John Highstreet's Carpentry

164 Port Rd Apt A
Kennebunk, ME 04042
JLHighstreet@gmail.com

French Doors

I started this project during the late summer of 2010 and was fortunate to be working on another great old house. The job entailed removing an older replacement style double window unit with a set of exterior French doors.

There was some speculation that there might be some water damage or perhaps a little dry rot...

Well, let's take a look.

Pictures after the window unit, clapboards and sheathing were removed.
- Interior dust protective wall and a section of sill removed.
- Reveals a bit of carpenter ant damage...
This would have been a fairly straightforward installation had there been only a minor amount of water damage, however once the sheathing was removed it was evident that the sill needed replacing.
I built a temporary wall in the basement to support the floor as well as lift the joists up to level, the exterior sill was unprotected 6x8 posts stacked and shimmed right on top of cinder blocks. The cedar shims were intact because the ants had yummier food in the beams.
New 2x6 pressure treated wall, door framing, sheathing and water protection.
- A 12" wide strip of ice and water shield over the blocks and under the double layer of 2x6's
- Back and front primed 1/2" sheathing with more ice and water shield protecting the door frame.
Exterior threshold sealant and finished door unit.
- I raised the doors and frame by screwing it up into the header and then unloaded an entire tube of silicone under the threshold.
- The finished doors before priming, all holes are filled with bondo for fast drying and permanence.
Trim detail and interior threshold glue-up.
- I used 1 1/8" edge banding around the door trim to create enough depth to cover the clapboard profile.
- This was the least expensive way to create an interior threshold combining 5/4 x 4" stock with a 1 x 2 1/4"
Interior trim details
- There was a baseboard heater that when removed left a blank space on the wall. My solution was to create this detail on both sides to avoid an awkward looking patch.
- I found a piece of crown molding in the shed, and decided to use it. The 1x4 stock under it has blind returns- NO EDGE GRAIN!!
Finished interior and exterior
- Just painted, so there is still painters tape on the hinges, but you get the idea.
- At some point a step will be added that will lead to a slate patio and bonsai garden with koi pond. Okay, I made that last part up...
So, there you have it- a basic installation involving some minor repairs and a little creative trim work.