Los Angeles, CA
DOORS ESTIMATING.
QUICK ANSWERS.
Do I need a C-28 license to bid door work in Los Angeles?
California requires a C-28 (Mill and Cabinet) contractor license for door installation work valued over $500 in labor and materials. Some door work also falls under C-5 (Framing and Rough Carpentry) if it involves structural rough opening modification. The CSLB enforces both; operating without the correct license in LA can result in fines and voidable contracts.
Does the City of Los Angeles require fire-rated door inspections on tenant improvements?
Yes. LAMC Chapter IX and the 2022 California Fire Code require fire-rated door assemblies in TI projects to be inspected by LADBS or a third-party special inspector. Labels must be intact on door and frame; field modifications void the rating and require corrective action before sign-off.
LOCAL FACTS.
Journeyman-level door and millwork installers in the Los Angeles metro average $32–$48/hr depending on union affiliation; IBEW and Carpenters Local 1506 scale rates apply on prevailing-wage public projects.
A residential door replacement involving structural header work in the City of LA typically runs $150–$350 in permit fees under LADBS Plan Check; purely in-kind door swaps in existing openings generally do not require a permit per LAMC 91.106.
Replacement exterior doors in Climate Zone 9 (most of LA Basin) must meet a maximum U-factor of 0.32 and SHGC of 0.25 per the 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards; non-compliant doors require a HERS rater sign-off or CF1R documentation at permit.
THE BID ENGINE.
Door Estimating in Los Angeles Moves Fast — Your Bids Should Too
Los Angeles runs on permits, inspections, and inspectors who know every line of the Los Angeles Municipal Code. For door contractors working the Basin — from Boyle Heights to the Palisades — a bid that misses an ADA-compliant threshold clearance, a Title 24 energy compliance note, or a fire-rated door assembly spec can lose you the job before you even shake hands.
Estimate.Pro is built for exactly this kind of work.
What Makes Door Work Different in LA
LA is not a single market. A historic Craftsman in Los Feliz triggers different scope than a new ADU in Inglewood or a commercial tenant improvement in the Fashion District. Door contractors here routinely juggle:
- LAMC Chapter IX building code requirements for egress doors, fire-rated assemblies, and hardware on commercial and multi-family projects
- California Title 24, Part 6 energy compliance — fenestration U-factor and SHGC values matter on replacement door permits
- ADA / CBC Chapter 11B clear-width and maneuvering-clearance rules on any project touching a public accommodation
- LADBS permit thresholds — residential door replacements in-kind often skate under the permit wire; structural openings, fire corridors, and commercial work do not
Get any of those wrong in your estimate and you're repricing the job after award, eating margin you never had.
How Estimate.Pro Works for Door Contractors
Walk the job. Open the app. You get a structured scope-of-work in minutes — not hours.
The AR measurement tool runs ONNX-assisted live detection on supported devices. Point your camera at the opening and get a dimensional read flagged clearly as measured or as an estimate. No more scribbling on a napkin and squinting at your notes back in the truck.
The AI scope engine pulls your opening count, door type (hollow core, solid core, steel, fiberglass, fire-rated), hardware schedule, and any framing or jamb work into a line-item draft. You review, you adjust, you send. Median time from walkthrough to sendable bid: 8 minutes.
Your saved material cost workspace holds your preferred door suppliers — whether you're buying off the rack at a Burbank supply house or spec'ing Marvin, Therma-Tru, or JELD-WEN on a Beverly Hills remodel. Update your costs once; every future estimate reflects them.
Pricing That Doesn't Punish Small Crews
Estimate.Pro has a free forever tier — no credit card, no trial clock. When your volume grows:
- Pro — $39/seat/month: full estimating, AR measurements, saved cost workspace
- Elite — $79/seat/month: adds Stripe Connect invoicing and export workflows
- Crew — $399/month flat: unlimited seats for larger door and millwork operations
Stripe Connect platform fees drop to $0 on Pro+ plans. On the free tier it's 3%. No other platform fees.
Built for 25 Trades, Tuned for Doors
Estimate.Pro supports 25 trades. Door contractors share the platform with framing, finish carpentry, and glazing crews — which means when a job bleeds into adjacent scope (pocket door framing, sidelite glazing, exterior casing), you're not switching apps.
Win More LA Work
LA general contractors are flooded with bids. The ones that land are specific: door species and grade, fire-rating hour, hardware finish, hinge count, jamb material, threshold type, and labor broken out from material. Estimate.Pro's line-item output gives GCs what they need to approve your number without a follow-up call.
Start free. No card. First bid in under 10 minutes.
Bid faster in Los Angeles.
14-day Pro trial, no card. Free forever fallback. Built for door contractors.