Fixing exterior door when existing opening is too big

[HappyHoya]

I live in a home built in the 1950s that has been partially updated. Unfortunately, one of these updates by the previous sellers was to replace the original door with a modern door that does not fit the size of the door opening. We noted it during inspection and they attempted to "fix it" with huge amounts of weather stripping, but we need to deal with this door for energy and security reasons. The door is an exterior door leading out of a walk-out basement. The house is brick. The existing door is about 2 inches too short for the opening. Here's where it gets tricky: the sides of the door and jamb are restrained by being up against the side of the exit stairwell on the exterior and on the other side being right up against the stairs into the basement from the interior. It seems as if updating the stairs for modern reno codes made the door a much tighter fit side-to-side. I'd rather not cut into our stairs or masonry, so I don't think a new prehung door is possible (would require a wider opening width wise than what's available). We've had several professionals come out for consultations and several have mentioned fixing the jamb and one suggested ordering a new custom door. All of the quotes we e received have been way over what the value of the service is to us right now. I am reasonably handy and somewhat proficient in woodwork, but I have no idea how to approach this. All the guidance I've seen about repairing a jamb is for repairing damaged parts, not adding material to just one side (top) of the door. Does anyone have any experience with this? Even if I have to hire a professional, I want to understand what they are doing so I do not get ripped off. For the man who mentioned fixing the jamb, he was talking about just adding some wood, but I can't for the life of me understand how that would solve the problem of the hole in the brick wall being too large. Any thoughts?

[Cromacster]

You can buy custom pre-hung doors.  They can make them to fit pretty much any frame.  I needed to do this and the door cost me $300, the standard door of the same model was $100.

[HappyHoya]

You can buy custom pre-hung doors.  They can make them to fit pretty much any frame.  I needed to do this and the door cost me $300, the standard door of the same model was $100.

Is that the only option? That would require replacing the jamb.There isn't access from the outside and replacing the jamb from the inside would mess up a new (not installed by us) staircase.

[Fishindude]

Need photos.

[HappyHoya]

Need photos.

I've had a tough time capturing photos that adequately show the problem, but here are two pictures I have for now, in case that's helpful. Right now the door is hung really high in the opening, with a ridiculous amount of weather stripping on the bottom. The weather stripping is doing nothing and let's air out constantly. It also failed to serve as any protection against weather or water when the starwell outside the door filled up (clogged pipe--separate issue). The door has to be bolted to stay shut. You can see from the outside photo how the door (or a storm door) may have been in a different place in the brick doorway.

[HipGnosis]

Is the door opening 2 inches taller than a standard door or is the door that is there now 2 inches shorter than standard?

Why do you say / think that replacing the door with a pre-hung would mess up an adjacent staircase?

[HappyHoya]

Is the door opening 2 inches taller than a standard door or is the door that is there now 2 inches shorter than standard?

Why do you say / think that replacing the door with a pre-hung would mess up an adjacent staircase?

The door is a standard size. We could easily replace the door. The opening is too long (vertically). Because the door is hung high in the opening, it's adding stress to the jamb where the hinges meet and there is a ~2 inch gap between the bottom of the door and the threshold. The threshold is concrete so not a lot of easy options to fix that. Replacing with a prehung door would require removing the trim and jamb which would require cutting into/removing the bottom step, which you can see in the picture intersects unfortunately with the door. This area is my family's living space and  laundry area and I'd like to avoid anything that would hold up access for very long. Perhaps I am incorrect about what I am imagining this entails, which I'd be happy to hear.

I should add that the door jamb itself appears not to be in great shape, and we'd like to deal with that anyway, rather than ordering a long, skinny door. Ideally I'd like to know how to repair/replace the jamb while building it out in a way that's safe for an exterior door where I won't be able to access the top of the jamb from the outside due to the brick (see photo). All of the tutorials I've seen give directions for interior doors and the solutions they give to build out the structure for a short jamb would not be weather-resistant at all.

[john6221]

Just to clarify...does the door not latch? And the gap is only on the bottom, correct?

If it's only gapping at the bottom, then I don't know why you couldn't just build a new, raised threshold. Or if that would cause issues with the floor, then could you lower the door and add extra to the top jamb? Either way, if you're not interested in removing trim, it's not going to look perfect. The best option would be to remove the door, order a regular pre-hung door, re-size the rough opening, and then install.

[HappyHoya]

Just to clarify...does the door not latch? And the gap is only on the bottom, correct?

If it's only gapping at the bottom, then I don't know why you couldn't just build a new, raised threshold. Or if that would cause issues with the floor, then could you lower the door and add extra to the top jamb? Either way, if you're not interested in removing trim, it's not going to look perfect. The best option would be to remove the door, order a regular pre-hung door, re-size the rough opening, and then install.

