Replacing door

[phelpcd1]

I am wanting to replace the back door with a front door and storm door. The door doesn't shut very good and pops open alot. I am having the hardest time finding one that opens on the correct side (towards the dryer). I found a set on the internet, but with shipping it would cost almost $600. I am not going to pay that for a door. What are my other options? My neighbor put in all sliding glass doors in his but his is a double and palm harbor which is alot better than my tiny single clayton. I don't want a wood door either. How can I tell if I have enough room to put in a home depot standard size door? Hopefully this pic came out....

[WildIrish]

I'm no expert, but I'd simply measure the existing door to find out the size, then call Home Depot, etc., to see if they have what you need.

We're replacing a door soon, and in making some calls, we found that the newer metal doors are cheaper than traditional wood doors...so it's good that you don't want a wood door!

[phelpcd1]

Thanks, but I've already measured and home depot doesn't carry doors that short. The width is not the problem. I'm trying to figure out if I would have enough room to cut out the boards and fit a regular sized door in (height-wise). There is a little gutter over the door on the outside which would have to go but I don't know if that would also cut into the regular gutter which I can't lose. I am going to talk with my carpenter friend who will be doing the door today so I'll see what he can come up with.

[Greg]

Check the "articles" section of the site for instructions on how to cut a full size door down.
You may also be able to enlarge the opening to fit a full size door. It does take some work but usually not a hard job. Greg

[Dirty White Boy]

Craigslist...lol

I found 2 32" doors and a 36" door with a storm door for free. I was going to cut them down but the 36 wound just look goofy at only 75".

Your best bet would be a standard 80" tall door since finding shorter ones seem to be overly expensive.

[AbbottsManor]

I am also looking to replace our back mobile home type door with a regular door. The actual door itself measures 32" by 76" with the rough? opening being 34 1/4 by 78 1/4" I looked at doors at Lowes today and found one that was 32" wide. I know I have to cut the height down, but will this door fit in the wall width wise with out modification in our 1990 Skyline single wide. I am concerned how thick the door frame is, is it going to be too thick for the wall?

Thanks,

Chris

[mokehillannie]

I would think if your outside walls are 2 X 4 that it would be thick enough for a standard door jam.

If your walls are thinner that that, there may be a problem.

[WildIrish]

Question for those talking about cutting a door down....

The original poster says she wants a metal door. So wouldn't it be more practical to have a handyman cut the doorway large enough to fit in a regular metal door?

[Greg]

In many homes you CAN fit a full size door in with a little "Modification", HOWEVER there are some homes that simply do not have enough height to fit a door, frame and header to support the roof. Greg

[Dirty White Boy]

My walls aRE 2X3...so I need to rip some width from the casing on the door first.

[phelpcd1]

That is what i'm trying to figure out.........how do I know if I have enough room in height to put in a standard size door 80". I don't want to tear everything down first, so I was hoping some people who may have already done this could give me an idea of how tall exactly was the opening from ceiling to floor.

Then again, I may have him just see if he can adjust the door to close properly because it doesn't sound like i'm going to find an easy answer.

[WildIrish]

I was hoping some people who may have already done this could give me an idea of how tall exactly was the opening from ceiling to floor.

Then again, I may have him just see if he can adjust the door to close properly because it doesn't sound like i'm going to find an easy answer.

Ideally, the best thing would be to have a handyman look at it, and see first-hand what there is to deal with.

As far as adjusting the existing door, I'd suggest a couple of things.

First, your library might have how-to books about the subject. There's also a book sold here on mobilehomerepair.com that is specifically about mobile home repairs (I'm going to get a copy of it, myself).

One of your concerns was that you wanted the door to open on the "correct side". With a little work, one could take the existing door and put the hinges on in such a way that it would open the way you want. I see evidence that this was done in the mobile home we just bought, so I know it's possible.

Just something to think about, and I hope these ideas might inspire you to find a solution that will work for you.

[oldfart]

M'am let me offer up some thoughts here. First off, how hard would it be to remove the paneling around the existing door to look and see how much available area is usable above the doorway? The area of concern is above the doorway...not side-to-side. Is there enough room above the existing doorway to accomadate a standard 80in. door? Yes...I know most standard "rough openings" are 81 1/2inches. Truth be told..you really don't need that much. I've fit a normal door into a 80 1/4 inch rough opening. Now..if you still don't have enough room do you have any local welding/machine/body shops? Here's why I ask. To special order a 78in. door from H.D. or Lowes we're talking $500 at least. You can buy a standard steel door (80in.) for less than half that...right? (probably much less...) Okey-dokey. Now...ask the local welder if you can bring the door into them..have them cut it down to size and weld a bottom back on. How much? We're only talking a 10min. weld job here. Yes..you have to cut the frame down..it's wood..no problem. Want to save a few more bucks? Cut the steel door down yourself. These steel doors are paper-thin and a standard circular-saw will cut thru them like butter. It's just two wafer-thin sheets of steel with a styro-foam filled core. Wear eye protection and ear-plugs!! You can even fit a bottom filler of wood and eliminate the welders fee. A bit of paint and a treshold trim piece....done. JMHO of course..Audie..the longwinded Oldfart...

[phelpcd1]

Thanks! I didn't even know you could cut down a steel door. I will have my carpenter friend check that out. The only way I can really see how much room i've got is to pull the sheetrock off the top area of the door. I just didn't want to do that cuz it's stapled on and does not come off easy! You should have seen the mess we dealt with when removing a whole wall.......looked like a staple gun and glue ran amuckk!!

I'm sure i'll figure something out...........eventually.

[oldfart]

Whatthe.....they stapled the sheetrock/drywall?? Now I understand the glue...use it mysef' religiously! But they stapled it up?? Whatthe...they did what? Okey-dokey..first I've heard of that but no matter. M'am the beauty of sheetrock/drywall is the ease of repairing it. To check the area above the doorway for enough room to install a standard sized door just lay a straight-edge ( ruler, standard 4ft. level, carpenters-square or even a straight piece of lumber) alongside the door frame and run a razor knife/utility-knife to the ceiling and then side to side to connect the two lines. 3 simple cuts. one UP on each side of the doorway and 1 going horizontal from side to side at the joint of the ceiling and doorway to connect the 2 cuts. Now take out that (relativly) small section of sheetrock and see whats behind it. Not enough room for a std. door? Okey-dokey. Cut a piece of sheetrock sized to fit the hole and glue&screw it back in place. Lowes and Home Depot sell 2x4 pieces of sheetrock..no need to buy a whole sheet. Mind ye..it doesn't have to be perfect! They sell drywall mud in 5gal. buckets! Pick up a "patching-kit" at Lowes er' Home Depot and tape the seam and foller the instructions. A dab of primer..a smidgen of paint and no one will ever know. If it's a big boo-boo or you hack it up like I usually do...a curtain rod..a puddy valance and SHAZZAM! Now it's fancy! Audie..the Oldfart...