Installing Sliding Glass Patio Doors

This great home in East Nashville has had quite a few updates including a laundry room on the back of the house. It's a nice addition complete with glass doors that let it lots of light. The problem is that the door swings into the room and competes with the washer and dryer for space. The old door is also had some water damage over the years.

The homeowner called me to replace the entire thing with a new sliding glass patio door that would seal better to keep out the elements, and not swing into the room when it was opened.

The main issue to consider is the size of the opening. Thankfully, the old doors fit in a 60" opening and this is a standard size for patio doors.

I started by carefully removing all the trim inside and out to reveal the door jamb. I saved the trim to reinstall around the new door. With the trim off, I could cut around the door jamb with a reciprocal saw to sever the nails and get the entire piece out as a unit. Now I could inspect the framing and see what I was dealing with.

(This is the moment where you have a big hole in the side of your house and you wonder if you really know what you're doing... :)

The new door had a vinyl frame with 'fins' that stuck out from all the sides. The fins get attached to the framing to secure the door. For that to work, I needed to have less than a 1/2" gap around the door, so I added plywood filler where necessary. To get the threshold at a good height to match the tile floor in the laundry room, I also needed to raise the bottom of the door up around 3/4".

After making sure the door was level, plumb, square, and lookin' good I shimmed it attached it with screws all the way around.

The next step involves sealing the perimeter of the door with a product called "flexible flashing". You can get it in rolls of various sizes. It's used to provide a moisture/vapor barrier around doors and windows. It's installed over the fins to cover up the screws and make it harder for moisture to get around that door.

Re-installing the trim should be an easy job, however, the new door is hardly ever the exact same dimensions as the old one. Thankfully, the new door was a little bigger, so I could make adjustments to the exterior trim and reuse them. The inside was harder because the patio door wasn't as thick as the old one. I had to rip a 3/4" board into 1" strips to fill around the door and then add casing over that.

Some caulk and paint, and this door is ready for business.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Make Arched Corners for a Doorway

The home that I'm currently working on has quite a few Tudor characteristics throughout, including a couple arched doorways in the kitchen and living room. The homeowners wanted to open up the wall leading into the kitchen with a larger doorway and match the corners to the others. Here's how I did it:

1. Open up wall and reframe the larger opening with new header. Our wall IS load-bearing so I had to build a simple temporary wall on either side of the opening to carry the weight of the ceiling joists while I installed a new header and removed part of the wall. (Opening up a wall? See these posts.)

The opening would be around 5' wide, so a built-up 2x6 header would be called for. Make the header at the height equal to the highest point in your arched doorway.

If you wanted to keep the square corners you could just drywall over this new framing as it is, however, we want to make curved corners. These curves are for cosmetic purposes only, they will not carry any load, but rather just support the drywall.

2. Frame the corners. Depending on how large of a curve, you'll have a few options for this. If it's a larger curve you may want to cut the profile out of a piece of plywood for either side of the wall and then frame in between to hold it together. Mainly, you want to have plenty of places to screw your drywall, especially along the edges where you'll add the cornerbead.

Our curves weren't very large, so I was able to cut the entire profile out of some scrap pieces of 2x6 lumber. I made the first one by tracing the curve onto it from one of the existing doorways. Once one was complete, I used it as the template to make 3 more, giving me enough for both of the corners.

At this stage, remember where you want the finished wall to end up. If you're adding 1/2" drywall, the curves should account for this. I'm actually matching mine up to the old plaster, so I left them 1/2" from the surface of the plaster so I can patch with drywall and just tape and mud all the joints.

The curves can be nailed or screwed into place and you're finished. Be gentle so you don't split them and have to start over. The drywall will come in the next week or so as I begin work on the kitchen. Read it here.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Time For a New Basement Door

The small home that we're renovating has a full unfinished basement with a concrete floor. This has made our under-the-house repairs much easier. However, there's also an exterior door down there. It had completely rotted and been boarded up. Time for a new one.

First, let me mention that many of these older homes are built with downstairs door just like this. The huge problem with this is that water will pool at the bottom of the stairs and eventually damage the door and possibly get into the basement. The very best solution is usually to build some sort of roof covering over the stairs so that it stays dry. For our project, I would just be replacing the door, but using materials that might last a little longer.

I started by ripping out the old door, which was pretty easy considering its condition. The homeowner bought a salvaged 32" exterior door at Hailey's Salvage. My plan was to first build the door frame out of pressure treated 2x8 and then install the unit and trim around the edges to close the gaps as well as possible.

Knowing that water would pool at the bottom of these stairs, I wanted to prevent the door from sitting in the water as much as possible. For this reason, I actually made a threshold out of a treated 2x8 and then put door stop trim all the way around the inside of the jamb, including across the bottom. Not only will this close the air gaps, but hopefully also be another roadblock to any water entry and get the door up off of the floor.

