Exterior door sill for a deep (10″) wall
(I hate the character limit in the subject line! Fix this damn software!)
I’m curious as to how people deal with really deep exterior walls when they’re installing a new exterior door and frame. Basically the exterior wall of the house is two wythes of brick, then a studded wall with 2x4s, about 10″ thick. I would imagine this would be a similar problem for basement doors, or super thick double walled houses, but I can’t find anyone who makes sills wider than 6 9/16″.
Are people custom fabbing up sills (and frames for that matter), or am I completely missing a supplier for such things? My main concern is to get a sill that runs continuously from the doors exterior surface, which because of the 2×4 wall, is actually inside the house all the way to out to the exterior of the brick wall (or at least past the inner wythe of brick).
Thanks,
Z
Replies
Many people siimply use a jamb extention with a reveal between it and the door jamb. Quick and easy, but doesn't look right to my eye
If the jamb is paint grade I like to pop the jamb apart, glue the jamb extention to the jamb with polyurethane glue, sand the joint smooth and repaint. It's as good as the glue joints in the factory jamb and should look like one piece when finished.
I am doing this today or tomorrow for an offsized jamb.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Okay, but is the jamb extension on the interior or exterior side of the door? I've seen a lot of houses where they've left the door in the middle of the wall, and simply added extension jambs to the interior side, so the door can't fully open and the strike wears into the extension jamb. If you have the room, I guess you could offset the extension enough to not interfere with the hinges or the strike I guess...If you're adding the extension to the exterior what do you do with the sill? You can't easily extend that. I have seen the door placed on top of a wooden extension, but that doesn't make any sense to me, as that's the last place I'd want wood (and consequently most of these that I see are rotten).Z
If you want the door to open fully--from 110 to 180 degrees--then you have to have the hinges mounted at the inside trim portion of the wall.
As far as a sill goes, you're not saying if it's a wood or metal sill. If a wood sill, then you'll have to fabricate one. If it's a metal sill, then sill extension are available--as well as one-piece extruded aluminum sills and combination sill-thresholds.
Yup, I do want the door to appear normal from the inside. A friend has their front door set in the middle of the wall, and it's not only distracting, but the jambs are mangled from the door. As for the sill, I don't have anything yet as I've not found anything that'd fit the wall. Endura looks like they make sill extensions, but their website doesn't have any details. Z
Why not use a masonry sill, ie: bluestone, a slab of some kind?
Bluestone works great as noted for a sill extension ... and not expensive.
Jeff
Exactly, have a slab of marble or Granite for the threshold made up. It cost a bit but it looks great.
Edited 9/8/2008 8:28 pm ET by TonyCz
Like this? These doors go into walls about 17" thick.
View Image
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Wow! Nice doors. What does the sill/threshold detail for this look like?Z
Standard threshold, but the exterior brick top step extends into the ... what is it? ... not a vestibule ... alcove?"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Ah okay, I think with you and Ponytyls explanations I have finally seen the light ;) Basically you've got two drainage surfaces, the stock door sill, then a subsill of concrete, brick, whatever.Now it's starting to make sense and I can start to see how I'm going to install it my head.Thanks for the help!Z
in old brick buildings where the walls are often 12 to 20" thick... i cast concrete sills or lintels... then use a standard threshold on top of that... for me it usually works better to cast it 2" wider and have it extend outside about 1 1/4" where i cut or cast a small drip grove in the bottom to keep water away from the building.... it's rare i have to do just one so i cast them usually 7-8ft long... and use'n my diamond blade cut them to the size i need depending on the look i want i cast them between 2.5" and 4" thick use'n white portand and very white sand and white or grey rock... they come out looking like limestone this way...
p