In short
- Minor carpentry runs $85–120 an hour in the HomeStars Ottawa guide; door installation or window fixes run $250–900.
- Natural Resources Canada says hinged doors drift out of square from poor installation, hard use, shifting foundations and seasonal warping.
- A door replaced in the same size opening needs no City of Ottawa building permit.
- Trim on a house built before 1990 can carry old paint and putty. Health Canada advises testing for asbestos before renovating.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Minor carpentry and general repairs | $85–120/h | HomeStars Ottawa guide, updated 21.08.2026 |
| Door installation or window fixes | $250–900 | Same guide; depends on the job |
| Minor repairs, small fixes around the home | $75–150 | HomeStars Gloucester (Ottawa) page, undated |
| Handyman, general tasks | $50–100/h | Same Gloucester page |
Sources. Seen 29.10.2026: HomeStars, How much does a handyman cost in Ottawa? (updated 21.08.2026); HomeStars, Handyman in Gloucester, Ottawa (undated). Rules: Natural Resources Canada, Keeping the Heat In, section 8; City of Ottawa, Projects not requiring Building Permits; Health Canada, Health risks of asbestos.
Which door, which symptom
Doors fail in a short list of ways. The slab rubs at the top or latch side. The latch misses the strike plate. A hinge screw spins in the wood. The gap at the bottom grows or shrinks. The casing or baseboard has pulled away from the wall after a season. Each one starts as a one-line description and ends as a short visit.
Natural Resources Canada names the causes: poor installation, years of hard use, shifting foundations and seasonal warping. It says hinged doors and sliding glass patio doors can end up out of square with the frame, and that the fix covers the door, the frame, the hardware, the gaskets and the weatherstripping. A rub that appears every July and fades in February is the warping case. A rub that appeared overnight after a heavy slam is a hinge or a latch case.
What the visit involves
The company looks at the gap on all sides, tests the swing and checks the hinges and the strike plate. Tightening, shimming, re-setting a strike plate and trimming an edge are all minor carpentry. A damaged frame is a larger job, and a door that has swollen badly may be cheaper to swap.
HomeStars puts minor carpentry at $85–120 an hour in its Ottawa guide, and door installation or window fixes at $250–900. A minimum visit charge and a travel fee can sit on top: the same guide mentions minimum fees, sometimes a block of hours, and travel charges that rise with distance.
Trim, casing and baseboards
Gaps between trim and wall, open mitres at the corners and a baseboard that lifted after a floor change are quick to describe and quick to photograph. The repair is a finishing job: re-fixing the piece, filling the nail holes, closing the joint with paintable caulk and touching up the paint. Say which finish you have. A painted trim in a pale colour needs a matching can; stained trim needs a sample of the stain.
For trim in a pre-1990 house, the company decides whether to sand and you decide whether to test; the FAQ has Health Canada’s advice.
Permits and building rules
A same-size door swap is permit-free in Ottawa, though the work must still meet the Ontario Building Code. A heritage-designated building, or one inside a Heritage District Overlay, loses that exemption; the City asks owners there to contact its Building Client Service Centre first. Changing the size of an opening is a different project. For questions, the City points to 3-1-1.
Book it while it rubs
The company needs to see the symptom to plane or shim the right edge, so book the visit while the door is sticking. Say whether it rubs every summer or started after a slam, a new floor or a hard winter; the history points to warping, a hinge or the frame. Drafts at the edge are on the weatherstripping page.
Related pages
A rubbing door often shows up on a rental move-out list or a pre-sale list: see rental turnover repairs and repairs before selling. The paint after the repair, and holes left by an old latch, are covered on the drywall repair page. The whole range of jobs is on the small repairs list.
Who fixes the door
One independent local company takes your request from the desk, asks about the door and the trim, prices it and sends someone. Ask what the price covers: adjustment alone, or hardware and paint as well.
Questions to ask the company
- Do you adjust the door and hinges first, or plane the edge?
- If the frame is out of square, is the fix in your price or a separate line?
- Who supplies new hardware, a new slab or trim stock, and in which finish?
- Is painting or touching up the repair included, or does it come on a second trip?
- What do you charge if the door still rubs in July humidity?
Have this ready for the call
- Which door, which edge rubs, and in which season it starts
- A photo of the gap at the top, bottom and latch side, with a coin for scale
- A photo of the hinges and the strike plate, closed and open
- The year the house was built and whether the trim was painted before
- The finish: paint colour and sheen, or stain, for the touch-up
- Pets and keys: who is home to let the company in
Questions people ask
Why does my door stick in summer and swing free in winter?
Natural Resources Canada lists seasonal warping among the causes that push hinged doors out of square. Wood takes up and gives off moisture across an Ottawa year. Say in the request when it sticks and where it rubs, since the season points the company at the right fix.
Is it cheaper to fix an old door or replace it?
HomeStars prices door installation or window fixes at $250–900 in Ottawa, while minor carpentry runs $85–120 an hour. A rubbing edge or a loose hinge is usually an hour or two. A warped slab or a cracked frame moves the job toward replacement. Send photos and let the company say which.
My trim is painted many times over. Does that matter?
It can. In a house built before 1990, those layers may include paint or putty that holds asbestos, and Health Canada advises a professional test before renovating. Give the build year so the company can decide before it sands or scrapes.
Who supplies the new door or the hardware?
HomeStars notes that some handymen bring small items such as brackets or fasteners, while larger items usually come from the homeowner. Settle it on the call: who buys the slab, hinges or lockset, and what happens if the part does not fit.
Can the company fix a patio sliding door?
Natural Resources Canada says sliding glass patio doors can drift out of square just as hinged doors do, and gaskets and weatherstripping wear. Tell us if the door drags, sticks or leaks air. A cracked glass unit or a rotted frame can go to a door installer; ask the company.
