Replies

1. 
   RichBeckman | Jan 16, 2005 06:04am | #1

   bump

2. 
   Isamemon | Jan 16, 2005 08:17pm | #2

   so no great answers yet

   I cant find any either. in fiberglass anyway

   so

   1) notify owner door is a custom door and will not have same warranties as a standard door

   2) take a therma-tru clasic craft 6 panel door at 42 inches. Cut out the center wher the panels hit.

   3) Install glass and trim out

   now before you call me a hack

   I was at a large homeshow yesterday. Talked with  several window and door shops. 2 of them said that. Then talked to a local  cutom door ( and trim)  manufacturing company, they said the same thing ( but using a different line, Oakcraft?) then talked to a large remodeling company adn he said the same thing.

   2 of them are thrma-tru dealers, and both said warranty void

   I asked if wht this would do to structure and the door shop said that most fiberglass companies have  wood running around theri perimiter and the ones wth glass from the factory have nothing more in them to strenthen them , other then the glass is often molded in ( which makes it near impossible to replace if broken)

   I assume that the glass shops would probabally order this from the local door manufacturer

   SOOOOOOO

   next question

   any of you done this befoere and how good did it work

1. 
   gdavis62 | Jan 16, 2005 08:30pm | #3

   FWIW, I ran the engineering and product development works at Therma-Tru when that Classic Craft door was developed and launched.

   The "no warranty if you do that" story comes from the fact that T-T doesn't offer a glass lite in the size to go into the hole cut at the panel perimeter.

   Their policy is "if you use a non-Therma-Tru lite in our door, there ain't no warranty."

   I've no doubt that the door would perform OK if outfitted with a full lite.  I say OK with this qualification:  All foam filled door slabs are pretty good structural units when plain slabs.  Cut out a big hole for a lite and you are essentially turning it into a picture frame, with a large resultant loss in torsional stiffness.

   My advice is always to outfit the door with a good triple point lock, or at the very least, with good flushbolts at top and bottom.

   I am presuming that your door source can get an appropriately-sized lite, one probably made with an extruded cellular-PVC frame.

   Good luck!

1. 
   Isamemon | Jan 16, 2005 08:42pm | #4

   thanks, good points

   I was also thinking about the three point lock system, It adds  approx $600 to bill taking me way over what the original supplier said the doors would cost. Thats what got us into this "jamb" to begin with.( And he isnt sticking to anything since we bid this last March.)

   So I toyed wtih that idea too, 3 point locks

   do I tell the owenr that the doors may twist

   do i try to upsell to the three point lock system ( but then she woudl want it on all doors) and if she says no , Im stuck

   or do I eat it ( for two doors) and roll the cost into the other 5 exteior doors in the house , knowing that the $1200 now ( 2 doors)  might be a whole lot cheaper then call backs later. And just say, oh, thats standard with the 42 inch full lite

   or do I say , thats standard with the 42 inch full lite , and ask if she wants to add them to all the doors , and bump up the price a little to help cover the costs in the 42's

   All the rest are 36 inch full lite and that is no problem getting.

   oh what fun

    

    

   Edited 1/16/2005 12:47 pm ET by Isamemon

1. 
   Snort | Jan 16, 2005 09:55pm | #5

   These guys make pretty good fiberglass full-light doors, I'm working in a house right now that I put 16 of 'em in.They say they'll make them oversized, and it will only take 12 weeks...LOL...but they may have an undelivered special order laying around. Might be worth a shot? Don't worry, we can fix that later!

2. 
   Isamemon | Jan 16, 2005 10:43pm | #6

   It just got easier. I forgot to count downstairs in that earlierpost , now I have  a total of 9 doors to spread that into. Thas only $133 a door profit loss. Hey I was making about 150 a door profit, plus labor.

   So

   to me its looking like I make a little less, can still get  my labor and a few pizzas out of the deal and give her 3 point locks on those two doors , and limit my call backs on 42" doors twisting

1. 
   Isamemon | Jan 18, 2005 04:09am | #7

   Im screwed , nobody makes a 42 inch fiberglass door

   I am now switching door suppliers from the guys who got me in this jamb to begin with..........but thats the least of my troubles