Replacing front door in Victorian house

[Dwalker96]

Hi there.
I have a Victorian property with 9" solid brick walls. I want to replace the current uPVC front door with a reclaimed timber door more in keeping with the property. Where I am getting stuck is the frame and door sizing. My builders opening is larger on the inside than out (approx 950mm * 2090mm Vs 850mm * 2080mm), with the outside having an arch but the inside being square with a timber lintel behind the arch. I want to fit the new door on the inner course of bricks like it would originally have been. All the off the shelf door frames I have found don't seem thick or deep enough to be used like this.

Does anyone know where I might find one or is this a bespoke kind of job? Alternatively could I pack out an off the shelf frame to fit and it look right? And what width door would you go for for this size opening? An 836mm would physically fit but there would be minimal frame visible from outside?

I would appreciate some advice here. Thanks! Dominic

 

[rbranco]

Always bespoke ive been told.
I too have a door that large and everyone ive asked said they would make a frame from scratch and it needs to be strong on the hinge side as those doors weigh so much and put lots of force on the frame, compresses the bottom part of the frame and pulls away at the top, install a minimum of three heavy duty hinges. Mine started to fall away from the frame so we replaced the screws with much longer ones and went into the brick behind, problem was fixed after that.

Problem ive got is knowing if the door itself is warped or the frame, more likely the frame has bowed out.

 

[mrrusty]

Bite the bullet and get one made by a good local joinery shop. Many "solid" doors these days are carp composites with laminate over a core. The "real" solid wood ones out there are not much different in price to custom made.

 

[Dwalker96]

Thanks both!
I was looking at the option of a reclaimed door to save some cash (and still have a quality door), but if I am going to have to get a bespoke frame made for it then it sounds like it wouldn't save much over getting it all new.

 

[mrrusty]

option of a reclaimed door

Might seem like a good option, but unless you are very lucky and find a perfectly square, perfectly flat door stripped and ready to go, you could buy a load of hassle. It takes longer to fiddle a door which has been previously trimmed into a new frame, it may not be truly flat which brings hassles, and of course you need to strip it to re-finish it properly.