Window to French Door Cost: In Brick Veneer, Itemized (2026 Baseline)
Two windows out, the opening cut to the floor, a steel lintel in the brick, and a 6 foot French door flashed, trimmed and painted in, itemized with crew hours.
Describe it
Every line, by trade
The conversion in the Clamp app: described in plain words, then the draft at $7,760.21 job cost, every line grouped by trade. Sample data.
The job at a glance
One build, fully itemized, with crew hours.
| Build | Job cost | Labor | Crew hours | Materials | Illustrative selling price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Window pair to 6 ft French door | $7,760 | $4,021 | 52 to 71 h | $2,818 | $10,088 to $15,521 |
Dump fees and other costs ($921) are the same in every build and included in the job cost. Materials include allowances. Illustrative selling price is the job cost at a 30% to 100% markup; your price depends on your own overhead and profit. Labor hours are a planning range and include setup, daily cleanup and material runs; they are never a charge to the customer. Permit and inspection fees are not included; requirements vary by jurisdiction.
The build in detail
A. Window pair to 6 ft French door: $7,760
Both windows come out, the opening drops to the floor with a new header, the brick is saw-cut with a steel lintel and sill flashing, and the French door unit goes in with lockset, trim, patches and paint blending. Labor is $4,021 of the $7,760 job cost, or 51.8%. It is about 52 to 71 hours of work, including setup, daily cleanup and material runs.
Labor cost by trade
Labor only. Materials, allowances and dump fees are in the line items below. Hours are person-hours at typical production from Clamp’s labor hours catalog, as a range: a planning figure, not a schedule and not a charge to the customer.
| Trade | Hours | Labor cost | Low-Overhead×1.30 | Established×1.50 | Full-Service×2.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demo & Prep | 1 to 3 h | $150 | $195 | $225 | $300 |
| Masonry | 8 to 14 h | $1,024 | $1,331 | $1,536 | $2,048 |
| Drywall | 2 to 6 h | $250 | $325 | $375 | $500 |
| Carpentry | 27 to 43 h | $2,506 | $3,258 | $3,759 | $5,012 |
| Painting | under 1 h | $56 | $73 | $84 | $112 |
| Exterior | under 1 h | $35 | $45 | $53 | $70 |
| Setup, cleanup and material runs | 4 to 13 h | in the prices | |||
| All labor | 52 to 71 h | $4,021 | $5,227 | $6,032 | $8,042 |
Every line item
Labor $4,021 + materials and allowances $2,818 + dump fees and other $921 = $7,760 direct job cost. Hours are person-hours at typical production, on labor rows only, and the direct-cost row adds about 15% for setup, daily cleanup and material runs; an allowance or material row names the labor line that installs it, and a subcontract row has none, because the sub’s price includes their own time. Some labor quantities include a difficulty factor, so they can exceed the measured area; each row’s derivation is in the downloadable data.
