On Thu, 15 Jul 2010 07:04:37 -0400, Harry ?
wrote:

On 7/15/10 1:50 AM, jps wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:10:29 -0400, Harry
wrote:

On 7/14/10 3:03 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:38:01 -0400, Harry
wrote:

I know I am going to regret this, but…

I’ve decided to rip out the last sliding patio door in our house and
replace it with inward opening double French doors and double screen
doors. The part I think I will regret is that I’m convincing myself
that I ought be the one who removes the old door and installs the new
doors. I think it is just a hair beyond my carpentry capabilities, so it
would be a good learning experience for me. If I do that right, why,
maybe I’ll start building rowboats in my spare time!

Anyway, I ordered the doors and trimmings and I’ll have about four weeks
to make up my mind before they arrive. Choice was between wood doors,
clad wood doors, or fiberglass doors. I ordered the latter.

If you're a believer, pray for me. :)


We went with Andersen 400 Frenchwood sliders. They look like french
doors but still slide.

The real trick with anything like this is getting the rough opening
right and bucking the door in.


I wanted the french doors so we could get items wider than a single door
in or out of the house. It's only a 60" opening, in total, so with only
one side opening, the actual space available is less than 30".

If I get this door in myself, I can just hear my wife saying, "Hey...how
about building this greenhouse, pergola, whatever..."


Even if you're reasonably handy, I'd still recommend having a
carpenter install. I've built a good many things that came out square
but getting doors straight, especially french doors, requires a bit of
art in addition to skill.

I expect you had the doors ordered prehung based on the opening, eh?

Whatever mistake you make you'll live with for years to come. If the
carpenter ****s up, you can be ****ed at him and ask him to fix it.

That's the thought flashing around my synapses. The company from which I
ordered the doors will remove the old slider and install the new door
set for $500. I am tempted.

Consider it sanity insurance. Watch and learn and you'll tackle the
next set.