New Back Door

With the trip to CO coming very fast, Dad needed to get the new door in as quick as possible. With the help of his brother and mom, he got the old door out and the new door in.

Seeing this as an opportunity to learn how to install an exterior door. The new door project was more than just to get a pet door. See it as a character flaw of dad. This door has to be semi-custom. I’m pretty sure if you go to a home improvement store, you could ask to have a pet door installed post purchase. The family wanted a pet door so then the Dog could go out in its free will when it wants to use its potty area. It also would allow the Dog to run back inside when it’s alone.

The stars may seem to align; the previous month’s Handyman magazine had an article to install a sliding porch door. Reading that article with pictures gave Dad the confidence to commit into replacing an exterior door on his own. Dad purchase the door a couple days later.

When the door was ready, Mom’s parents were in town with the added bonus to have brought the truck. Dad solicited his father-in-law’s help to get the door back to the house. Man he couldn’t have been luckier. The door was unexpectedly shipped on a pallet in such a way it was standing vertically. There was no way that door would have fit in the van without some disassembly.

That weekend was game day. Friday after work, Dad got some family together and we started to prep the new door and get the old door ready to be pulled out. Dad had already got two coats of paint on the exterior side of the new door by this time. First, we removed the old door by unscrewing it’s hinges off the frame. Found as many screws as we can find that held the old frame to the studs (this one happen to only have 6). Then it was demolition derby. Dad got his wonder bar and began to attempt to slide the frame out probably the way it went in… No luck, finally he just tore out the door in pieces.

A couple size differences was slowly becoming fear in the back of Dad’s mind. The threshold was 3/4″ longer, the frame was 1/8″ deeper. Regardless, he kept on going. He used the quick Door Hanger system to get the door situated in the wall and since it was getting late, he put on the old lockset and deadbolt and locked up the door for the night.

Fast forward a week later, The Family is back from CO and now it is time to finish the door. The first step is to insulate the gaps surrounding the door frame. Dad used Great Stuff Insulating Foam. He filled it in gaps that would allow him. In hind sight, he may have applied too much, just a 3/8″ bead that stretches the gap would have been suffice. Then he reinstalled the old exterior brick molding. The brick molding was still in place since it detached itself from the previous door frame. All Dad had to do was renail it back to the new door frame with a finish nailer.

Specifications