Houses go together with the talents and tools of many trades, from framing carpenters to trim and finish carpenters to plumbers and roofers. New homes, built stick by stick or from prebuilt sections, go together fast — a matter of days for all the framing. Then trim and finish carpenters start adding details like doors, moldings, and cabinets. When the time is right to replace those original doors, are they easily installed? Are doors easy to fit? 

Fit a Door

The finished opening must be measured when a new door is called for in your Des Moines-area home. Whether exterior doors or interior doors, all doors come in pretty standard sizes, making the task of fitting a door easy for skilled carpenters:

  • Standard door height — 6’- 8” (80”)
  • Standard door widths — 36”, 32”, and 30”
  • Standard door thickness — 1 ¾” 

In new construction, a rough opening is framed out by framing carpenters, and then the door is trimmed out with casing. The 1” x 6” clear pine pieces cover the rough studs and drywall edges. The door is hung within the casing and then decorative molding, or trim, is added for a finished look.

When replacing doors, rough openings do not matter. The trim size is essential, so a finish carpenter will measure the actual opening. Another strategy is to remove and measure the existing door. 

Custom Work

If you want drastic changes to the design, swing, thickness, or height of your door, then you want custom work. A front door entry that began as a single door can be converted to double doors, but substantial framing changes will be needed. Materials matter, too; the methods for installing steel-clad front doors are different from installing wood panel doors. 

Who?

A new door is not a do-it-yourself project, nor is it work for a handyman service. A new front door announces your family to the world. You want that front door to look beautiful and flawless. Every measurement, every hinge screw, and every nail counts. 

Rely on skilled, experienced carpenters with the tools, training, and supplies needed to make your door fit like a dream. 

If your front door is leaving you fit to be tied, have a new door fitted by the skilled carpenters of VanWeelden Company. Contact us today for all your home’s exterior needs, from windows and doors to roofing and siding and much, much more.