how to extend a basement door?

[Joe]

I have a basement door that is about 2 inches off the ground and in the winter I can feel the cold air coming in from the basement. I bought one of those pads that hook under the door but the gap is too large to create a decent seal so I'm thinking about extending the door. Is it as easy as cutting a piece to fit and screwing it on? Is there a way to do it so it looks somewhat invisible? I'm also worried about the seasonal swelling. How much space should I leave?

[ransley]

Put in a threshold and seal it tight, dont the mice, bugs and rats come in too

[Red Green]

Joe wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Could be that easy.

Might be easier. Depends on if it's acceptable to you and if it will work in your case.

I'd say leave a half inch.

[DerbyDad03]

What kind of door is it - wood? fiberglass? steel? other? What is the bottom strip made of? - wood? fiberglass? steel? other?

It would be easy to screw an extension onto the bottom if there is a thick enough wooden strip inside the shell of the door, but if it's a foam-filled steel door, you might not have much for the screw to grab on to. It could still be done, but you would need to use something other than just screws.

As far as "invisible", it will once again depend on how the repair is made. - If the door can be painted, then wood putty, bondo, caulk or any other method of hiding the seam should work.

The gap would be dependent on the type of threshold you have. Go look at a few similiar doors at the borg or a window and door dealer and see how they deal with the same type of door/threshold.