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.

Thanks

"Rachel" wrote in message
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.

Building and fire codes require certain means of egress. If you put in
French door in another place, you most likely satisfy the code.

Next, what do you meat by "blocking off"? If it will be completely covered
inside and outside, no one will even know it is no longer an entry. Cost
will vary depending on materials needed, siding, sheetrock, etc. few
hundred at least, I'd guess.

"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...

ameijers wrote:
"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.

snip

aem sends...

The wierdest and most awkward layout I ever saw was my BIL's in Canada.
Picture a 2 story house with the main living on the second floor.
Bottom was more of a daylight basement layout, spare bedroom, utility,
nice rec-room that was a garage at one time.

The only access to the back yard was either through the front door and
around the house (on the bottom floor) or go up to the second floor,
through the kitchen and down a flight of stairs.

It didn't take him long to punch a hole and put in a french door in the
rec room.

Harry K

Thanks for your reply.

No heat duct to be moved but there is a large crack in the wall right
above the window to be removed. Spoke to a builder and it is structural
damage, caused when double glazed window was installed.

Again any advice appreciated.

Many thanks

Thanks for your reply.

No heat duct to be moved but there is a large crack in the wall right
above the window to be removed. Spoke to a builder and it is structural
damage, caused when double glazed window was installed.

Again any advice appreciated.

Many thanks

"Rachel" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks for your reply.

No heat duct to be moved but there is a large crack in the wall right
above the window to be removed. Spoke to a builder and it is structural
damage, caused when double glazed window was installed.

Crack is on the inside, I assume? Again, it could be nothing, or it could be
serious. Do you know if the double-glazed replacement window was same size
as the original? If some hack made the hole wider by removing the short
studs that hold up the header, the resulting sag would indeed likely crack
the drywall. On the other hand, if somebody just pried in the wrong place
while doing the install, or didn't shim out the window correctly, the crack
could be strictly cosmetic- likely an old drywall seam that got
overstressed. (In either case, whoever owned the house when the window was
switched and crack happened, should have beat on the window company
severely, and made them fix it.) If window is square, operates smoothly, and
there are no cracks where wall meets ceiling, it is probably nothing. Just
patch and paint when you plug the other door and repaint kitchen. They will
be able to see if the header is properly supported when they pull out the
window to put in the french door, and add back any supporting studs that
were improperly removed. That does mean you want the carpenter to make a
recon trip and pull the interior trim before you buy the door, though- the
opening may need to get 3" narrower. It is possible to fake missing header
supports with steel angles, but that is not the preferred solution.

aem sends...