Gentlemen;

About a year ago I had a contractor install a new steel, prehung exterior
door. Although I don't know the brand, this door was most likely obtained
at Home Depot. There appears to be nothing wrong with the quality of the
door and its surround.

I am trying to sell this home and the inspector states the door is in need
of adjustment but was not specific. I looked and looked and the only issue
I could find was that compared to other doors in the house it appears to be
set more deeply into the opening as seen from the inside. This means that
when closing the lock bolt hits the 1-1.5" of trim edge before it reaches
the strike plate.

This has never been a problem for me as I relatively effortlessly pull the
door closed just fine. Apparently the potential purchaser has a different
idea!

As I am not a carpenter I am hoping that some of you readers who may be
familiar with installing/repairing similar doors might have an idea as to
what I am describing and even more hopefully how it can be repaired? I am
hesitant to call even a contractor because I don't even know how to best
describe it.

Does the door need to be reinstalled? If so, in what way? I can't imaging
the door could be incorrectly sizes as it looks just fine.

Any ideas, suggestions, recommendations, help GREATLY appreciated. As one
can imagine, in this housing mess and economy I am already taking a real
bath on this house.

Thanks - Bob

In article ,
Bob M wrote:

Gentlemen;

About a year ago I had a contractor install a new steel, prehung exterior
door. Although I don't know the brand, this door was most likely obtained
at Home Depot. There appears to be nothing wrong with the quality of the
door and its surround.

I am trying to sell this home and the inspector states the door is in need
of adjustment but was not specific. I looked and looked and the only issue
I could find was that compared to other doors in the house it appears to be
set more deeply into the opening as seen from the inside. This means that
when closing the lock bolt hits the 1-1.5" of trim edge before it reaches
the strike plate.

This has never been a problem for me as I relatively effortlessly pull the
door closed just fine. Apparently the potential purchaser has a different
idea!

As I am not a carpenter I am hoping that some of you readers who may be
familiar with installing/repairing similar doors might have an idea as to
what I am describing and even more hopefully how it can be repaired? I am
hesitant to call even a contractor because I don't even know how to best
describe it.

Does the door need to be reinstalled? If so, in what way? I can't imaging
the door could be incorrectly sizes as it looks just fine.

Any ideas, suggestions, recommendations, help GREATLY appreciated. As one
can imagine, in this housing mess and economy I am already taking a real
bath on this house.

Thanks - Bob

Since the potential purchaser is apparently the one squawking, why not
offer him $200 and let him fix whatever he and the inspector believe to
be wrong?

One thing you could check is whether the hinges have metal spacers
behind them, if so, removing one or more of them might help. We recently
tore down a wall containing a double steel door, in order to bring in a
large machine, and rebuilt the wall and door thereafter. Getting the
doors to work flawlessly wasn't difficult, but it was damn
time-consuming and fiddly, involving multiple iterations of "try it and
see."

Another possible issue is that the hinges could be in the wrong place,
so that the hinge side of the door contacts the stop before the latch
side of the door does, which puts torque on the hinges every time you
pull the door closed. We just ran into that yesterday on another door
whose hinge bolts had broken loose from the concrete block wall behind
the jamb.

Smitty Two wrote:

In article ,
Bob M wrote:

Gentlemen;

About a year ago I had a contractor install a new steel, prehung exterior
door. Although I don't know the brand, this door was most likely
obtained
at Home Depot. There appears to be nothing wrong with the quality of the
door and its surround.

I am trying to sell this home and the inspector states the door is in
need
of adjustment but was not specific. I looked and looked and the only
issue I could find was that compared to other doors in the house it
appears to be
set more deeply into the opening as seen from the inside. This means
that when closing the lock bolt hits the 1-1.5" of trim edge before it
reaches the strike plate.

This has never been a problem for me as I relatively effortlessly pull
the
door closed just fine. Apparently the potential purchaser has a
different idea!

As I am not a carpenter I am hoping that some of you readers who may be
familiar with installing/repairing similar doors might have an idea as to
what I am describing and even more hopefully how it can be repaired? I
am hesitant to call even a contractor because I don't even know how to
best describe it.

Does the door need to be reinstalled? If so, in what way? I can't
imaging the door could be incorrectly sizes as it looks just fine.

Any ideas, suggestions, recommendations, help GREATLY appreciated. As
one can imagine, in this housing mess and economy I am already taking a
real bath on this house.

Thanks - Bob

Since the potential purchaser is apparently the one squawking, why not
offer him $200 and let him fix whatever he and the inspector believe to
be wrong?

