By Gene and Katie Hamilton

Clear glass in a door lets you see and enjoy what's happening outside, but it can have a downside too. Sometimes it's a patio door glass that lets in too much sunlight, which can damage furnishings. Or maybe it's a basement or back door, or sidelights of the entrance door that don't allow privacy.

To create privacy you can cover the glass with a curtain, shade or blind, but that can look like an afterthought and can involve a dangling cord. An alternative is to add an enclosed door glass treatment designed for a standard 8-foot door or half-door and that fits over a raised or flat frame. The enclosed treatment has a shade or blind sealed between tempered safety glass operated by a touch button on the side of the unit to raise the shade or tilt the blinds. We found them at the manufacturer's site www.odl.com, where there's also information about finding a distributor and how to install the unit.

A handyman will charge $196 to install a 20- by 36-inch enclosed door glass blind window, which includes labor and material, on a typical exterior door. You can buy the unit for $105 and install it yourself, saving 42 percent.

Looking for a handyman to do the job? Click here to get to Home Advisor where you’ll answer some basic questions about your job and see Handyman Contractors in your area.

Now you know the average cost to install an enclosed doorglass blind, which includes the labor and material, and what’s involved, so you can decide to do it yourself or hire a contractor. Don’t forget to adjust the cost to where you live by adding your ZIP Code.

Improvement and Repair Cost Updated 2020