"Rachel" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I'm thinking of blocking off my existing external back door (to extend
my kitchen) and having french doors fitted in place of the large dining
room window to use as the back door instead.

Are there any laws stopping me from blocking off an external door? If
not, is this an expensive job? I have absolutely no idea how to do this
and would have to pay a specialist to do both these jobs.

Your thoughts/ideas and general costing advice would be greatly
appreciated.

Nah, that is a common remodel on 1960s cookie cutters, to make the dining
nook feel more open. A lot of them didn't even have an outside door in the
kitchen, you had to go through garage and use THAT back door to get to back
porch- makes cookouts a pain. May be trivial, may be expensive- all depends
if you can find a french door the same width as the current window rough
opening, and if there is a heat duct and/or outlet right there that needs to
be moved. If the header above window has to be changed out, that means
entire wall has to be opened, vs. just cutting out the wall section below
the window. Plugging old door is just framing, insulating, and skinning- no
need to remove that header. Hardest part will be patching in the siding or
whatever on outside. On inside, a little drywall and paint will do. As to
laws- codes vary, but in general, as long as the windows are big enough to
climb out of, that is all they are worried about. Lots of cheap apartments
only have the one real door. Of course, nobody would want to buy the place
without a back door. As to costs- can't see your place from here, and don't
know local freelance carpenter prices. Not counting material costs, figure
750 minimum, if all the dimensions work out right and your siding is easy to
match. A day to remove window, cut wall, and install the french door, a
second day to remove and plug the old door and finish up the detail trim. If
they have to reframe the wall, several times that. A good carpenter should
be able to look at what is there now, and tell you in five minutes if what
you want is easy and cheap, hard and expensive, or more trouble than it is
worth for you and him.

aem sends...