15 in. x 12 in. Forest Green Transom Tops Pair #028 Set your store to see localavailability 38 in. x 18 in. x 1 1/8 in. Polyurethane Window Trimmable Raised Panel 1-1/8 in. x 13 in. x 43 in. Set your store to see localavailabilityInstalling a pair of pre-hung French doors and a DIY transom completely transformed not just one, but two rooms in Elisha Albretsen’s home. Elisha, who writes the blog Pneumatic Addict, is a fearless DIYer, and shows us exactly how she and her husband completed this project. We sold our home last year and started house hunting. We were looking for a 4-bedroom home, but when we came across a “3-bedroom plus den” with the perfect floor plan in the perfect location, we changed our minds and rolled up our sleeves. Our “den” was just a small room, open directly into the living room. I have plans to turn this space into a playroom for my boys, but in the meantime it was no man’s land and a landing place for random junk.
Not a pretty view for our guests. Right away we made plans to install a pair of French doors. However, we had a dilemma. The existing opening to the den was 8 feet tall. My front door is 8 feet tall as well, but the rest of the doors in my home are the standard 6 ft. x 8 in. height. The debate was “Should I hang 8 ft. tall doors to fill the space? Or go with shorter doors and match the rest of the house?” I came up with an option that would give us the best of both worlds. We decided to install off-the-shelf French doors and build a custom transom window to fill the space above. We headed to The Home Depot and picked up a pair of 60 in. x 80 in. The first step we took was to prep the opening for the doors. The French doors we used required a 62 in. rough opening. For us, that meant removing the drywall and moving one of the trim studs. At that point, we installed and leveled the doors. If you haven’t installed pre-hung doors before, I recommend checking out this tutorial.
With the doors in place, I started building the transom window. I used 4-9/16 in. wide door jamb stock, which I found in the moulding aisle. To determine the size the window needed to be, I measured the rough opening above the doors. I purposely made the window ¼ in. smaller, both in width and height so I could use shims and make sure it was level and plumb. I cut a top and bottom plate to run the length of the box, two sides, and two dividers. I connected the top and bottom to the sides, using glue and 16-gauge finish nails. Next, I divided the interior length by three, giving me three equally sized windows. Then, I attached the dividers with more glue and finish nails. To keep the window glass in place, I chose to use ¾ in. quarter-round moulding. I measured the circumference of each window opening. Then, I cut and mitered the trim, creating a frame. I attached the frame to the inside of each opening, ⅛ in. from center, using glue and 18-gauge brads.
At this point, the transom was ready to install above the doors. I slid the window in the opening, shimmed it in place and secured it with more 16-gauge nails. With the doors and windows installed, I could add the door casing and decorative trim. I attached a small strip of lattice moulding over the seam between the doors and window, making the two look like one united piece. Next, I caulked every seam and filled all the nail holes with wood filler. I painted the casing to match the rest of the trim in my home and painted the door and transom, using the color “Raven Black” by Behr, in a satin sheen. Cutting glass isn’t nearly as scary as it sounds. I cut my own glass for my kitchen remodel, but since the transom is within 24 in. of an active door, residential building code requires the window glass to be tempered. I ordered three pieces of ⅛ in.-thick tempered glass from a local glass company for around $75. In each window section, I ran a bead of clear silicone caulk on the flat side of the quarter round trim and pressed a sheet of glass firmly in place.
I cut more quarter-round trim for a second set of frames. Using 18-gauge brads, I very carefully attached the moulding to the transom frame, sandwiching the glass and holding it in place. Next, I caulked the seams, then painted the quarter-round frame with the same black paint. The last step was to add the door hardware. To protect the finish on the doors, I made my reference marks on top of a small strip of masking tape. The hinges included with my set of doors were Satin Nickel, which worked perfectly with the black doors, so I chose Kwikset Milan levers in the same color. These French doors are a little unusual. They came with a ball catch installed on the top of each door. That means I didn’t have to worry about drilling out and attaching a lock bolt to hold one side closed. Both doors can be opened or closed independently. More importantly, I could use dummy levers instead of a functioning door knob. A dummy lever is fixed in place and doesn’t use a bolt and strike plate.
Since the ball catch holds the door closed, I just needed something to grab when I push or pull the door. I attached a dummy lever on both sides of each door. Lastly, I screwed the ball catch strike plates to the top jamb, making sure they lined up properly with the bearings in the doors. And now my den has doors! I’ll admit, I was super nervous about painting the doors, transom and whole jamb black, but I’m so glad I did! I love the contrast between the dark door and my white walls. I am so glad the existing opening was 8 feet tall. I absolutely love the added light the transom window brings into the room. Although it looks intimidating, my transom window was really pretty simple to build. Its basically a box with sheets of glass held in place with quarter-round moulding. If you’d like a pro to install your doors, let The Home Depot’s Door Installation Service take care of it for you. Browse our selection of French doors at The Home Depot.