To attach the frame to the masonry walls I first attached some plywood nailers on either side using some long Tapcon screws. I actually had some treated plywood scraps around that worked great because they are less likely to split than using other lumber. This held quite well and once they were installed it was just a matter of installing the door frame, leveling it up and nailing it in like any other door installation.

The entire door frame is made out of pressure treated lumber, ready to battle those elements...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Adapting and Trimming the Windows

One huge difference between an old garage and a living space is windows. It was time to install the windows, but making salvaged windows fit the style of a house can be tricky. For this project, we were flexible on size because I gutted the inside and could frame the opening to any size necessary. The bigger task was to make these windows look like the belonged to this house.

The double window I found for the front was in decent shape, but still required some repairs. First, I had to build a new window sill to go across the bottom. The window unit will actually sit on this. The sill piece is notched at an angle so that it tilts a little downward to help water run off. It's not glamorous, but I made the sill out of a spare 2x4. The thickness is the perfect size to match our other windows.

With the sill in place, I then nailed a safety board across the window hole so the window would not fall out the other side when I set it up there. No, it's never happened to me. I just try to work slow enough that I think about these things... :)

I had to remake the trim that goes around the perimeter of the window and holds the top sash in place. I used some 3/4" stock that I ripped to 1 3/8" wide. The window unit had notches where this trim had once been so I knew exactly where to put it and what size it needed to be.

Next, I made the trim for the top with the drip cap just like the back door (yesterday's post) and then installed the side casing. The center opening needed another 3/4" board ripped to the right width to cover the cavity that conceals the window's counter weights. Each window has 1 working counter weight. They should have 2, but I suppose it amazing they still have half of them intact.

On the side of the old garage was an old window that was rotted and in bad shape. I found this Jeld-wen unit at Hailey's. It cranks out and fit the rough opening without me having to make many adjustments. It's the most modern and energy efficient window in the house!

I still need to replace some siding and caulk everything, but I'm anxious to start framing. Let's build a wall next...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Installing the Back Door

It was finally time to install the back door at my garage conversion project (see these posts). The old back door was damaged and needed to be moved because of the new utility room wall that will soon be framed. I found a great door at Hailey's Salvage (this post) that will coordinate well with the rest of the home.

I started by adding treated trimmer studs on either sides of the door. I used treated because they come in contact with the cement at the bottom and this will help them not to absorb water and rot. I measured the exact dimensions of the door and framed the entire doorway, leaving around 1" around the door for the doorjamb with some wiggle-room.

If you can find a pre-hung door already in a door jamb it will be easier to install. We didn't have this luxury so I made the door jamb and even installed the door in it before placing it in the doorway. It doesn't always make sense to do it this way, but it allowed me to make sure my doorjamb was the right size to have around 1/8" gap around the door for a perfect fit.

The framing was level so installing the door was pretty straightforward, starting with the hinge side and working my way around the door to make sure all the gaps were parallel and the door fit right.

Now I could start thinking about the exterior trim. These old houses are tricky because they use trim that is hard to find these days. You have to be creative and basically custom make each piece. For the door and window casings, the original was a full inch thick (not 3/4" like most boards are today). It needs to be this thick because of the depth of the wood siding that butts up next to it. So, the stock I start with is 5/4" x 4" Paulownia. This may require some explanation.

First, Paulownia is a light-weight wood similar to balsa except stronger and resistant to splitting. It's very popular for exterior trim because it's naturally resistant to rot and decay. I get mine at Walker Ace Lumber and it comes already primed. The 5/4" x 4" boards are actually 1 1/8" by 3 1/2". That will work for our purposes, though I'll have to rip them all down to 3" wide to match the other window and door casings.

The other trick is what to use for that little trim that is on top of the door and windows. It's actually called a drip-cap. They sell it at the home stores like Home Depot, but theirs is a little bulkier than the historic stuff. I prefer the one that Walker Lumber has because it's shape is right and it's made out of PVC. PVC is a great choice for exterior trim because it won't rot. This especially good for a drip-cap because if it's wood it will eventually rot.

My technique is to first cut the top trim and the drip cap and nail them together as a unit. The drip cap has a lip on the back that actually slides under the wood siding. This is very important in keeping the water out of the house. I install the top trim first and then I can see where I need to cut the siding to install the side pieces. I make a chalk line and cut it with my jig saw upside down at an angle (like you're about to do a plunge cut). I find that using the jig saw like this is a little more accurate than trying to do it with the reciprocal saw.

The trim goes in quickly with some long trim nails. For this installation, make sure the nails are galvanized. This will help prevent rust showing up from the nail heads.

