Thursday, January 31, 2013

door doctor - basement edition, part 2

jambaloney here!

here is your sky pic helga:





this is the follow-up of the basement door post in which, you didn't really see a door ;-) first thing i had to do was  reverse and oil the hinges...



i did splurge and buy a new lockable door knob - only $25!!


it wasn't too difficult to get that  put in the door - almost all doors these days have a similar cut and pattern for knobs... nice though!!




the next task is to remove the old rotten sill - it is in bad shape...


now it's time to put the new sill in... i had to remove a pile of the pvc channels i put under the new sill  (see last post)  because the concrete was poured unevenly and i couldn't seat the new sill properly



cut out rotten wood..... and  jiggle...


and  wiggle ..

(you can see part of the old door still hanging off the old hinge.. i basically ripped it off the frame ;-)


level long...


level wide.......


and shim the crap out of it then use deck screws to anchor - new sill done!!


i had to drill out a channel for the phone cord that comes around the outside of the house into the basement... long worthless story behind THAT  monstrosity - i will be fixing that later, but it is not part of this project so this ugly 3 minute solution is a must!


i pried out some boards that were uses to close out the old door  - here is the empty outside... ready for the installation of the 'new' door!



i had to cut the bottom off the 'new' door... it is metal sheets with hard foam in the middle - i used a reciprocating saw with a metal blade...


which worked well of the top part, but the foam played havoc with the bottom cut.... i broke the blade too - next time, i will cut shallow and on an angle on one side, then flip the door and do the same on the other - trial and error...



i cleaned up the mess with tin snips...



and installed the door!! i measured several times so it fit nicely - i used a shim underneath to provide a little clearance and then screwed the hinges in place (no pic of shim, sorry)... when hanging doors always remember to install the top hinge first... when taking them down, remove the top hinge last... this way you won't get bonked by a falling door..


on the doorknob side, i used the board that i removed with the old door to provide a place for the striker plate...


more shims - this doorway isn't square!!!


next job was building the outside frame - i used a mix of new and old 1x2 s



last real chore is weather proofing - for the weather stripping i used sill foam and hurricane tape ( get some, it is tear proof and strong as can be) to make my own - i can't stand paying 10 bucks a door for weatherstripping!!


i cut strips,  folded it over and taped it - this didn't work that well...



i ended up using just one thin strip with tape on both side and then used spray adhesive to put it in place - it worked pretty good, but next time i am going to use a better foam - probably strips cut from foam pipe insulators... you can see that i have filled all the other gaps with spray foam - i caulked the cracks on the outside with silicone.



here is the inside ( i also foamed the gaps down below - i want the water coming in through the channels)..


and here is the outside!!  i am really happy i did this - last week was brutally cold and i was able to keep the basement from freezing without too much effort... we have our freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, all pipes and our pump down there... it CAN"T be allowed to freeze - this was a big help... plus it closes like a normal door and we can lock it when we leave.  the window lets more light in during the day, we'll install a curtain for when we are gone.


here is your other pic helga!!



cheers all! hope you didn't fall asleep ;-)




25 comments:

  1. Fall asleep ? No way. I enjoy seeing how you do things, and I am always thrilled to see frugality in action ! Love to you both.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. jane - very kind of you!

      i often think as i am putting these posts together "is this too boring?" so, glad you enjoyed!

      it was pretty frugal, all told it cost about $30.00, including the new knob ;-)

      cheers!

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  2. Nice job, again. Frugal is the only way to fly.

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    1. thanks friend!

      did save money with this one - i do love re-using trash!

      cheers!

      Delete
  3. "Little" jobs seem to get awfully complicated at times!

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    1. hey gorges!

      it's just all the pictures - this didn't take all that long, maybe 4 hours total.

      hope you are well - cheers!

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  4. Replies
    1. warlock:

      i dunno about "outstanding" but i do appreciate the sentiment ;-))

      cheers and all my best!

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  5. Hey J - After all that fiddling and diddling, mission accomplished ! A dry warm basement is crucial. Now you don't have to worry about that part of things. I like how you did the steps down to the door - clever.

    I see some staying snow which is a first for this winter. It looks very serene and wonderful. Thanks for the pics as they are always welcomed.

    Take Care ... Love to you both with a big hug to lil mole please !

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    Replies
    1. hey helga!!


      yeah - the basement is MUCH better now - the steps took only about 1 1/2 hours - we were both amazed at how quick and easy the were - why did it take 2 years ??? ;-)

      that snow is ALL gone - had a real warm rainy spell last 2 days, it was pretty while it lasted - you are welcome as always!

      love back and k got your hug!

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  6. bonked in the head.... yup, the top hinge is magical for making people cuss.
    Looks good, just needs a new coat of red!

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    1. hey max!

      yeah, i have learned the top hinge trick the hard way ;-)

      thanks and i think the red coat will be applied this spring - thanks for the idea!

      cheers!

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  7. do it right the first time beats doing it over and over again

    good job!

    how much does she pay you?

    Wildflower

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    1. wildflower:

      it sure does - practice makes perfect, i am a lot more accurate and efficient than i was when we got here...

      she feeds me fantastically - you've seen the pics ;-))

      cheers to you!

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  8. Hey Jambaloney,

    Great job on the door!!! I love the pictures of all your hard work.
    Give the Misses and big hug from us down here in Oklahoma
    Your Friend,
    Sandy

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    1. hey sandy!

      thanks - i am glad you enjoy the pics!!!

      i will and same back to you!!

      your friend,
      jambaloney

      Delete
  9. I never get tired of seeing handiwork that improves any house. I have one question--what happens to the water when it runs in the house? How do you get rid of it? I am sure I missed something.

    How did you make the bottom of the door tight against drafts after the miscut?

    The before and after are dramatic. Spectacular job!

    After digging the ditch, this must have been a snap.

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    1. hey practical parsimony!

      well, lost more repairs yet - so you won't be disappointed in the future ;-)

      the water runs out of the basement via the drain pan and the trench. the miscut didn't cut enough off so no worries there.

      thanks for the shout out, but you found me out, it was pretty easy after the trench - cheers!!

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  10. Looks great..way to use all parts of the buffalo!..The way you uusally are I would have figured you would have made a new doorknob and lock out of kelp, chewing gum and a paperclip ;)

    Nice work!!

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    1. hahahaha!

      good one - i was going to try using pine gum, bark and a tin can, but chose the easy route ;-))))

      thanks buddy - you take care!!!

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  11. I love seeing all your diy jobs. I learn so much. I never even thought about removing the top hinge of the door last. Of course it makes complete sense when I think about it!

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    1. hey ll!!

      i am glad you get a kick out of them and really glad you learn useful things - the top hinge thing really does make sense, but it also the one closest to eye level so you would be tempted to start there ;-)

      cheers, mate!

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  12. That first sky picture was extraordinary. Glad you are making progress on everything.

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    1. hey brigid !

      glad you really liked that pic - everything really is coming along - thanks for the well wishes!

      cheers!

      Delete
  13. I'm really glad that you had the old door replaced. The way you described it suggests that a lot of problems are needed to be addressed. And when you did replace it, I was in awe at how good you are with carpentry. Even though that door was actually old, you made it look and function like new, which is good to see. Nice work!
    Katie Nicoll

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