I have a small old stone outbuilding in the garden which I am slowly making
warm and dry. It might be used as an office, or a workshop or a teenagers'
vice den. The door is a rotten old ill fitting ledge and brace affair which
I want to retain so the outside is unchanged. I want to hang a second,
inward opening door on the inside of the door frame which will be draught
proof, well insulated for sound and heat and let in the maximum of light so
I can open the outer door and get the light through the inner door.

So I need a simple, modern, single pane, double glazed odd size door to go
in an existing wood frame. I know about joinery and one option is to make a
plain wooden door, but I don't know about aluminium, upvc, or even plain
glass. What are the alternatives to wood?

Tim W

On 17/12/2010 12:31, Tim W wrote:
I have a small old stone outbuilding in the garden which I am slowly making
warm and dry. It might be used as an office, or a workshop or a teenagers'
vice den. The door is a rotten old ill fitting ledge and brace affair which
I want to retain so the outside is unchanged. I want to hang a second,
inward opening door on the inside of the door frame which will be draught
proof, well insulated for sound and heat and let in the maximum of light so
I can open the outer door and get the light through the inner door.

So I need a simple, modern, single pane, double glazed odd size door to go
in an existing wood frame. I know about joinery and one option is to make a
plain wooden door, but I don't know about aluminium, upvc, or even plain
glass. What are the alternatives to wood?

Tim W



It's easy enough to get an aluminium or uPVC door made up to your own
dimensions, but these would normally come complete with a frame designed
to fit into an aperture in brickwork. A uPVC frame - in particular -
needs to be firmly attached to brickwork to give it the necessary
rigidity. I don't think that you can easily fit aluminium or uPVC doors
into an existing wooden frame.

I don't quite understand how your suggestion is going to work anyway.
How deep is the frame - is there room for *another* door in addition to
the existing one? Are the doors going to be virtually touching each
other? What about space for handles/knobs etc. (i.e. inner handle on
existing door and outer handle on new door)?
--
Cheers,
Roger
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On Dec 17, 2:29*pm, Roger Mills wrote:

I don't think that you can easily fit aluminium or uPVC doors
into an existing wooden frame.

Yes you can, subject to two things:

* They have to fit. They're normally designed to replace the wooden
frame, so they're now going to need to be a couple of inches smaller
all round. Made to measure isn't a problem, but I always like to
recycle for sheds (i.e. skip-dive!)

* The frame they're attached to has to be rigid, certainly for uPVC,
especially if they're three-point locking. uPVC is quite flexible, yet
it's designed to fit very precisely with tiny clearance, so any flex
in the supporting frame causes trouble with jamming and locks that
won't. Wooden frames are OK, but not rotten wooden frames, or small,
loose screws.


On the whole, I'd probably take the existing door off, repair it,
replace the existing frame if it's less than perfect, and then replace
the original and refurbished door.

Refurbishment is likely to involve screwing every board to the
bracing, rather than relying on nails (nails flex). You can also hang
PIR insulation on the inside, which will still be less obvious than a
second door. The new frame can either have deep rebates, or else new
strips nailed to the old frame for the same effect, and a foam rubber
compression gasket for draughtproofing. You can also refurb the bottom
edge - my shed door (similar construction) used to have a half inch
gap, probably for draining the shed. The floor inside was an inch or
two higher. It still has the old gap at the bottom of the boards above
the outside yard, but it now has another brace inside, with a brush
draught seal in it that seats on the floor (or you could add a raised
threshold strip).

"Roger Mills" wrote in message
...
On 17/12/2010 12:31, Tim W wrote:
I have a small old stone outbuilding in the garden which I am slowly
making
warm and dry. It might be used as an office, or a workshop or a
teenagers'
vice den. The door is a rotten old ill fitting ledge and brace affair
which
I want to retain so the outside is unchanged. I want to hang a second,
inward opening door on the inside of the door frame which will be draught
proof, well insulated for sound and heat and let in the maximum of light
so
I can open the outer door and get the light through the inner door.

So I need a simple, modern, single pane, double glazed odd size door to
go
in an existing wood frame. I know about joinery and one option is to make
a
plain wooden door, but I don't know about aluminium, upvc, or even plain
glass. What are the alternatives to wood?



It's easy enough to get an aluminium or uPVC door made up to your own
dimensions, but these would normally come complete with a frame designed
to fit into an aperture in brickwork. A uPVC frame - in particular - needs
to be firmly attached to brickwork to give it the necessary rigidity. I
don't think that you can easily fit aluminium or uPVC doors into an
existing wooden frame.

Thanks, I wondered if that might be so. I could attach an alu frame inside
the existing.

I don't quite understand how your suggestion is going to work anyway. How
deep is the frame - is there room for *another* door in addition to the
existing one? Are the doors going to be virtually touching each other?
What about space for handles/knobs etc. (i.e. inner handle on existing
door and outer handle on new door)?

The existing timber door frame is 3" x 5" softwood in good shape, so yes
there is just enough space, I might need to add a bit to it and I will need
to make sure the handles don't clash.

Tim W

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On Dec 17, 2:29 pm, Roger Mills wrote:

I don't think that you can easily fit aluminium or uPVC doors
into an existing wooden frame.

Yes you can, subject to two things:

* They have to fit. They're normally designed to replace the wooden
frame, so they're now going to need to be a couple of inches smaller
all round. Made to measure isn't a problem, but I always like to
recycle for sheds (i.e. skip-dive!)

That's interesting, ta. Given the existing frame is sound and is a full 3"
thick (eg 3x5 timber hand planed one side) could I attach a new alu door
frame to the inside face of it? I wouldn't want to reduce the opening. It is
33" in the rebates now so I would have trouble getting furniture in there if
it is cut down to 28"ish.

Tim W