Serving Tallahassee and nearby areas
A door that sticks only in summer is often humidity, but doors that jam all year can mean the house has moved, and a free inspection tells you which it is.
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Need help sooner? Call (850) 988-3375.
We connect property owners in Tallahassee and nearby areas, including Midtown, Killearn, Betton Hills, SouthWood, Lafayette Park and Frenchtown, with one independent local foundation repair specialist.
Typical published ranges for Tallahassee. The contractor's written estimate is the price, and the inspection is free.
| Work | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Inspection and written estimate | Free |
| Plane and adjust an interior door | $96 to $180 |
| Adjust an exterior door | $181 to $336 |
| Exterior door jamb replacement | $319 to $594 |
| Foundation pier, if the house has sunk | $1,000 to $3,000each |
A door that rubs
At the top corner or along the floor.
A latch that misses
The strike plate, so you have to lift or push the door to close it.
An uneven gap
Around the door, wide at one corner and tight at the other.
A door that swings
Open or shut on its own.
Windows that bind
When you lift them, or will not lock.
Cracks running up
From the corners of the door or window frame.
Trim pulling away
From the wall around the frame.
Both are common in Tallahassee, and they can look alike at first. Here is how to tell them apart.
Signs it is humidity:
Signs the house has moved:
Damp air swells wood. The Florida building code lists Leon County as a warm, humid climate. A building science guide notes that wood takes on water as the air gets more humid, and wood swells as it does. A door that fits in January can rub in July.
Clay soil moves the frame. North of the Cody Escarpment, soils like the Orangeburg series have sandy clay below a sandy top layer. When one corner of the house gets soaked by rain and another stays dry, the house can move unevenly. Door frames are rectangles, so even a small shift turns them out of square.
Low spots in karst ground. South of the escarpment, the Woodville Karst Plain has sand over limestone that slowly dissolves. A news report on sinkholes lists doors and windows that stop closing right as one of the warning signs of ground moving under a house.
Usually minor:
Get it checked soon:
Act now:
If it is humidity or hardware: tighten the hinges, move the strike plate, or plane the door a little. Keeping the house cool and dry with the AC helps too.
If the house has moved:
Fixing a door by itself is often a couple hundred dollars or less. If the foundation moved, the door work is a small part of a bigger job. The price table on this page shows typical ranges from published cost guides, not a quote.
Call (850) 988-3375 or send the short form. A local foundation crew will call you back to set up a free inspection and a written price.
Wood takes in water from humid air and swells. A building science guide says wood holds about 10 percent moisture at 50 percent humidity and about 13 percent at 70 percent. That small change is enough to make a tight door rub.
Look at the gap around the door. If the gap is even and the door just rubs, it is likely swelling. If the gap is wide at one top corner and tight at the other, or there is a crack running up from the frame, the frame may have shifted.
Only after you know the cause. If the house moved, planing hides the sign and the door may stick again in a new spot. If it is humidity, a door planed in dry weather can leave a big gap later.
Yes. Windows in the same wall as a sinking corner often bind, will not lock, or show a crack at the corner of the frame.
It is worth a look. One door is often a hinge or humidity. Several doors on the same side of the house, or a sudden change, can mean that side has moved.
