
Keeping it honest
Baselines are reviewed against prevailing market pricing and updated when they drift. If you have a recent invoice that falls well outside these ranges, that is useful — real invoices are what keep a model like this anchored.