Dan Antion

One New Door – #ThursdayDoors

Maddie approves of the new door.

Some readers may recall that I gave The Editor a new entry door for Christmas. Not to be outdone, she gave me the companion storm door. Who says old married couples can’t be romantic? The plan was to wait for a two-day break in the weather and install the entry door one day and the storm door the next. The door is at the back of our family room, about three feet from our wood stove. I figured we could build a fire to take the cold entering the gaping hole in the wall during the transition.

For various reasons, we decided to wait until the fire wouldn’t be required and the days would be longer.

Last week, before winter returned, I moved the new door out of their safe storage to the front of the garage. Tuesday afternoon, the editor and I moved it onto the porch. Yesterday, step-1 began after breakfast.

One of the reasons we waited for warmer weather and longer days, was our experience working in this house, and in particular, this room. If I were to tell you all the stories of slipshod construction, inept “design” and shortcut after shortcut taken by the previous owner, I’d be well on my way to writing a book. This project proved to be no exception.

I’ve described the process, the progress and the frustration in the captions.

This saga is offered in conjunction with Norm Frampton’s weekly blog challenge called Thursday Doors. Each week, Norm invites door lovers from all over the world to join him in celebration of all things door. If you want to participate, or, if you just want to see a bunch of wonderful doors, head on up to Norm’s place.

I made this carrier to make the door easier to move around. Made from scraps, it worked quite well.
These both have to go before we can get started.
This is how you remove something that is nailed in place – you cut the nails.
The previous owner was fond of using cardboard instead of shims.
“Why did you remove the door? It’s still cold outside.”
This is the hole that had to be filled and the threshold that needed to be raised.
One of my favorite tools. This lets me transfer measurements around the corner of a board.
The old threshold extended into the porch. The “patch” has to come up 3/4″ and out 7″ and be notched around the door opening.
Fortunately, I had some scrap 3/4″ pressure treated plywood left over from a project that our daughter made a few years ago.
That’s the way we like it.
Working
The deadbold strike plate is larger than the pre-drilled hole. We can make it bigger.
Maddie approves of the new door.
The Helping Hands are holding the door where it needs to be. With it suspended, I was able to make some reference marks to determine where and by how much to build up the opening.
After a hard day’s work, Maddie decided I deserved to sit in the sun.

80 comments

    • I figured you would like this one, Judy. When I did a test fit and saw the door drop below the level of the tile, I knew I had a problem. I didn’t understand, since it was the same size door, but the previous owner was famous for senseless shortcuts. My carpentry skills should not have been required 🙁

      With the house and porch, we have five storm doors. Two have already been replaced with the model she gave me for this door, so I think I’ll be able to handle that easily.

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  5. Nothing says “love” like a door!! Thoughtful and functional. Perfect. As usual Dan you are prepared with the right tools and take your time to get it right. Looks great. Hope the storm door installs easily.

    I think you and the Editor have started a new trend in gift giving between couples! I love it!
    🐾Ginger 🐾

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    • Gift giving is hard after 37 years, Ginger. This exchange put this overdue project at the top of the list. After discovering the problem, I was really glad we waited until May. Among other things, the plywood I needed was stored behind a bunch of stuff in order to get my car in the garage.

      I am fortunate to have collected these tools along the way. I always bought the best model I could afford at the time, in the hopes that they would last me the rest of my useful life.

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      • “I always bought the best model I could afford at the time, in the hopes that they would last me the rest of my useful life.”–this has got to be a guy thing. My husband says this exact (exact!) same thing any time he needs a tool for a particular project. This had me laughing.

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  7. Bravo Dan. As someone who has no experience in hanging doors I’m a bit in awe of your efficient methodical approach. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of a job done right…except for those that think of cardboard as an acceptable shim material ;-)
    Exchanging doors or other household improvements that make life more comfortable is a perfectly romantic thing for couples to do at any age.

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    • Thanks Norm. The previous homeowner was an idiot. He was a roofing contractor, but he took shortcuts there too, even on his own (my) roof.

      Exchanging doors moved this project onto the list. I had to get the out of the garage before I could do anything else.

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  11. Hey… those are the doors to the heart for you two, Dan. I was looking forward to your step-by-step photos of this one. Your door carrier is brilliant.
    I feel you about the things not being done right by the previous owner. I already know my doors aren’t even halfway right.
    Kudos on amazing work. Hugs on the wing.

