Please provide any information you think may help us in serving your needs.*DEAR TIM: I have a problem. I need a new front door, but I'm being told that I have to have an expensive custom door made. I simply can't afford that right now. My home is brick veneer, and the width between the brick is 45 inches. The height of the opening between the limestone sill and the brick angle iron that passes over the door is a little taller than 84 inches. Is it true that I need a custom door? The frame walls on the other side of the brick are just normal 2-by-4s. Is the contractor just trying to trick me? What are my options? --Karen G., Valparaiso, Ind. DEAR KAREN: I can't pass judgment on the intentions of the contractor who said you need a custom door. It's possible he's dishonest, but it's possible he simply doesn't know how to solve your problem. Believe me, I've seen plenty of situations in older homes where the front door was an odd size. I've worked on older homes where it was vitally important to preserve the architectural integrity, and a custom door was the only solution.
Frequently the issue is the width of the door jamb. Modern homes -- by which I mean those build from the late 1960s to the present -- tend to have door jambs with fairly common exterior widths. They'll usually be 4 9/16 inches or 6 9/16 inches. This jamb width matches the measured wall thickness, including the exterior wall sheathing, the wall framing stud and the interior wall covering. Houses that were built prior to World War II typically had thicker wall studs, 3/4-inch exterior sheathing, and plaster and lath interior wall covering. I frequently had to order door jambs that measured 5 1/4 inches to deal with these situations. Here's the good news. When it comes to brick veneer homes and replacement doors, it's always better for the masonry opening to be slightly larger than too small. It's really easy to fill the extra space with wood that can be made to look perfectly normal. It's expensive to enlarge a masonry opening and make it look like nothing was touched. In fact, it's nearly impossible to do.
In your case, I feel you can use a standard exterior door with no issues whatsoever. Most exterior doors are 36 inches in width. By the time you add in the spacing between the door and the jamb and the thickness of the jamb you have a unit dimension of 38 inches or so. Add 4 more inches for the standard brick molding and you'll be pretty close to 42 or 43 inches in total width. Your masonry opening height also allows you to easily fit in a standard exterior door that comes with factory-applied brick mold trim. My guess is the contractor just looked at an existing door at a home center and saw there would be a large gap between the factory-applied brick mold and your brick. You can easily remove the brick mold trim that comes from the factory and install different trim. You can also leave on the brick mold trim and add additional trim boards between your new door and the brick. With a small amount of skill, these added boards can be made to be quite decorative and add additional character to your door opening.
You have other options as well. If you don't want to layer all of these additional trim boards you can have custom brick mold trim made at a local lumber mill. In fact, you can actually design what the profile of this molding will be if you have a creative flair! The lumber mill will carve a shaping knife that fits into a milling machine that transforms a rectangular piece of lumber into an exquisite piece of molding with a profiled face. The cost to create this custom knife may only be about $100. If it were me, I'd probably not have custom trim made. I'm convinced that if you visit a traditional lumber yard that has many different moldings available, you'll be able to use two or three different moldings to create a stunning stepped casing for the exterior of your new door. Once these are stained or painted, they will look like they were the original moldings. The best part about this is that your door will have a distinctive flair that sets it apart from all of your neighbors' doors that have the standard blah brick mold trim.
Making the door fit inside is much less of an issue. You can probably reuse your existing interior trim molding. You may have to just install two new pieces of baseboard and do some minor drywall patching and painting. It's not that hard to do for an experienced contractor. Visit a local lumberyard or a company that sells new exterior doors. They'll have several contractors you can call that absolutely have the needed experience and skills to install a standard, affordable door in your opening. Let me know how it turns out! (Want free home-improvement information? and sign up for Tim's free newsletter. Have a question for Tim? Just click the Ask Tim link on any page of the website.)Pre-hung doors include both the door and the frame that supports the door, while slab doors include just the door alone. Measuring for a pre-hung exterior door can be tricky. Follow this video for specific steps.Tip: If your slab door is more than 25 years old, it’s best to go with a pre-hung door to ensure a sealed frame.
Choose the material for your door based on energy efficiency, security concerns and the style of your home. Tip: To maximize security, add door chains or install an all-metal security door over your entry door. When measuring your door, you must first familiarize with some basic door terminology. Most entry doors are the same industry-wise standard size, while different sizes can be special ordered. See the illustration and table below for reference. If you have an unusually-sized door opening, simply take your measurements to a Home Depot store near you, and an associate will help you choose the right door for your home.Door measurements available by special order: Customize your front door with different finishes, glass panels and hardware. FinishesTip: The Home Depot does not apply paint, stain or varnish to doors. Seal and finish all six sides of your door (top, bottom, front back and sides) immediately after installation. Waiting to seal your door may void your product warranty.