All I could do was picture this door in MY house. So, after talking about it non-stop for 3 days :), Caleb finally agreed to go look at it. We measured our existing door, called to make sure the door was still there, packed up the kids and went to go pick up our new used door--or not. The door was not the right size for one thing, and once it was inspected by someone who looks for more than just its aspects of cuteness, Caleb noticed it was splitting down the middle and in several other places. Craftsman style door not happening....so I thought. Well, THAT craftsman style door wasn't happening, but my sweet honey started researching how to build one himself. We did look into buying one that was already made but...unless we want to sell the rest of the house and have only a front door, the wood doors were way too expensive!!!
So after a little bit of research, my man started building...actually, men, plural, because he enlisted the help of my sweet father-in-law to help (thanks Rod!). After measuring our existing door and buying all the necessary wood, they started by cutting all the pieces and putting them together to see how it was going to look and to see if it was square etc.
Then they connected all the boards in a process I know nothing about (I know they used a biscuit joiner which they didn't end up liking, and I know they put in steel rods to add support for door slamming and general kid craziness)...
Once the glue dried and the necessary screws were in place, it was time to caulk to seal any gaps and putty any large holes to prevent moisture from seeping into the wood.
To make sure the door fit, we placed it in the doorway. This helped Caleb see what needed tweaking.
Next, Caleb drilled out the holes for the door knob and the dead bolt using a special tool that my dad had on hand...which saved so much time. I believe the tool is just called a door lock installation kit. So handy!
Now to my job...painting! We used oil based paint (paint color is retreat by sherwin williams) and covered every possible nook and cranny of this door, with several coats. The fastest way to ruin a wood door (most exterior doors are not made of wood anymore) is to allow water to get into the wood and expand it. Although oil based paint is no fun to work with, it is the best at protecting the wood so it is definitely worth the headache!
You can see this was before Caleb installed the window. We special ordered the double paned glass for this door which was really the only spendy thing about the door.
Once the window and hardware were installed, my door was ready to be put in. And here is the finished product, both from the outside and from the inside.
What do you guys think?? I love my new door! I love it even more than the one I wanted to buy! We've had it since February (it was my Valentines present...that is true romance ladies and gentlemen) and it is holding up perfectly so far.
Happy back to school dear friends!!!
