possible issue below upvc doors

[bob911]

This is more of a general advice post really but ive posted here as it is building related
Im hoping I can get a bit of advice/guidance from some of the experienced trade people on here.

I recently moved into the first floor of a 3 flat converted Victorian house. Not long after moving in I found out from the owner of the ground floor that the entire rear wall and part of the side of the house required repointing. This was carried out around 18 months before I moved in.

At ground level the rear wall of the house has an existing extension which is an addition of the ground floor owner. On my level and on the second floor are some upvc double doors which open inwards.

A few weeks after moving in and during some heavy rain I noticed the upvc doors had let in some water.
On closer inspection it became clear the doors appear to have dropped significantly and do not close properly. In addition the rain deflector bar was missing from the edge of one of the doors.

The amount of rain that came in was not significant….just enough to get through the carpet but not through the underlay and floorboards beneath.
I have since installed a rain deflector and applied some silicone and have had no further issues with water ingress.
Just to be sure and out of courtesy I checked with the downstairs owner to make sure there was no water ingress to her property. Her answer was no and that there was no issue there prior to me moving in.


A few weeks have gone by and ive now got the downstairs owner complaining about hairline cracks showing in the lintel above the entrance to her extension. (This is directly below where my doors are) No water ingress or any signs of it, just a few hairline cracks.
Her ‘builder’ friend has been on the roof of her extension that to inspect my doors.
This guy has advised her that the doors could be the source problem and they are in need of repair.
(On a side note I also found out that this guy is not actually a builder but a developer who get his lads to do the actual building jobs….. Turns out that he build the extension and did the repointing work. Whether asked if they removed and replaced the answer was no)

I have had a few guys out to inspect the doors and quote for repair or replacements both have said it looks like the doors were removed at some point and refitted badly. The general verdict is the doors are old and need replacing which is fair enough

That’s about all the background info I have on this
The main question I have is do any of you think the doors could be the cause of this issue?


Admittedly the doors do need to be looked at as they do not close correctly however I’m not so sure they could be aren’t the cause for the cracks appearing in the property below. Furthermore there has been no water ingress whatsoever since I took the steps of installing the rain deflector and sealant. In addition this the cracks don’t appear to be propagating or widening significantly.
What concerns me more is what has caused the movement in the doors in the first place

Since I am able to shut and lock the doors with no issues so I have put this task near the bottom of my list until I have the budget to get it fixed however I now have this woman on my case telling me I need to get something done or get the doors fixed!

I plan to get a qualified builder out to look at this but in the meantime do you guys have any advice on the best way to approach this one?

Thanks

 

[kbdiy]

Your post is a somewhat contradictory as you say the doors don't close properly but then go on to say they shut with no issues, so which is correct? It is quite possible that some simple re-alignment of the doors would cure those problems. Age and wear and tear would cause the doors to drop. There might not have been any problems before you moved in because the previous occupants may not have used the doors much, so the wear was never apparent.

Hairline cracks could just be slight settlement or expansion/contraction. They might also come from the slamming of your doors, although I would have thought that unlikely unless the structure below was a little 'fragile'.

 

[bob911]

Correction,

I should have stated the doors do close but with no issues associated to the water ingress issues explained in my original post.

It would be interesting if anyone can advise on how the doors can be adjusted. Does anyone know how to adjust these type of doors?
(I can post a pic of the hinges if required)
I have looked into this along with trying to find out who manufactured the doors in order to try and acquire some sort of instruction manual.
Unfortunately but can’t find very much info.

Everyone that I have had out to look at the doors so far has said they need replacing.
Presumably they dont want quote the cost to send someone out to adjust the doors versus quoting for an entire set of doors and fitting.

It would be great if it someone could advise on how to adjust them as a starting point.

 

[kbdiy]

More margin in selling new doors than fixing existing I suspect. Post some pics of the hinges and doors.

 

[bob911]

Just to update the thread, I had a word with the owner of the top floor flat.

He has confirmed that prior to the repointing work the previous owner of my flat had experienced issues with rain water ingress in to the rear room from the area above the doors in question.

He confirmed that during the repointing the previous owner of my flat had the lintel above the double doors replaced. This leads me to think the doors were almost certainly removed in order for a new lintel to be installed.
He also let me know that he had the window sill, window and the lintel above his window on the top level replaced.
This was all done around feb 2013

Ill get some pictures posted tonight

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

There is a classic problem with side hung patio doors in that they "droop" after some time. This can easily be checked by looking at the gap between the top of the door and the mouldings.
It is because the glass was fitted incorrectly. when the glass is fitted it should be "toed and heeled", that is the packing pieces opposite the top hinge edge and diagonally opposite bottom corner should be packed TIGHTLY on the vertical and horizontal corners so jamming the glass on the diagonal, the other packing pieces can be looser.
It can be re done by an amateur, open the door and pack the free end up with blocks of wood to support and steady the door. Put a chair up against the glass to stop it falling out, remove all the mouldings, repack the glass to get the door square - careful not to let the glass fall out. Reassemble.
Could cure your problem?
Frank