You can get a new door and frame installed for about the same cost. Once rot sets in, it has to be cut out completely which then further compromises the frame. Putty, caulk, and paint will just slow down the inevitable.
If you want it done right I’d go ahead and find another handyman who can hang a new door. It’s not a terribly difficult job but steps have to be taken to keep water from ruining the new door frame, it needs to be leveled, etc.
EDIT to add - is this a single door or a French door? I can’t quite tell by the pictures you shared. If it is indeed a French door then the cost will be quite a bit higher.
You can get a new door and frame installed for about the same cost.
I know cost of living differs, but I find it hard to believe you can get someone to buy and hang a door for $500. Gut check for me would be at least $1000, probably closer to $2k. Maybe 20 years ago you could get that for $500
I just spoke to somebody who asks $2200 labor and $1800 materials for a new door/frame
They are standardized so it does not take long. One worker can easily do it in a day. But that day rate + travel is going to vary widely by location. I could get it done for $300 labor here in rural America. Plus the cost of the frame.
Rot doesn’t necessarily need to be cut out. There are epoxy products that will wick into the fibers and strengthen them, and then epoxy putties that can be used over the top prior to painting, which will also have the side benefit of being more resistant to rot than wood. I’m not sure that I would use those products in this case though; replacing the frame would probably be less of a hassle.
It’s probably a fair price given the amount of manual labor involved. I didn’t think it would be much until I did the job on my own French doors earlier this year.
$500 is the “I really don’t want to do it” price.
I personally quote 5-10x the price of I don’t want to do it.
It probably just needs to be replaced.
Is the handyman actually saying he’s going to do what you’re suggesting? Or is he saying he’s going to do it right and ignore your bogus suggestion to fill the rot with putty?
He’s the one who suggested using putty in the first place. I had another person who quoted me $675 for cutting and replacing wood in the affected areas with PVC. Does that sound better? That does not include caulking or painting the whole door though.
That’s what I assumed was going to happen and is probably what I’d try to do on my own. Caulk and paint is easily done. PVC will last forever
$675 seems steep for that, but for them there’s also some opportunity cost – if they weren’t doing your job, they could be doing a different job for more money. So instead of saying no outright, they price it up to make it more worth their time.