I will be installing a new storm door, where there is presently an old, not very useful, storm door. Can anyone tell me how difficult this will be? Besides the storm door, what will I need on hand in order to get this done? Would it be a good idea to have shims available when I'm doing this installation? Is this a job better left to a professional? After I get the door installed, I'll be taking it down and installing a doggy door into it. Anything I need to know about that installation?
Since you are installing a doggy door, can we assume this is a wood storm door?
In most cases, it is pretty much a matter of screwing the hinges in place. If it is an odd size or out of square, the door will have to be trimmed to fit. Useful tools are tape measure, screwdriver, drill, plane, hammer, possibly a saw, wood chisel, hammer.
Edwin, Thanks for your quick reply, and your advice. I believe I have everything, except the plane. Hopefully I won't need one, but if I do, there's a place here in town where I can probably get one.
Brigitte wrote on 05 Aug 2007 in group alt.home.repair:
I'm assuming a typical metal-framed storm door with a plastic over wood panel at the bottom.
You might need some help holding the door up while you put the first screws in.
You won't need shims, but you might need some trim wood for spacing. Shims are the small angled pieces that look like wood shingles. They'll definitely be too wide to fit in your door. If you need anything, it will be a long strip of wood to fill in behind the metal frame of the storm door so it fits properly in an oversized opening. You'll just have to measure carefully to determine what's needed. You can usually use some pre-cut molding from the lumber yard, but not always.
To install the door you'll need: Drill and bits Tape measure Screwdrivers - Phillips, maybe standard Hacksaw Level Stepladder
To do the doggie door you'll need: Drill and bits Jigsaw Speed square to draw right-angle lines for the cut Tape measure Screwdrivers - Phillips, maybe standard
Both products will have instructions and a list of required tools on the box, so anything I've left out will be mentioned there.
Follow the instructions which come with the door. One instruction usually left out of door packages: think. Yes, think and all goes well.
It may take you a bit, but you'll learn something on the way. When done, you will be proud of your work. If it doesn't work, no problem, ask someone else to help.
This is the sort of thing where doing it before several times helps a lot - experience. Also being "handy" in general. Knowing how to work with wood, metal, how to use various tools.
It could be easy and a perfect install - everything works ok, everything lines up ok.
Or there could be problems. Storm door a bit too large. Storm door a bit too small. Could be too large/small sideways, up/down, or both. Door opening not square, floor not level.
My experience is that any time I have installed any doors in an already built building, there are problems. If a new building being constructed, then piece of cake.
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