One thing you could check is whether the hinges have metal spacers
behind them, if so, removing one or more of them might help. We recently
tore down a wall containing a double steel door, in order to bring in a
large machine, and rebuilt the wall and door thereafter. Getting the
doors to work flawlessly wasn't difficult, but it was damn
time-consuming and fiddly, involving multiple iterations of "try it and
see."

Another possible issue is that the hinges could be in the wrong place,
so that the hinge side of the door contacts the stop before the latch
side of the door does, which puts torque on the hinges every time you
pull the door closed. We just ran into that yesterday on another door
whose hinge bolts had broken loose from the concrete block wall behind
the jamb.

Thanks for the input Smitty Two. The purchaser is being unreasonable and
won't settle for a cash allowance (lazy I guess). I will look for hinge
shims and bring a big hammer. Unfortunately the house is 300 miles away.

Bob

Bob M wrote:
Smitty Two wrote:

In article ,
Bob M wrote:
....
...the inspector states the door is in need
of adjustment but was not specific. I looked and looked and the only
issue I could find was that compared to other doors in the house it
appears to be
set more deeply into the opening as seen from the inside. This means
that when closing the lock bolt hits the 1-1.5" of trim edge before it
reaches the strike plate.

This has never been a problem for me as I relatively effortlessly pull
....

The clue here is "relatively"...that certainly indicates something is amiss.

As I am not a carpenter I am hoping that some of you readers who may be
familiar with installing/repairing similar doors might have an idea as to
what I am describing and even more hopefully how it can be repaired? I
am hesitant to call even a contractor because I don't even know how to
best describe it.

Does the door need to be reinstalled? If so, in what way? I can't
imaging the door could be incorrectly sizes as it looks just fine.

Any ideas, suggestions, recommendations, help GREATLY appreciated. As
one can imagine, in this housing mess and economy I am already taking a
real bath on this house.

Thanks - Bob
Since the potential purchaser is apparently the one squawking, why not
offer him $200 and let him fix whatever he and the inspector believe to
be wrong?

One thing you could check is whether the hinges have metal spacers
behind them, if so, removing one or more of them might help. We recently
tore down a wall containing a double steel door, in order to bring in a
large machine, and rebuilt the wall and door thereafter. Getting the
doors to work flawlessly wasn't difficult, but it was damn
time-consuming and fiddly, involving multiple iterations of "try it and
see."

Another possible issue is that the hinges could be in the wrong place,
so that the hinge side of the door contacts the stop before the latch
side of the door does, which puts torque on the hinges every time you
pull the door closed. We just ran into that yesterday on another door
whose hinge bolts had broken loose from the concrete block wall behind
the jamb.

Thanks for the input Smitty Two. The purchaser is being unreasonable and
won't settle for a cash allowance (lazy I guess). I will look for hinge
shims and bring a big hammer. Unfortunately the house is 300 miles away.
....

Pictures would certainly help...

I'd keep the hammer in the toolbox until last resort, though...

_What_ specifically is hitting what, again?

If it is only the latch itself hitting the frame before the strike
plate, there are deep strike plates available or could fashion one from
some plate.

If the door itself or the whole latch is dragging, then you may need to
adjust hinges.

I'd first get input from the buyer as to what their idea of a
satisfactory resolution actually is (not saying I'd do _just_anything_,
but at least try to get some idea as to what will be satisfactory).

If you're not comfortable w/ this kind of work and it's imperative to
get it resolved satisfactorily to close the sale and particularly if an
inspection when you get there and a couple of simple ideas don't seem to
pan out, I'd suggest a door and window outfit.

As for the complete rehanging, that's where need to be able to see
what's going on to have an input...

--

On Oct 2, 10:58*am, Bob M wrote:
Gentlemen;

About a year ago I had a contractor install a new steel, prehung exterior
door. *Although I don't know the brand, this door was most likely obtained
at Home Depot. *There appears to be nothing wrong with the quality of the
door and its surround.

I am trying to sell this home and the inspector states the door is in need
of adjustment but was not specific. *I looked and looked and the only issue
I could find was that compared to other doors in the house it appears to be
set more deeply into the opening as seen from the inside. *This means that
when closing the lock bolt hits the 1-1.5" of trim edge before it reaches
the strike plate.

This has never been a problem for me as I relatively effortlessly pull the
door closed just fine. *Apparently the potential purchaser has a different
idea!

As I am not a carpenter I am hoping that some of you readers who may be
familiar with installing/repairing similar doors might have an idea as to
what I am describing and even more hopefully how it can be repaired? *I am
hesitant to call even a contractor because I don't even know how to best
describe it.

