Door project: Reich residence front entry
A front entry door at the Reich residence was replaced with a new steel unit and sidelight, set into a rebuilt opening with a stone surround and new exterior trim.
What the work involved
- Removal of the existing door and inspection of the frame, sill and header for rot.
- Rebuilding the opening where the original sill had softened, including a new sill pan.
- Installation of a new steel entry door with a glazed sidelight, shimmed level and square.
- New exterior trim and surround, finished to match the rest of the elevation.
- New threshold, weatherstripping, lockset and deadbolt.
Why the opening is rebuilt first
An entry door is the most heavily used moving part on a house, and almost every door that will not close properly was installed into an opening that was not level or square to begin with. Rebuilding the sill and header before the new unit goes in costs far less than replacing a door twice, and it is the reason a correctly installed door still swings freely after ten winters.
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