Front door and step dilemma

[whatsthenews]

Hi. We're making changes at the front of the house, ie getting rid of all block paving apart from the actual drive . Plan is to gravel and plant and create a sleeper and gravel path .
This square extra section of paving in front of the front door matches the drive whereas what we've taken up was different blocks.We've left it in place at the moment but we're not sure if it's staying.
We want to change the step to the front door and will also be getting a new front door. It's a 60s "gable front facing " house and we want to change to a less fussy door set in the middle of the opening with lights at either side.
We want to make the front door and access to it more aesthetically pleasing and practical.

1. We don't like the high / deep step over created by the cill and door frame
I'm presuming that the horrible vertical UPVC cladding is covering brick and doesn't need to be there

2. We're concerned that the step is breaching the DPC
3. The step's too shallow especially given that the sill sticks out so far. It's a trip hazard
4. There's no slope on the step for drainage and as it's NW facing it's lethal in icy/ snowy weather.

Stupid question maybe , but I can't work out why it was built this way ?
Seems we could only take the door frame down to the inside floor level by removing a course of bricks and I assume that's not feasible because of the DPC height, or is it?

 

[^woody^]

All plastic doorsets like that have that stupid frame section on top of the cill.

If you get a composite or timber door it won't be there, and the cill will be at the same height it is now. If you get another plastic doorset, yes you could lower the cill to bring the threshold section level with your floor.

You could extend the step, or even create an extra top step level with the underside of the cill no problem.

 

[whatsthenews]

Thanks Woody
Re extending the existing step do you think the fact that it's above the DPC matters ?

Was thinking of a composite door as UPVC doors all seem to be panelled and we don't want that.
However , my parents have a black one and it tends to stick in the summer. We get l afternoon sun on it in the summer.
Like the idea of bringing the threshold down to level of the floor .
Why can you not do that with a composite door?

To extend the step would you use shuttering and concrete ( after removing those tiles)
How far below ground level do you need to dig down ?

 

[whatsthenews]

@^woody^
Could we extend that step by creating a brick frame in front of the existing step and then lay pavers over the frame and the existing step?
We've got one of those circle patios out the back with steps up to it and we didn't appreciate how the steps were constructed until we too some of the stone pavers off.

 

[noseall]

Hi. We're making changes at the front of the house, ie getting rid of all block paving apart from the actual drive . Plan is to gravel and plant and create a sleeper and gravel path .
This square extra section of paving in front of the front door matches the drive whereas what we've taken up was different blocks.We've left it in place at the moment but we're not sure if it's staying.
We want to change the step to the front door and will also be getting a new front door. It's a 60s "gable front facing " house and we want to change to a less fussy door set in the middle of the opening with lights at either side.
We want to make the front door and access to it more aesthetically pleasing and practical.

1. We don't like the high / deep step over created by the cill and door frame
I'm presuming that the horrible vertical UPVC cladding is covering brick and doesn't need to be there

2. We're concerned that the step is breaching the DPC
3. The step's too shallow especially given that the sill sticks out so far. It's a trip hazard
4. There's no slope on the step for drainage and as it's NW facing it's lethal in icy/ snowy weather.

Stupid question maybe , but I can't work out why it was built this way ?
Seems we could only take the door frame down to the inside floor level by removing a course of bricks and I assume that's not feasible because of the DPC height, or is it?
View attachment 314394View attachment 314395View attachment 314398

Its a 300mm drop. It needs the first step to run a few mill below the new sill and the second step to spilt the difference (150/150). You should always have that first step near to the sill (in height).

 

[whatsthenews]

Its a 300mm drop. It needs the first step to run a few mill below the new sill and the second step to spilt the difference (150/150). You should always have that first step near to the sill (in height).

Thanks noseall.
Not sure how the elderly bloke who lived here before us managed with it.