French Doors

Repair help for the do-it-yourselfer.
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Psaltee

We want to take out the window in the family room and replace it with a french door. Is there a special manner of install with a project like this or can it be done as you would installing one in a stick built house? It is September and wondering if we should wait until next summer. Would like to get it in now. How much time is needed to allow for this project. Your experience and tips would be greatly appreciated.
psaltee
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Greg S
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Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:13 am
Location: Kingston Ontario Canada

Check first with city/county to obtain building permit. Structural changes such as this require permits and will have specific regulations related to mobile homes.
An individual must enforce his own meaning in life and rise above the perceived conformity of the masses. (Anton LaVey)
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Greg
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Personally I would wait until next summer, but that is your call. I will require doing some reframing work, so make sure you actually have the wall height. You will want at least a double if not a triple top header, so you need about 6" more height than the door to allow for the frame. You want to check the codes in your area and pull the required permits.

Make sure the home is level before starting, relevel if it is needed.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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JD
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If it were me, I would sister in 2x6 blocking against the rim joist to strengthen latch area where the door closes. The new proper header would close the latch on the top. Approved plans = adequate building design.
☯JD♫
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All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
Denise
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Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:27 pm
Location: Finger, TN

Just wondering, do you need permits to swap out a sliding patio doors to French doors?
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Greg S
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Location: Kingston Ontario Canada

Providing the original rough opening is not enlarged in any way you should not require a permit. Same size or smaller is fine assuming the sliding door was factory installed or permit was pulled if installed on site.
An individual must enforce his own meaning in life and rise above the perceived conformity of the masses. (Anton LaVey)
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Greg
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Denise wrote:Just wondering, do you need permits to swap out a sliding patio doors to French doors?
It TOTALLY depends on your location, some areas want a permit to paint your house. Your best bet is to check with the codes office.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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