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French Doors

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French doors are a pair of hinged glazed leaves that meet in the middle, and in Australian houses they are very rarely a straight swap. Almost every job starts as a conversion: a window comes out and the brickwork under it comes down, or a solid wall between the living room and the deck is opened up for the first time. The doors themselves are the cheap, visible end of that work. The wall above them is the part that decides whether the job is simple or serious.

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That is what separates this from choosing between a slider, a stacker and a bi-fold for an opening that already exists. Here the opening does not exist yet. Something is currently carrying the load over that span, and once it is cut, something else has to carry it. On a brick-veneer house the outer skin and the frame behind it are doing different jobs and have to be dealt with separately.

The second thing a conversion changes is the weatherline. A window opening that has kept water out for thirty years has flashings that were built into the wall as it went up. Cutting a new opening means rebuilding that detail from the outside in, against a wall that is already finished — which is where retrofitted openings leak, and why the waterproofing detail is worth more of your attention than the handle finish.

The four jobs people call French doors

  • A window converted to doors: the commonest version, where the sill brickwork comes out and the existing head may or may not be reusable.
  • A new opening in a solid wall: no existing opening to work with, so the support over it is designed from scratch.
  • A replacement of existing French doors: the only version where the opening is already proven, and the job really is about the doors.
  • Internal French doors between two rooms, usually a living room and a study or dining room, where there is no weather and often no structure to deal with at all.
  • A pair of doors onto a first-floor room with no deck behind them, which is a barrier question before it is a door question — our sliding and stacker door guide covers those rules.
  • Doors with fixed side panels or a highlight above, which widens the structural opening well beyond the doors themselves.

Cutting the opening is building work, and it is approved state by state

Replacing doors in an opening that already exists is usually maintenance. Creating an opening, or making an existing one wider or taller, is structural building work, and that is a different conversation with a different approval path. Australia has no single national answer here: each state and territory runs its own building approval system, and in several of them the document is issued by a registered building surveyor rather than by the council.

The practical sequence is the same almost everywhere even though the paperwork is not. Someone competent works out what the wall is carrying, the support over the new opening is designed for that load, the approval is obtained before the wall is touched, and an inspection happens at the stage the approval names. Skipping the front half of that and asking for forgiveness later is how people end up opening a finished wall a second time.

Ask two questions before anyone quotes. Is this wall loadbearing, and who is issuing the approval for this job. A builder who answers the first with a shrug and the second with silence is quoting for the doors, not for the work.

What the Code says about the hole you just made

The weatherproofing requirement is unusually direct about openings. The National Construction Code's performance requirement H2P2 states that a roof and external wall, and it names openings around windows and doors specifically, must prevent the penetration of water that could cause unhealthy or dangerous conditions or loss of amenity for occupants, and undue dampness or deterioration of building elements.

Read the phrase "openings around" carefully, because it is the whole point for a conversion. The Code is not only asking whether the door unit keeps water out. It is asking whether the junction between that unit and the wall does — the head flashing, the jamb seal, the sill and the way the wall cladding is brought back to the frame. On a new house that detail is built in sequence with the wall. On a retrofit it has to be reconstructed into a wall that is already rendered, clad or bricked, and it is the single most common failure point in this work.

That is worth knowing because it changes what you should ask to see. A quote that itemises the door, the hardware and the glass but says nothing about flashing or sealing the opening has priced the visible half of the job.

How a conversion actually runs

  • The wall is assessed and the load over the proposed opening is worked out before any price is firm.
  • Support over the opening is designed and specified, and the approval for the structural work is obtained.
  • The opening is propped, then cut, with the outer skin and the inner frame handled as the separate things they are on a brick-veneer wall.
  • The support goes in and the opening is squared and prepared to the dimensions the door supplier gave, not the other way round.
  • Flashings and the sill detail are built into the reveal before the unit goes in, because almost none of it is reachable afterwards.
  • The doors are fitted, packed and adjusted so both leaves close evenly, then the perimeter is sealed and the internal linings made good.
  • Any barrier needed behind the doors is resolved as part of this work rather than left to be retrofitted to a finished opening.

