When to order french doors?

[DrSeuss]

We have a window that looks out onto the garden. Our builder is going to widen the opening and fit a new lintel, taking the opening down so we can fit french doors.

Should we order the french doors before or after the opening has been enlarged? My GF is concerned that the property will be insecure and our house cats will escape if the hole is boarded up while we wait for the doors to arrive. Looking for advice from someone who has done this previously.

 

[Bonni]

Ideally when the reveal is built for a more exact fit.

Doors and windows can be fitted on the outer leaf or where the cavity is. If on the outer leaf, I build the opening 5mm to 10mm wider if the window/doors are already ordered.
Plus, the installer needs to know how to position the DPC and NEVER drill up, use cleat straps.

If fitted in the cavity, then the exact size of the outer leaf is not crucial, just make sure the inner leaf is wider and the window/doors will check up to the outer leaf.

Hope all that made sense!!

 

[Notch7]

We have a window that looks out onto the garden. Our builder is going to widen the opening and fit a new lintel, taking the opening down so we can fit french doors.

Should we order the french doors before or after the opening has been enlarged? My GF is concerned that the property will be insecure and our house cats will escape if the hole is boarded up while we wait for the doors to arrive. Looking for advice from someone who has done this previously.

If its possible to work out the size, then get the doors ordered and delivered before work starts.

Assuming lintel height is staying, then somebody will need to work out which brick course the door cill will sit on and where in relation to that is the finished floor height.

I generally aim a laser level through the window and measure up and down.

It can be done with a spirit level quite easily too: put a spirit level through open window, mark inside and outside, then measure up to head outside and down to finished floor level inside -take that last measurement and mark the outside brickwork. You then see which brick course to go to -its usually the next 1 down. Whatever the difference is, your cill must be thicker

 

[DrSeuss]

Thanks for the responses.

I was planning on getting the opening taken down to the DPC, with the lintel height staying the same, the DPC is two courses above ground level. The door will sit in the outer leaf (flush with the outside wall). Looking online I guess this means the builder will need to fit cavity closers.

When ordering the doors, I guess I need to account of the cill thickness and subtract it from the door height?

Most of this comes from getting wound up by UPVC companies and watching too many episodes of white gold on Netflix.

 

[Notch7]

Thanks for the responses.

I was planning on getting the opening taken down to the DPC, with the lintel height staying the same, the DPC is two courses above ground level. The door will sit in the outer leaf (flush with the outside wall). Looking online I guess this means the builder will need to fit cavity closers.

When ordering the doors, I guess I need to account of the cill thickness and subtract it from the door height?

Most of this comes from getting wound up by UPVC companies and watching too many episodes of white gold on Netflix.

If you are ordering, you can say 'height includes cill' -the upvc supplier will do the deductions.

What is important is the difference between dpc and internal floor level - might be obvious if there is an external door nearby and you can trace dpc around.

Best way is to measure it.

There is a reason why so many mis measures end up for sale on ebay

 

[crank39]

Assuming your builder can cut straight just measure the existing window width brick to brick minus 10mm, measure in a few places as you might have a rogue brick poking out, minus 10mm from the narrowest measurement. Height is basically dpc to under lintel minus 10mm, French doors usually open out so floor level is less critical

 

[DrSeuss]

Looking at the current external door, I actually think the DPC sits above the internal floor level, by around 75mm, I hope they continued it underneath the slab, but given the rest of the house, it seems doubtful.

Either way, DPC to lintel/current soldier brick course is 2100mm.

 

[crank39]

Yeah 2100 is about right

There's nothing stopping your builder just cutting the brick work outside and leaving it in situ just to give you an idea where to measure from although you can still get this from the window width, he could also remove the inner skin right away to save time later, pretty sure you wouldn't lose a cat in the cavity

 

[Bonni]

Just some thoughts.

Brickwork on a doorway reveal, per the NHBC (New Houses are Built Crap) can be up to 8mm out of plumb. That's why window companies often measure and deduct 20mm (10mm for either side and clap plastic trim on).

The vertical DPC placement is very important when fitting on the outer leaf. I have not come across another builder yet that knows how to position the DPC for the door/window to seal to it on the outside.

Unless it's a concrete lintel above on the outer leaf, do not drill up, you will knacker the cavity tray. Use cleats but not suitable for composite doors.

Ordering before building the opening is normally the back-to-front way, unless a form is being built into the opening.

 

[foxhole]

Lived for a year with nothing but a sheet of osb between our tempory kitchen and the elements.

 

[crank39]

Lived for a year with nothing but a sheet of osb between our tempory kitchen and the elements.

Thats because your a southern softy, up here in the north we wouldn't have bothered with the OSB

 

[foxhole]

From the north just live with Southern softies .