french doors and floor levels

[sm_jamieson]

Yes, I know it's "french windows", but everyone calls them doors. Regarding PVCu double glazed doors, e.g. screwfix 1800x2100. These have a plastic cill on the floor similar to window exterior cills. I presume these are usually installed such that you have a ledge to step over when entering or exiting. Is it OK to install such that the floor level is higher inside than out, and the step down is in line with the door ? In other words, interior floor level almost flush with the doors, exterior ground level a step down. This would look good. It may be the usual way for all I know ! Is this idea OK, or should I forget it ? Simon.

[Chris Bacon]

No, they don't. Fight it, and call them by their proper name! Resist the "dumbing down" (sic).

That's how I installed my french windows, and the kitchen door.

[Lobster]

You need to install the french window above the DPC though. Where is that going to be? DPC needs to be above internal floor level.

David

[Chris Bacon]

Below, shurelie?

[Séan Connolly]

You're getting as bad as that bloke who constantly shouts at people for top posting ;-)

[sm_jamieson]

How is this detailed with a concrete slab floor ? I think there is some confusion, but the DPC can be at different levels in the inner and outer leaf of the cavity wall.

Chris, was the step created by the screed, the slab, or by brick coursing ? I need details for all this stuff, as I am drawing up plans at present. They seem to required more precision than I had expected. I want my finished floor to end up the the right place ! Cheers, Simon.

[Chris Bacon]

DPC should be below floor level, or your floor will be liable to damp! There's also the possibility of various levels of damp course, and vertical ones, e.g. around frames.

In the case of the door, I put in a concrete floor with Visqueen polythene DPM, overlayed onto the brickwork under the door sill, and brought up vertically. I bricked up on that to below finished level. When the sill of the new frame was bedded on the brickwork, it was the right level. With the Fe3nch windows, I simply knocked off a course, and simply bedded the (wide) hardwood sill on the course below (solid wall, suspended floor). Nothing technical!

[Chris Bacon]

It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. Why call things by a wrong name? Yes, I suppose in the case of fr3nch windows, it's probably the Yank influence. Surely, if you call these things "doors", then the french bit is redundant, they're merely exterior glazed doors! Some bloke here a while ago was talking about his broken "toilet sink" - well!! The chap on TV glazing a Carolina style door referred to his pin punch as a "hole punch" - what?! He also called his skeleton gun a "glue gun" (not even the less accurate "mastic gun").

[Séan Connolly]

You'd best put the world right and edit this then !

[Rob Morley]

suppose you managed to read the whole article, all three lines of it ...

[sm_jamieson]

I think he may have just edited it. I read it an hour ago, and didn't notice the WINDOWS comment ! Simon.

[Séan Connolly]

Sorry, but please don't inflict your ignorance of how Wikipedia works on me.

[Rob Morley]

I guess that's the wonder of Wiki :-)

[Christian McArdle]

Fit proper wooden ones. Plastic French windows? What a horrible idea!

Christian.

[Chris Bacon]

It says "properly called a French WINDOW".

[Séan Connolly]

Aye, because somebody has edited it since I last looked to say that.

Infact it was at 14:01, 13 October 2005 by 137.108.145.11 I thought it was you !

You see, if I was a revisionist, I could change it back ;-)

(I'm not disputing what you say btw)

[Chris Bacon]

I'm not trying to be awkward, either! It's just that some things get up my nose a bit (brick trowel patterns, for instance).

[Séan Connolly]

LOL ! I know where you're coming from, but I think language tends to evolve (devolve?) and change whether we like it or not !

[Rob Morley]

I'm not sure I'm willing to accept that apology.

[Lobster]

You've got me thinking now. IIRC, every DPC I've come across has been at the level behind the skirting boards. But I suppose it doesn't matter much either way, providing there's a proper DPM beneath the floor, which comes up the side of the slab and behind the skirting - ie, floor will be isolated from below-DPC brickwork either way?

Oh and by the way, please don't call me Shurelie.

David