Where French door conversions go wrong

  • The opening is cut to the doors rather than the doors ordered to the opening, so the frame is packed out unevenly and never closes squarely.
  • Flashing is left until after the unit is in, which means it is either skipped or done badly from the outside.
  • The head of the old window is reused without anyone checking whether it can carry the wider span.
  • The doors swing into the room and land on the only wall the furniture could use, which is a plan drawn without standing in the room.
  • Outward-opening leaves are chosen on a weather side with nothing to hold them, so the wind takes them.
  • External ground level sits too close to the new sill, so water that used to run past a window now runs at a threshold.
  • The slave leaf has no proper shootbolts, so the pair rattles and the lock never feels solid.

Keeping a hinged pair working

  • Check the perimeter seal once a year from outside, particularly the head, since that is where a retrofitted flashing shows it has failed.
  • Keep the sill drainage clear of leaves and garden debris, which builds up faster at a door than at a window.
  • Adjust the hinges before a dropping leaf starts dragging, not after it has worn the threshold.
  • Lubricate shootbolts and the multipoint mechanism on the slave leaf, which is the part that seizes because it is used least.
  • Repaint or re-oil timber doors on schedule on the weather side, where an Australian summer is harder on a finish than a whole winter.
  • Keep planting back from the reveal so the opening dries between storms.

French Doors: frequently asked questions

Do I need approval to turn a window into French doors?

For the structural work, almost certainly yes. Creating or widening an opening is building work, and each state and territory runs its own approval system — in several, the document comes from a registered building surveyor rather than the council. Replacing doors in an existing opening is usually maintenance. Ask who is issuing the approval before the wall is touched.

Is the wall above my window loadbearing?

Do not assume either way from inside the room. On a brick-veneer house the outer skin and the inner frame are doing different jobs, and what is above the opening may be carrying roof or floor load. That assessment belongs to someone competent, and it should happen before you have a firm price, because it is the thing that decides the cost.

Why does everyone say retrofitted doors leak?

Because the weatherline has to be rebuilt into a finished wall. The Code's requirement H2P2 covers the external wall including openings around windows and doors, so the junction between the door and the wall is what has to keep water out — head flashing, jamb seals and sill. On a new build that is laid in with the wall; on a conversion it is reconstructed from outside, which is harder and easier to skip.

French doors or a sliding door for the same opening?

The trade-off is floor space against clear width. Hinged leaves need somewhere to swing and will take a section of wall or paving out of use; a slider never leaves the opening but never gives you the whole width either. Our sliding and stacker door guide compares the configurations properly, including how each behaves in wind and what the wind classification of your site does to the glass.

What should the quote itemise?

The structural work and its approval, the support over the opening, the flashing and sealing of the reveal, the door unit and its glass, the hardware including shootbolts on the slave leaf, and making good inside. A quote listing only the doors and the hardware has priced the visible half.

Sources

  1. NCC 2022 Volume Two, Part H2 Damp and weatherproofing (Australian Building Codes Board)
  2. ABCB Housing Provisions, Part 11.3 Barriers and handrails

Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Last reviewed 22 September 2026. How we write and check our guides

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What affects the cost of French door

Prices depend on the details of your project. We only publish price ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch quote data or reliable sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the price:

  • Number, size and style of windows or doors
  • Frame material and glass options
  • Full-frame replacement or insert
  • Repairs to rotted framing or sills
  • Interior and exterior trim and capping
  • Access, including upper floors

How to compare door installers before you hire

  • Look for an installer who measures on site and explains how the new window or door will be sealed and flashed.
  • Ask whether the quote is for a full-frame replacement or an insert, and why they recommend it.
  • Compare quotes on the same product type, glass options, installation method and interior and exterior trim.
  • Ask who handles warranty issues: the installer, the manufacturer or both.
  • For garage doors, choose a technician trained on springs and openers, since that work can be dangerous.

Questions to ask door installers before you hire

  • Will you replace the full frame or install an insert, and what's the difference for my home?
  • How will you insulate and seal around the new units?
  • Is interior and exterior trim included in the price?
  • What does the manufacturer's warranty cover, and what does your installation warranty cover?
  • How long will it take for the products to arrive once I order?
  • Will your own crew do the installation?

When to call a pro for French door

  • Drafts, condensation or fog between the panes
  • Windows or doors that stick, won't lock or let water in
  • A garage door that's off track or has a broken spring: don't try to force it, and call a garage door technician.

French door permits and local rules

Some French door work needs a permit or has to meet local bylaws. Rules vary by municipality, so ask your pro whether a permit is needed and who will apply for it — and check with your city or town if you’re unsure.

Permits and licensing

Guides about French door

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