Jul 3 2006
Ever since Michel Hanet opened the doors of his Interior Door Replacement Company (IDRC) in Scottsdale last summer, he has seen his fair share of "door horror" stories, from over-ambitious do-it-yourselfers who took an entire day to hang a single door, to homeowners who inadvertently hung their brand new doors upside-down.
"I've seen it all," Hanet said. "We have many stories of homeowners who decide to replace their doors themselves and call us after they take a full day to install the first door. Replacing doors is not as simple as people think. A lot of do-it-yourselfers are taken by surprise when starting such a project. By the time they are half-way through door No. 1, they realize that this is one of those household projects that simply needs to be left for the pros."
Hanet is franchise owner of the Interior Door Replacement Company (www.interiordoor.com) of Scottsdale, part of the nation's first franchise to successfully "latch" onto interior door replacement and how it improves both the appearance and value of homes. Hanet offers area homeowners the first one-stop service specializing in the replacement of unsightly flat doors with designer raised-panel molded doors.
Before opening his IDRC franchise in June, 2005 Hanet moved to the U.S. from Belgium and worked in the software development area for large financial institutions for 18 years. He left his CIO position at Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services and fulfilled his entrepreneurial urge by opening the first IDRC in Arizona. His location supports the entire Phoenix Metro area, and he plans to open two more locations, one near Glendale or Peoria and another in Mesa.
IDRC of Scottsdale, with a showroom at 16411 N. 90th St., Suite 103, is one of 17 IDRC locations nationwide that provides homeowners with a simple, hassle-free system where installers perform most work off-site. In all, IDRC spends only two hours in the customer’s home, from start-to-finish, eliminates messes and keeps the process non-disruptive for homeowners.
"Until we came along, there really has not been a concept that offers homeowners a one-stop, hassle-free door replacement service," he said. "Homeowners have had to hire general contractors or a large home improvement store, which generally make a mess of a home, are in the customer’s home for days, sometimes weeks, and are quite expensive. We have a system that removes all of that hassle at a reduced cost."
Contractors or home-improvement stores usually sub-contract the interior door jobs out and pass the increased prices along to the customer. Since IDRC of Scottsdale gets its doors direct from manufacturers and does the work themselves in less time, the franchise provides homeowners with a superior product, often at one third of the price.
IDRC features a spacious showroom that displays a wide selection of doors, handles, paint colors, and finishes. Once an order is made, technicians will come to the customer’s home to begin the five-day process. On Monday, the old doors are marked, measured, and removed. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the doors are cut and painted off-site and by Friday, the new doors are installed in the customer’s home.
"I've always thought that it's better to do one thing better than anybody else than 10 things just as good," said Hanet. "We think door replacement should be left to the experts, and IDRC has it all figured out. We’ve got superior products, specialized skills and expertise, and the best prices."