# Odd Sized Basement Door Replacement



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Buy a solid wood door and cut it to size.


----------



## zircon (Sep 24, 2007)

I have cut down a steel door. Clamp a straight edge and use a cut off disk in a circular saw. Lots of sparks. Fun to do.


----------



## kjmass1 (Feb 10, 2014)

Is weatherstripping already added to a pre-hung door or is it easy enough to replace?


----------



## zircon (Sep 24, 2007)

Get weatherstripping at Home Depot and add it to the bottom of the cut door.


----------



## mako1 (Jan 7, 2014)

zircon said:


> Get weatherstripping at Home Depot and add it to the bottom of the cut door.


Most of the insulated steel doors I have seen for years have a foam core with a very thin skin..Cutting the door ruins the integrety of the door.


----------



## kjmass1 (Feb 10, 2014)

So I'm trying to find a reasonably priced pre-hung wood exterior door. They seem to be really hard to come by. HD sells the door but not the frame. Most websites selling wood doors are more highend doors. The best I've seen is $800 for a douglas fir unfinished door with frame shipped.

I'm pretty sure I need a new frame as the current one is in pretty bad shape and leaks air like crazy. Can anyone point in me the right direction? I can post a pic of the door tonight.


----------



## jimn (Nov 13, 2010)

A stock 6 foot door is going to really hard to find . 
A 6' 3'' guy like e is going to have a sore head. A suspect a 6 foot door violates most building codes. But that really doesn't matter here. You can build a door frame. It's a bit of a pain but not hard. Problem is finding a wood door. most normal construction today uses fiberglass or steel doors. Wood exterior doors would like be found on high end homes and there for expensive. I will check with a buddy of mine who owns a large Millwork ship and have him look at what his supplier might be able to get


----------



## mako1 (Jan 7, 2014)

Here is a solution on a budget.I would buy a solid wood slab door.Cut it a couple inches less than needed .Attach a piece of pvc board to the bottom and a door sweep.
Not the way I would ever do it but a less expensive solution.


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Did you go to the store to look, or just check on line?
There's hundreds of items in the stores that are not on line.
I just bought a prehung ext. wooden door at Home Depot a week ago.
It was less then $300.00.


----------



## kjmass1 (Feb 10, 2014)

Here are a couple pictures. I'm limited on height by the sill and cement walkway with drain. The casing has been destroyed and it's kinda make shift at the moment. I need a full frame and door replacement right?

I'll take a look in store to see what I can find. Thanks. 


[/IMG]


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Sure looks like that door has been kicked in before to break in.
There is no need for a door with a window in it.
How about a picture of the inside at the top of the door to see if there's a way to fit a 6'8" stock door.
Not sure why someone would kicked the door in instead of braking the glass and unlocking the door.


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Sure looks like that door has been kicked in before to break in.
There is no need for a door with a window in it.
How about a picture of the inside at the top of the door to see if there's a way to fit a 6'8" stock door.
Not sure why someone would kicked the door in instead of braking the glass and unlocking the door


----------



## ben's plumbing (Oct 6, 2011)

steel remodel door....fits into exact opening you have ...300-400.00 install is a snap.. added safety as well


----------



## kjmass1 (Feb 10, 2014)

Sill plate runs just above that steam pipe, I can see it from another area. I'm assuming they didn't go all the way to the floor to allow for drain to be at grade level. 

I second the no glass- at least there is a door sensor there. 

Here are a couple pics.


----------



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

I would just order it at a custom height. I shouldn't break the bank and I would get it in a reinforced steel unit.


----------



## kjmass1 (Feb 10, 2014)

Sounds like a plan. Can you recommend a brand?


----------



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

In terms of steel doors, we normally use Home Guard, HMI, or Provia. 

If it is a pretty straightforward door and not a bunch of bells and whistles, just about any door will do. 

Get whatever security reinforcement option they have in it as well.


----------



## tbeck3579 (Dec 9, 2014)

Personally, I would fix it. It is not only budget friendly, the door is much more durable than a new door would be. Plus, I think you can get a better R value with the solid wood old doors. I just went through retrofitting my old house doors with "security jams" and new locks/handles. I had the old skeleton key locks with cylinders which left a big empty hole when removed. Easy peasy to make the door structurally sound, good looking, weather tight, and very secure. Much more secure than a pre-hung door. There are a surprising number of options for fixing old house doors. Here is something I found online at Lowes -- this isn't the exact thing I used, but it does give you an idea of what is available:


----------



## tbeck3579 (Dec 9, 2014)

For weatherstripping I found this video and liked the system very much. "Kerf" is very common, and easy to replace in the future. I did have a hard time finding this specific channel/system that accepts the Kerf, but True Value carries it in their stores -- I couldn't find it online. I get a "suction" sound between the storm and entry door when opening and closing my door. I also have to close the door slowly to displace the air between the 2 doors. A sure sign the weather stripping is doing its job. The vinyl channel cut with scissors -- heavy duty scissors. I was prepared to get the power tools out but didn't need them. Here is a pic of the door:


----------



## kjmass1 (Feb 10, 2014)

Thanks that is great info! I called a Provia reseller and they wanted $1100 for a plain white steel door cut to size, not installed. If I could replace the jambs and make it air tight I would be happy.


----------



## tbeck3579 (Dec 9, 2014)

You're welcome. I think you'll find what you need, and be happy with the door you have .


----------



## kjmass1 (Feb 10, 2014)

How do I attach the ez armor? The jamb is in pretty rough shape.


----------



## tbeck3579 (Dec 9, 2014)

There are several types. I'm not sure how tightly your door closes against the jamb, but there is one type that is a long straight piece of steel -- check out this link. A lot of hardware stores carry them. I used Lowes because I know they have pics online. I didn't watch the videos I'm sharing, I only did a quick youtube search. If they are not what you need search youtube, you'll find one that comes close to what you need.

Security Video

Door Jamb Repair


----------



## kjmass1 (Feb 10, 2014)

Yeah I watched a couple of these videos. I guess I'm a little concerned as I'm physically missing the bottom portion of the jamb piece that this attaches to. I'll look in to this some more. Thanks.


----------



## tbeck3579 (Dec 9, 2014)

There are a lot of videos for cutting out old door jambs and replacing pieces of wood. Most people use various saws to cut out the old, but a multitool may be a little easier to handle and a little more precise for preparing the jamb for a new piece of wood. Whatever works for me is what I use. The great thing about old houses and old wood is you can, 9 times out of 10, use what you have in place and repair it to work well with what you want. I've hung "pre-hung" doors and it is a huge job to do right. I think, for me anyway, hanging pre-hung doors is harder than repairing what I have. The entire area needs to be prepared for a new door and wrestling it into place isn't as easy as I thought it would be.


----------



## michaeladam (Nov 21, 2014)

Very nice idea of replacing the old doors.


----------

