By Gene and Katie Hamilton

Doors that fold easily can be a pleasure to operate or downright annoying when they are difficult to open and close. Their hinging mechanism should allow the door panels to swing wide open for easy access to whatever is inside.

It's been our experience that door hardware hung from the top of the opening allows the panels to hang and operate smoothly - something not always possible with a track installed on the floor. So if you have bifold doors in a bedroom, hallway or utility closet that balk at opening and closing, consider replacing the door panels and hardware, and make it attractive and easy to operate.

To remove and replace a 4-door folding unit with paneled wooden doors in a 48-inch wide opening, a carpenter will charge $276, which includes the labor and material. If you have carpentry skills and tools, you can do it yourself for $120, the cost of the door panels and new hardware.

Sound too complicated and time consuming? Here's a link to Home Advisor, a free referral service that matches homeowners with local contractors.

At www.johnsonhardware.com, a door hardware manufacturer's Web site, you can download installation instructions.

Now you know the average cost to replace a bifold door, 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.

The cost and time data is generated by averaging labor and material data from annually updated cost books used by contractors and refined by the authors' experience remodeling 13 houses. They are authors of 20 home improvement books and Do It Yourself or Not, a weekly column syndicated by Tribune Content Agency. The national cost can be adjusted by ZIP Code.