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  12. I can hardly wait for the new reality show. What to get for the couple who has everything. I can see why you would want to use a reciprocating saw to remove the nails. The quicker the old door is removed the quicker you can get to dealing with the strange surprises like cardboard shims and holes in the floor. Well done Dan.

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  13. Of course, your level is made in Germany. I liked your method of removing nails. That has always been the roughest part of a project for me. Now that the average home builder uses nailers there are usually way too many nails in a given board. Your door looks swell. I’m glad I live in a new house. I don’t think I will be faced with this challenge too soon. Super photos of the project too.

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  17. Oooh, I’m impressed with the ‘helping hands’ holding the door in place… in our house, that’s my job. I’m the holder, fetcher, suggester, tool-passer-upper… :-D

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  19. Isn’t it nice to be able to check off a to-do that has been haunting you for a long time? I have a door project that involves scraping, sanding, and painting that I’ve been putting off. Now that it has stopped snowing in Southern California (ok, maybe that excuse won’t work here), I probably should get to it.

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  21. “Useful” is good too, Dan. Your story reminds me of one year when my husband got me a new vacuum cleaner for Christmas (with my pre-approval.) One of my personal training clients thought a vacuum wasn’t a good Christmas gift but a) I needed one, b) we didn’t have lots of extra money to spend, c) I often can’t think of things I want for Christmas, and d) I wanted one! We still have the vacuum and I’ve been happy with that choice for many years.

    janet

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  22. If anything, Dan, you are thorough. Thank you for living my example when you do a job, you put your entire focus and effort into it. Be proud of your work! You are a legend!!

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  24. Nice work, Dan! I realize that the stay-at-home aspect of our current situation may have made this home-based doors post necessary, but I’m glad to see something more personal. I can see why Maddie approves. It may not be flashy, colorful, or historic, but it looks good. :)

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    • Thanks Paul. I like it when I can mix DIY in. I spend a lot of time on these projects.. I enjoy the work and we like the results. This door needs to function. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.

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  26. Hi Dan – I reckon that’s a very good job done … and yes presents do turn to the practical things don’t they – suits you both and Maddie … so why not. Well done … Hilary

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    • We’re happy with the doors, Hilary. They seem to do a better job of keeping the outside out and the inside in. Maddie kind of liked walking around to get to the back yard, she takes things in stride.

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      • Yes, it is! This was hubby’s dad’s ruler, which he still has and uses today. It is well over 70 years old. They don’t make ‘em like they used to. Boy, do you know that. 🙂

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        • I bought a new one, several years ago, so I could let this one retire. I used the new one for two or three years, and the brass tip fell off, making measurements from that end, useless. So, I went back to the old standard.

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          • I rest my case. Wait, you just did that, too. 🙂 We also have my father’s measuring tape (at least 20 ft.) the soft cloth kind, wound inside a big round leather case. Pull it out, wind it back in. It works like a beauty.

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  28. Lovely door, Dan. So much work goes into replacing a door, not as easy as it sounds. I had to laugh at both of you giving each other such practical gifts. On our third wedding anniversary my husband gave me a shovel and I gave him a rake, as we had moved into our first house with a garden 😁

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  30. Looks like you’re making progress. We still have one more room to go before we’re finally finished with the floors. It’s been a journey I will never take again!

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  32. Dan, I’ve come to the conclusion that shoddy craftsmanship is the norm and will show up everywhere. We’ve done a few major house renovations over the years (read ‘gut-and-rebuild’) so the questionable choices made by previous owners no longer surprises me. Undoing their work in order to do your work always makes everything a bigger challenge than it needs to be.

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    • You are right. We have grown to expect it, Joanne, even when it’s unimaginable. Usually, things look fine on the surface. At least I had what I needed to solve this problem.

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        • It’s funny to me, Joanne because it was leftover from a project our daughter wanted to do. She got this idea to make something for a friend. Then, someone seemed to suggest that, being a girl, perhaps “making” it was beyond her. That sealed the deal.

          I picked up a sheet of 3/4″ Pressure Treated plywood, from which she cut the sections she needed to make the items (spread plates for a car jack. You need them if you want to take your Jeep onto the sand in some places). When she finished her project, she asked what I was going to do with the leftover material. She sighed when I said, “Oh, it might come in handy someday.” She desperately wants me to start throwing things away.

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