I definitely want to move the door down and work on the top rather than the threshold. Removing trim is fine as long as I don't have to remove my bottom step. I guess what I am asking is when you say "add extra to the top jamb" or "resize the rough opening," can you point me in the direction of somewhere I could find out how to do that. Like I mentioned, all the tutorials I've seen wouldn't work in this situation for one reason or another (not for exterior doors, problem weigh access to top of jamb from outside because of bricks, etc.). I have lots of woodworking experience but not with carpentry or building things for outdoor purposes, so I wouldnt know what to do in terms of modifying a tutorial for an exterior door.

[Fishindude]

I'd probably just buy a new door leaf properly sized for the opening.
You can probably re-use hardware.

[john6221]

I thought about this some more and moving the door down is going to be a lot of work. Not only will you have to replace all of the interior trim for it to look right, you will also have to mortise the jamb for the new hinge locations. Not a trivial task.

I think your easiest path forward is to simply build a new threshold and secure it to the concrete. Them your bottom door gap will be smaller.

Back to my other question--is the gap only on the bottom? Does the door latch okay?

[HappyHoya]

I'd probably just buy a new door leaf properly sized for the opening.
You can probably re-use hardware.

So that means no possibility for adding a storm or security door, huh? Bummer. I live in a city and will almost certainly be robbed. At least I don't have very expensive stuff! This door has been such a PITA I wish I didn't buy the house it's attached to. 

[HappyHoya]

I thought about this some more and moving the door down is going to be a lot of work. Not only will you have to replace all of the interior trim for it to look right, you will also have to mortise the jamb for the new hinge locations. Not a trivial task.

I think your easiest path forward is to simply build a new threshold and secure it to the concrete. Them your bottom door gap will be smaller.

Back to my other question--is the gap only on the bottom? Does the door latch okay?

The gap is at the bottom. The door does not latch at all. It sticks and is generally horrible and only stays closed when it's bolted. It's a serious security concern at this point and I am very seriously considering enclosing the entire thing in, except it will cut off our access to our lovely yard.

[john6221]

Well then, if it's a security risk, I think you have to seriously consider replacing the door. If my family's security were at risk, I wouldn't mind removing a stair tread in order to put in a new door.

[paddedhat]

what are the dimensions of the door? What is the brick opening in the exterior wall ( left to right, brick to brick and concrete that sill sits on to bottom of brick (steel?) header) This would give a lot more info as to the feasibility of replacing the door and frame with a pre-hung unit.

[HappyHoya]

Well then, if it's a security risk, I think you have to seriously consider replacing the door. If my family's security were at risk, I wouldn't mind removing a stair tread in order to put in a new door.

Right, and if it comes to that, that's what we will have to do. I was asking if there is a better way.

[lthenderson]

Since the gap is at the bottom under the black weatherstripping, have you considered simply gluing and screwing a filler piece onto the bottom side of the door so that it fits the opening? It will probably be hard to color match the existing stain so you could consider replacing it with some copper or brass kick plates on either side so you can't see the filler piece. Adjusting the latch plate so that the key locks works is a simple task. You just have to move the latch plate to the correct location for it to work. Sometimes this requires to fill in the existing screw holes, (I use the old toothpick and glue method) because they are stripped or too close to the new screw locations and sometimes doing some chisel work to allow the door latch to extend into the jam. For a sticking door, if it is a solid door and you don't want to remove the trim to reshim it, get out a plane and shave the door where it is sticking.

[Papa Mustache]

If the door is a key part of your security then buy a new, custom, door that fits correctly and install it with many screws so it will not yield to a series of kicks. Add a quality knob and deadbolt.

Some of our family has these on all of their exterior doors.

Prime-Line Products U 9888 Flip Action Steel Door Lock

Different brand I'm sure. Add one near the top and one near the bottom of the door. Long screws to tie into the wall stud around the door frame.

Cost of the door vs cost of the robbery and loss of confidence in the security of your home.

[zolotiyeruki]

Since the gap is at the bottom under the black weatherstripping, have you considered simply gluing and screwing a filler piece onto the bottom side of the door so that it fits the opening? It will probably be hard to color match the existing stain so you could consider replacing it with some copper or brass kick plates on either side so you can't see the filler piece. Adjusting the latch plate so that the key locks works is a simple task. You just have to move the latch plate to the correct location for it to work. Sometimes this requires to fill in the existing screw holes, (I use the old toothpick and glue method) because they are stripped or too close to the new screw locations and sometimes doing some chisel work to allow the door latch to extend into the jam. For a sticking door, if it is a solid door and you don't want to remove the trim to reshim it, get out a plane and shave the door where it is sticking.

This is what I'd do in your situation.

[Lulee]

As a temporary fix, you could affix a bit of 2x4 above the threshold.  Just not to the threshold as this is just to buy time without wind/water/weather coming in.

This Old House likely has the info you need to fix the jamb and replace the door (either with a custom door you’ve bought/built or a larger door you’ve cut down to fit the opening sans any temporary fixes like above).  I’ve seen Tommy cut an internal door down to fit a smaller opening, create a custom front door for an odd shaped opening (a Colonial age house where nothing was true and square including the door opening), and work on chewed up jambs.  If you can’t get him to come out and do the work on an Ask This Old House episode, the info on the site should be the next best thing.