How to fix uneven door gap?

[JSLawrence]

Hi all, 

I had a new external door installed today, however the person did not notice until after cutting the door that the door frame was not square and now the bottom sits uneven. We get snakes and lots of other unwanted guests so definitely not an option to leave it. The photo does not properly show the gap as the person put a brush weather strip on the external side to try to cover the gap. The largest gap is 3cm, the other end is flush with the robust weather strip. Can you please advise if there are adjustable weather strips for this problem or is it best to build up the base door strip to meet the door? Thanks so much

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @JSLawrence 

If you bought and  paid for that door and installation they  basically failed at there  job I would be asking them to replace the  door if you feel  thats true.

Plan 

A )Well I think  the best and easiest  solution is like the door strip but wider say a  strip of  aluminium, steel or plastic 50mm wide so it will cover the door gap and still have some door over lap to screw into the door.   I might do this on both sides so it dosnt look funny.

Cut some thin checker plate at bunnings as an option give the door a  tough look kick board.

Plan B If your crafty cut a door thickness wedge and glue it onto the bottom of the door to fill the gap. This  may look messy so add the aluminium strip anyhow at least it has a solid timber under the  strip .

With any plan you need to make sure when the door opens the bottom of the door dosnt hit the floor and scrap so you need to  check that opening clearance.

 good  luck  hope things work out

[JacobZ]

Hi @JSLawrence,

Thank you for your question.

As @Jewelleryrescue has mentioned, I would be asking the installer to come back and fix their work. When retrofitting a door, you can never assume the frame is square, so it is reasonable to expect they will account for this.

My choice from Jewelleryrescue's two options would be attaching a piece of timber to the underside of the door using dowels or biscuits and wood glue. You can then use the weather strip to conceal this piece of timber so that it's not as obvious.

Allow me to tag @Nailbag, @Dave-1 and @TedBear for their thoughts.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

[Nailbag]

Hi @JSLawrence 

Out of interest, did the door supplier do the install or did you buy the door and found your own installer?

That aside. a solid core full-glazed door wouldn't have been cheap, plus the cost of installation. Personally I wouldn't be giving him any options other than full replacement. It's his poor workmanship thats now made the door not fit for purpose with the added risk of unwanted wildlife and weather entering. 

In the meantime, as a last resort the off-cut wouldn't still be around? I had to repair a door that had been cut 20mm short by a professional installer claiming it was within tolerance. Fortunately the off-cut was in the bin. So I took the door off and glued it back on and secured it with screws to keep the pressure on until it had set. The next day, I removed the screws, gave it a light sand on the join and a couple of passes on the bottom with a planer. The door was being painted, so the join was almost invisible. the off-cut would be a better solution than retrofitting something else.

Also in your case unless you're painting the door, anything you attached including the off-cut will be noticeable. So, again another reason to have it replaced.

Whatever the outcome is very important to ensure the bottom and the top of the door is stained (if thats the finish) or primed if being painted to prevent rot long-term, which voids any warranty on the door.

Please keep us in the loop with how this progesses.

Nailbag

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @JSLawrence 

I have the same reasoning as @Jewelleryrescue , @JacobZ and @Nailbag . The installer should be replacing the door as that is a big "mistake"

However I do understand that sometimes its hard to respond to things like this and you may not want to go down that path.

Looking at your picture, the side is square, its been cut at a wrong angle. You can see the left side looks longer then the right, the door is mounted in the frame so the hinge side would be straight.

If you wanted to repair it, I would be taking the door off, squaring the bottom up and adding a section to the bottom of the door, using a check plate such as @Jewelleryrescue mentions is a good way to cover the mistake. I would also follow @Nailbag's recomendations on sealing the bottom of the door.  Definently fixable but something you should not have to do, a door replacement is what the first step should be.

Dave

[JSLawrence]

Hi @Jewelleryrescue ,

Thanks for your advice.

Normally I would be saying something to the person about the job but we are in a remote location and really don’t have much choice when it comes to getting people in to do work, so just going to take the hit on this one and fix it myself.

I really like the ideas you’ve put forward. I’ll be heading to Bunnings tomorrow to get supplies so will give an update when it’s done. 
Thanks again

[JSLawrence]

Hi @JacobZ 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, much appreciated. 
As I mentioned to @Jewelleryrescue, just going to take the hit on this one as we have this person doing other work and this was an additional job we asked them to do, so just want to get the other work finished now.

I’ll provide an update once I’ve had a go myself.

[JSLawrence]

Hi @Nailbag,

Thanks for your reply.

We purchased the door and got someone to install it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn I guess. 
That’s a great point about the off-cuts. I do still have them so will try to reattach them and start from there myself. 
I’ll be sure to stain the bottom of the door too. 
Thanks so much

[JSLawrence]

Hi @Dave-1 

Thanks for your input and suggestions. There’s no getting around it, it’s a major error and they weren’t upfront with me either, I had to find it myself which makes it even worse. But I’m going to take the hit on this one and just have a go at fixing it myself. I usually keep a close eye on people completing work around the house, (usually just to learn things for myself) but I couldn’t be there for this one so just good to know who I’m dealing with.

I’ll have a go at fixing it and provide an update when it’s done.

Thanks again for your support.

[Nailbag]

Morning @JSLawrence 

I perfectly understand having to accept what’s done is done. What’s nearly as disappointing is that he didn’t come forward with the error and instead tried to hide it. We all make mistakes and it would have been great if he gave you the opportunity to discuss an agreeable workaround. Maybe leaving his business a suitable review might be at least some awareness for other clients. 

The door will be quite heavy to remove and refit. So make sure you have a helper and use spacers underneath to support the weight as it comes off. 

Pre-drill pilot holes in the centre of the off cut and within 20mm of each end to prevent splitting. 

Use a good wood glue to fix the off-cut. And flat headed screws to hold it in place. They can be removed in an hour. Then use an exterior wood filler on the holes. 

if you did this in the morning you would be right to give it a sand and start measuring up what’s needed to on the bottom to make for a better fit on the bottom. Refit the door and make any adjustments the next day. 

Then sand it off and seal it. The rest of the staining can be done with the door fitted. 

If it hasn’t already got one, I recommend a Raven auto weatherstrip fitted to the bottom. 

Nailbag