French door isn't catching when closed

[ScrubsFan]

My house settles in various ways depending on the time of year and the weather conditions. Right now, it's causing something it's never done before and I don't know what to do about it. My French doors are not catching when they're closed, and it's almost impossible to lock the deadbolt. Just FYI, the French doors are double, both sides are actual doors, but one side is always kept locked in place. I've been shoving some wadded up paper between the top of the door and the frame, and that's doing an okay job of pushing the door down slightly enough so that the doorknob catches. But it's a hassle!

My main concern is that the door will accidentally/unknowingly be left 'open' and my cats (strictly indoor) will get out. The door has to be opened many, many times a day because that's the only way for my dogs to go out into the backyard to potty!

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

[mwlogs]

If you house is shifting and settling like that based on the time of year and weather conditions you probably have a bigger problem than just the doors. Is the house, or at least the wall with the doors built over a proper foundation? If so any movement based on normal conditions should be un-noticeable. You should have it checked by a reputable contractor if you can't tell on your own, or eventually the whole thing could cave in on you!

In the meantime, about the only thing you might do is try modifying the latch strike-plate on the door jam. Perhaps cutting the hole for the latch and deadbolt a little larger will allow it to 'float' with the wall and still catch.

Good luck!

[Goedjn]

Spring-loaded hinges, or an automatic door-closer,

[johnny]

"ScrubsFan" wrote

Check for the obvious, loose hinges. Also, check to see if the doors have adjustable hinges. Look for hex heads/Allen heads on the hinges, these type of hinges can move your door to just about any position.