| Item | Qty | Unit | Hours | Labor | Material | Line cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demo & Prep | ||||||
| Haul-Off Per Load | 0.25 | ea | $0 | $0 | $56 | |
| Existing Window Removal Labor | 2 | each | 1 to 3 h | $150 | $0 | $150 |
| Demo & Prep subtotal | 1 to 3 h | $206 | ||||
| Demo & Prep subtotal | 1 to 3 h | $206 | ||||
| Masonry | ||||||
| Brick Opening Sill Pan and Lintel Flashing (per opening) | 1 | ea | $0 | $0 | $425 | |
| Brick Rowlock Sill Removal (per lf) | 6 | lf | 1 to 4 h | $312 | $0 | $312 |
| Brick Veneer, Mason Labor | 10.5 | sf | 1 to 4 h | $152 | $0 | $152 |
| Brick Veneer MaterialsLabor on: Brick Veneer, Mason Labor | 11.03 | sf | $0 | $94 | $94 | |
| Brick Veneer Opening Saw Cut (per lf) | 20 | lf | 3 to 9 h | $560 | $0 | $560 |
| Steel Angle Lintel, Installed (per lf) | 7.33 | lf | $0 | $0 | $440 | |
| Masonry subtotal | 8 to 14 h | $1,983 | ||||
| Masonry subtotal | 8 to 14 h | $1,983 | ||||
| Drywall | ||||||
| Drywall Patch Repair | 2 | ea | 2 to 6 h | $250 | $0 | $250 |
| Drywall Sheets MaterialsLabor on: Drywall Patch Repair | 8 | sf | $0 | $6 | $6 | |
| Drywall subtotal | 2 to 6 h | $256 | ||||
| Drywall subtotal | 2 to 6 h | $256 | ||||
| Carpentry | ||||||
| Door Lock Hardware AllowanceLabor on: Exterior Door Install | 1 | each | $0 | $150 | $150 | |
| Door/Window Unit AllowanceLabor on: Exterior Door Install | 1 | ea | $0 | $2,375 | $2,375 | |
| Exterior Door Install | 1 | ea | 13 to 27 h | $1,350 | $0 | $1,350 |
| Exterior Trim Install | 18 | lf | 1 to 2 h | $81 | $0 | $81 |
| Exterior Wall Door Opening Cut | 1 | ea | 4 to 11 h | $600 | $0 | $600 |
| Header Installation | 1 | ea | 3 to 7 h | $350 | $0 | $350 |
| Framing Lumber Materials | 30 | lf | $0 | $41 | $41 | |
| Interior Door Casing MaterialsLabor on: Door Casing Replacement Labor | 22 | lf | $0 | $46 | $46 | |
| Door Casing Replacement Labor | 1 | each | 1 to 2 h | $125 | $0 | $125 |
| Window and Door Install ConsumablesLabor on: Exterior Door Install | 1 | ea | $0 | $48 | $48 | |
| Window Exterior Trim MaterialsLabor on: Exterior Trim Install | 18 | lf | $0 | $58 | $58 | |
| Carpentry subtotal | 27 to 43 h | $5,224 | ||||
| Carpentry subtotal | 27 to 43 h | $5,224 | ||||
| Painting | ||||||
| Spot Prime and Paint Blend (per patch) | 2 | ea | under 1 h | $56 | $0 | $56 |
| Painting subtotal | under 1 h | $56 | ||||
| Painting subtotal | under 1 h | $56 | ||||
| Exterior | ||||||
| Exterior Caulking and Sealing Labor | 20 | lf | under 1 h | $35 | $0 | $35 |
| Exterior subtotal | under 1 h | $35 | ||||
| Exterior subtotal | under 1 h | $35 | ||||
| DIRECT JOB COST | 52 to 71 h | $7,760 | ||||
| DIRECT JOB COST | 52 to 71 h | $7,760 | ||||
Methodology & reproducibility
One reviewed snapshot for this build. The build is frozen from its own estimate run and priced by the published pricer.
Direct cost equals the sum of each row’s rounded quantity × (labor + material + other). Amounts are shown in whole dollars; every column adds to its total.
Scope selection, prose accuracy, arithmetic and provenance mapping reviewed; not independent market-rate verification.
- window-to-french-door/v1: JSON, CSV, field dictionary
Questions
Where does the money go in a window-to-door conversion?
Three places: the door unit allowance, the carpentry to drop the opening and set the header, and the masonry, since brick veneer needs a saw cut, a steel lintel, sill removal and flashing. The brick work is what separates this from the same conversion in siding.
What if the wall is load-bearing?
The build prices a new header sized for the 6 foot opening either way. Unusual framing found once the wall is open is priced when found.
Is the patio or a step included?
No. The door lands at the existing floor height; any landing, step or patio work outside is its own job.
Sources & provenance
- Window pair to 6 ft French door reviewed snapshot Clamp Research