Pink siding with a green door? Why not?

Just kidding, it will get painted... :)

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Framing for the New Window

After getting the doorway framed, it was time to focus on the new window. At one time, long ago, this room was a garage. The garage door opening has since been framed and covered with lap siding. Now it was time to make room for a new window that will give this room plenty of light.

We found this double window at Hailey's Salvage (see this post). It was a good find because it will coordinate with the homes other windows well and it's already got a few layers of paint just like the others! :) Overall it's in great shape and even had a a sill and a couple of old counter-weights intact.

The rough opening will need to be around 45" tall by 68" wide. I measured the location from the outside because I wanted the top of the window to match the height of the others on the front of the house. This garage has a lower roofline than the rest of the house so I measured the existing windows and just made the distance from the window to the eave the same for my new one.

With the height now figured out, I centered the window on the wall and drilled a hole through the siding as a reference point. Back inside, I could now place king studs at either side of the rough opening. These are the studs that go from the floor to ceiling. Next to them will come trimmer studs that will support the new 2x6 header above the window.

Before cutting studs I added a couple temporary supports to the top plate because this exterior wall is load-bearing, carrying the weight of the attic and rafters above. Once my header was in place with supporting trimmer studs I could remove the temporary supports.

I cut the siding so it would overlap my king studs and saved the boards for later. I'll trim the siding back more once I have the window installed and know where the casing will end up. Like when I added the door (this post), it's a good idea to leave plenty of siding for later.

Even just having this huge hole in the wall made a dramatic difference to the feel of the room. Windows are a good thing.

This window is an especially good thing because it will give our concrete truck a way to get the cement in for the new slab. That's coming up next!

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Move The Back Door

Part of the plan for this room is to build a wall around the laundry area to make it into a utility closet. However, this wall would be in the way of the old back door. The answer is to move the back door over a couple feet.

Before I do too much framing, we're going to have a new cement slab poured to level the floor. This will raise the floor up by a few inches so, for now, I'm just going to make a rough opening with a new header and then finish it next week after the cement is here.

To get started I took the old door out and then extended the small block wall over to where the new door will be. I'm not a brick mason, so this is about the extent of my masonry skills. :)

After giving the block a day to set up I added a treated 2x8 on top to act as a bottom late for my wall. Then I added a couple studs, keeping in mind that my new laundry wall will also intersect here.

I measured over from the new block that I installed to make a 44" rough opening for my 36" door. This will allow me to put 2 trimmer studs on each side of the door to stabilize it next to the block. Again, I'll be adding these after the cement shows up. For now I'm just trying to get the opening in the right place.

One trick to moving doors or windows like this is to consider where the siding should end up. If you cut it too short, you'll have to replace a lot of siding to get it to butt up to your new door casing. The secret is to leave plenty of extra siding- you can always cut it shorter later once you know exactly where the door casing will be. In my case I cut the siding at the edge of the trimmer studs, leaving around a 38" opening so that the siding currently hangs over 3" on each side.

Next, let's do a window!

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Window & Door Treasures at Hailey's Salvage

Before getting too far with my garage conversion project, it was very important to find the windows and door that would make the space more like a living room and less like a garage. Not wanting to special order an expensive window to match the character of the house, I decided to go treasure hunting.

My first stop is usually the Habitat Store downtown. They had been fairly picked over so I headed over to a place on Dickerson Road called Hailey's Salvage.

I knew about Hailey's but hadn't found the need to go there before this project. It's an amazing place full of old used items that had been salvaged from demolitions or renovations, as well as some new odds and ends of many kinds.

I started down an aisle between two large buildings that were both full to the brim with used doors and windows. They were literally stacked all over the place. They had wood doors of every type from the turn-of-the-century, to common Masonite.

For our project, we wanted to match the other front windows as much as possible which where 8-over-8, which means that the top and bottom sashes each had 8 panes of glass (two rows of four each). Even after sifting through Hailey's windows I discovered that these were just too rare.

It may have been for the better because we settled instead on getting a double window, which is actually two windows joined with trim in the middle. These were 6-over-6, but were the old style wood windows that originally had weights and pulleys. I might have to scrape them before painting, but they will match the home's other windows very well.

By the way, if you're wanting new windows, check Hailey's first. If you ask nicely, Jim (my guide on the treasure hunt) will take you to ANOTHER huge building across the street where the keep all of their new windows and doors that were closeouts or whatever. Upstairs they have mostly vinyl windows of all shapes, while downstairs (yes, in the cellar) they have more wood ones or wood-vinyl.

The prices aren't crazy cheap, but for items you can't find anywhere else I thought it was reasonable. The newer windows were around $175 each which is comparable to most of the stock windows at Home Depot, but Hailey's has tons of unique sizes and shapes that would easily cost double that amount at full retail.

