Do-Over: Fixing The Sliding Glass Door Installation

I hired someone to help me install a sliding glass door. In the process, I was reminded why it’s difficult to ask for help.

We’re more likely to accept help from strangers if they’re recommended by people we deeply trust. Sometimes the standards that we expect don’t match the standards that our friends expect, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean the referral was a bad referral. I just means that it wasn’t a perfect fit. The person recommended to me didn’t quite fit the bill based upon how particular I am about over-engineering this renovation. Not only do I want something done, I want it done well, and with attention to detail that only I may know about. As a result, finding the help that can actually help has been difficult. After all, asking for help from contractors often means compromising my own standards simply due to the fact that I don’t have the time or patience to train someone how to do things the way I want them done.

So, in the middle of the door installation, I decided to call it. I paid him what he asked, which was fortunately a very low price, and proceeded to do it right (or at least do it better.)

I’ve never installed a sliding glass door, but based upon my research, it’s basically putting a square peg in a square hole. The difficulty is only increased because it’s a) glass, and b) heavy. Other than that, it’s still just a square peg in a square hole.