Does the door need to be reinstalled? *If so, in what way? *I can't imaging
the door could be incorrectly sizes as it looks just fine.

Any ideas, suggestions, recommendations, help GREATLY appreciated. *As one
can imagine, in this housing mess and economy I am already taking a real
bath on this house.

Thanks - Bob

Let me get this straight. An inspector flags a latch hitting the trim
before it hits the strike plate, and you're offering _money_ to the
buyer? Why?! If it is as you say, and there's nothing else wrong
with the door, then just buy an extended strike plate.
http://www.iqhardware.com/proddetail...=SXSTRKPLAT-EX

I know it is a buyer's market, but a fabricated problem doesn't
justify you cutting the selling price. Before you offer discounts,
you should verify exactly what the inspector was flagging. If he was
flagging things that small, I'm surprised that he hasn't taken up
residence with you until he can finish his report!

R

"Bob M" wrote in message
...

I looked and looked and the only issue
I could find was that compared to other doors in the house it appears to
be
set more deeply into the opening as seen from the inside. This means that
when closing the lock bolt hits the 1-1.5" of trim edge before it reaches
the strike plate.

This would be 100% normal for a standard entry door installed in a 2x6 stud
wall or in a basement wall. Or anywhere else where it was necessary to
"extend the jamb".

Bob, there are only a very few things that are adjustable on an entry door.

Some have an adjustable threshold that can be raised or lowered by prying
off the little plastic caps and turning a screw.

The strike plate may need adjusting if the door is not making firm contact
with the weather striping when fully closed.

An uneven gap along the top or side would be an artifact of a poor install
or settling of the structure. The fix would require casing removal and
additional shimming. Not a minor job.

Ask the inspector what needs adjusting. You can blindly fix things without
knowing what to do. The sob got paid let him earn his money.

Colbyt

Bob M wrote in
:

Smitty Two wrote:

In article ,
Bob M wrote:

Gentlemen;

About a year ago I had a contractor install a new steel, prehung
exterior door. Although I don't know the brand, this door was most
likely obtained
at Home Depot. There appears to be nothing wrong with the quality
of the door and its surround.

I am trying to sell this home and the inspector states the door is
in need
of adjustment but was not specific. I looked and looked and the
only issue I could find was that compared to other doors in the
house it appears to be
set more deeply into the opening as seen from the inside. This
means that when closing the lock bolt hits the 1-1.5" of trim edge
before it reaches the strike plate.

This has never been a problem for me as I relatively effortlessly
pull the
door closed just fine. Apparently the potential purchaser has a
different idea!

As I am not a carpenter I am hoping that some of you readers who may
be familiar with installing/repairing similar doors might have an
idea as to what I am describing and even more hopefully how it can
be repaired? I am hesitant to call even a contractor because I
don't even know how to best describe it.

Does the door need to be reinstalled? If so, in what way? I can't
imaging the door could be incorrectly sizes as it looks just fine.

Any ideas, suggestions, recommendations, help GREATLY appreciated.
As one can imagine, in this housing mess and economy I am already
taking a real bath on this house.

Thanks - Bob

Since the potential purchaser is apparently the one squawking, why
not offer him $200 and let him fix whatever he and the inspector
believe to be wrong?

One thing you could check is whether the hinges have metal spacers
behind them, if so, removing one or more of them might help. We
recently tore down a wall containing a double steel door, in order to
bring in a large machine, and rebuilt the wall and door thereafter.
Getting the doors to work flawlessly wasn't difficult, but it was
damn time-consuming and fiddly, involving multiple iterations of "try
it and see."

Another possible issue is that the hinges could be in the wrong
place, so that the hinge side of the door contacts the stop before
the latch side of the door does, which puts torque on the hinges
every time you pull the door closed. We just ran into that yesterday
on another door whose hinge bolts had broken loose from the concrete
block wall behind the jamb.

Thanks for the input Smitty Two. The purchaser is being unreasonable
and won't settle for a cash allowance (lazy I guess).

Then find out EXACTLY what the problem is from the PURCHASER. Figure out
a solution. Propose it to the purchaser. Do nothing until you BOTH AGREE
on a solution. If purchaser is feeding on the buyers market aspect he may
decline anything you do until he gets a new door. Of course, don't let a
single few $C item hold up a sale. Any halfwit realtor (if involved)
wouldn't let it get to that.

I will look for
hinge shims and bring a big hammer. Unfortunately the house is 300
miles away.

Bob