The used double window I bought was $95 and I also picked up a nice solid wood Craftsman-looking exterior door with four little windows across the top for $110. You could easily spend $400+ for a door like that. It needs paint, but otherwise was in great shape. (Even came with hinges.. :)

Anyway, check out Hailey's for your project. My only advice is to go in the early stages. The more flexible you can be on the sizes you're looking for, the more likely you'll find something fantastic.

By the way, they have WAY more than just windows and doors. How about sinks, toilets, mouldings, sidelights, faucets, light fixtures, tons of storm windows, and probably more that I didn't even get to. That place is huge...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Removing Part of the Kitchen Wall Part 1

A common project on many people's wish list is to open up their kitchen by removing a wall, or at least making an opening in a wall. That's the goal at my current project where I will be removing much of the wall between a kitchen and dining room, installing a beautiful wood serving counter that will be the new centerpiece for this entertaining space.

Today was demolition day. Maybe I should say careful demolition. The trick with this project is to keep the mess to a minimum and reduce the amount of drywall repairs to make as well.

So, how do you widen a doorway? This home was only a couple years old, so it will make a great candidate to cover the basic steps to the process.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a NON-Load bearing wall.

1. Carefully remove trim. Once again, carefully. Much of the casing from the old door will be reused around the new, wider opening so I want to carefully save as much as possible. See this post to learn how to not ruin every piece as you remove it.

2. After the trim is off, I removed the door jamb. It's often easiest to cut the nails around a door jamb with a reciprocal saw. Then, the jamb comes out as one unit that you can disassemble. If you just start prying on it you're more likely to damage it. I'll need those pieces later and boards aren't cheap these days!

3. Think, then remove drywall. Thinking this all the way through will save you time and suffering from cutting something you shouldn't. My new header will be at the same height as the old one, except extend all the way across the room. The header will be 2x6, so I added 5 1/2" to the height of the cripple stud, marked a level line and cut all the way across on one side.

I will need to slide the header in from one side, but the drywall on the back can stay intact. If I can keep from damaging it, that will save me some work down the line. I used my little drywall saw for most of these cuts because power tools make so much more dust.

Before pulling drywall off, score the corners with a utility knife and cut around the perimeter with a hand saw or reciprocal saw. Then you can pull the drywall off in pieces.

4. Move any electrical. With the drywall removed I can easily see any wiring that needs to be dealt with. This home was fairly easy in that there was only a couple light switches and all the wires ran up to the attic. I was able to put a junction box in the attic where I could extend the wires enough to reach new switches on an adjacent wall.

Next we start removing lumber. I'll cover that tomorrow...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Custom Transom for Interior Door

A client of mine wanted to add French doors to divide a large bonus room upstairs in his home. It's the same room where we installed the laminate flooring a few weeks ago. (See this post.)

Anyway, he ordered the doors to be custom made to fit this opening.  The only problem was, there was still a 7 inch gap at the top.  Instead of covering this with drywall or trim, he wanted me to build a transom or window over the door to coordinate with the French doors below.

I measured the door frame below and wanted to match this size with the transom above.  I bought some 1/8th inch window glass and made the frames out of 1x6 boards that I had to rip to 4 1/2 inches.  To strengthen the corners I made mortise joints in the horizontal pieces that the sides would fit into.  You can see the notches in the picture.

The glass would be set toward the back, around 3/4" from the edge to match the French doors.  Thinking ahead, I realized that if I put this all together I would not be able to get my nail gun inside the frame to nail the muntins in place. ( A muntin is the strip of wood trim that will hold the window in place.) So, I glued & nailed the top and bottom muntins before I assembled the frame.  You can see in the first picture that the muntin is already in place.

I clamped the frame together on a flat surface with a little glue and held it together with a couple clamps while a put some nails in the corners.  The clamps enabled me to square it up perfectly before I nailed it.  It needs to be square so that the window will fit right.

Now that the frame was finished I inserted the glass over the muntins I already installed and added the muntins on the other side.  This would 'sandwich' the glass in place.

WHERE DID I GET MUNTINS?   

This took a little improvisation.  I ended up buying some pieces of mullion trim that are widely available and 1 1/4" wide.  (Mullion is trim that separates different windows, whereas muntins separate panes of glass, at least that's how I understand it...)  I ripped about 3/8" off of each edge to use as the muntins.  This worked great for this project because the edge profile was a very close match for the muntins used for the doors and sidelight.

Once the transoms were completely built I positioned them in place above the door and tacked them in place with some finish nails.  All that was left was add normal door casing.

It was a beautiful day and this was a fun project.  Kind of like craft day at school, except with nail guns...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com