I need to vent about our front door project (that isn't).

[Susie]

We ordered a new front door back around the end of October/early Nov.  We chose this one:


which is available with and without a decorative shelf with dental molding under the glass panes.  We ordered without, because the shelf took it just a little too far in the craftsman direction for our fauxlonial (IMO).  They quoted us something like 3 weeks, which was longer than I was hoping for, but whatever.  We hoped to paint it and install it before December, and before it got really cold.

Mid November was really warm (40s, 50s), but no door yet.

Last Saturday, already late, the door finally comes in.  Unfortunately, it's only bored twice (for a deadbolt + knob), instead of with 3 holes for a deadbolt + handle set.  And, it has a decorative shelf. 

The store tells us that the order was correct, the manufacturer screwed it up.  They'll try to expedite a new door.  We shouldn't have to wait the whole order period all over again.  Ok, cool.  What else are we going to do?

Today Calvin tells me they "hope" to have our door by Christmas.  So, 2.5 weeks from when they realized it was wrong.  So basically yes, we are waiting the whole original period all over again.  AND NOW IT IS 18* OUT ("feels like 8*F").  I don't want to rip the trim off, pull out my existing door frame, and fiddle with installing a new pre-hung door when it is 18* out.  I WANTED TO DO IT A MONTH AGO WHEN IT WAS WARMER.  In the meantime, our existing door is bleeding heat like nobody's business (which is why we're replacing it instead of painting it).

I'm also annoyed, and perhaps H&G might be the only place to appreciate this, that Christmas is our one holiday to host of the year.  And now it looks like I will do it with a purple garage door, done in October,

and a red front door:

all freaking lit up with Christmas lights and a spotlight.

I realize there are far bigger deals in the world, but this was supposed to be finished by now It annoys me every time I come home and see the red door all lit up, and every time I walk by it inside and feel how cold it is.

[simpsongal]

I would be ticker off. I'm sorry Susie. I was obsessing with getting our house ready last Christmas because we hosted family. There's always going to be another project and no one is going ot know or notice the flaws or improvements you hope to make.

But if you're like me, feel free to show folks the new door pic and how great it will be when the store finally gets the order right!

[Susie]

I am glad someone else gets it That makes me feel better at least.

Even more than Christmas, I'm annoyed about... when the heck am I going to install it? The late fall window of opportunity is missed. After Christmas I can paint it and then what... wait for an unseasonably warm day? Pulling your front door frame out in January in upstate NY is not a great plan! Will I have a red door til spring (AND be storing a door*)? Ugh.

*This is a BFD in a house with a 1 car garage and lots of snowfall - so I want to be able to put a car in the garage!

[Susie]

Possible on the install. (And oh God that'd be awesome.) But as far as the paint, I have half a quart of the specific purple from the garage door to use, so I'm not sure how it'd work having them use my particular paint. I think it needs to be painted before install, too, since it's too cold to paint outside (and for security reasons I need to have the lock set already on it when it goes on the house). So I paint, then they install? Dunno.

Really, it's just a logistical cluster that didn't have to happen.

[Susie]

Dec 12, 2013 12:16:29 GMT -5 @juno said:

Well, as far as Christmas goes, the red door is better anyway And the purple is on a different plane, so not that noticible that is doesn't match. Is there any cheap weather stripping you could do on the existing door for now?

We had something similar happen with our glass shower enclosure. I think I remember that they cut the glass wrong and didn't discover it until attempted install THREE TIMES. We were without our only shower for weeks because of that one. I was so angry.

The draft is mostly related to the window in the door, so stripping wouldn't help.  The glass is only single pane, which is part of the problem.  The other part of the problem is the plastic frame around the window, which for about an inch around the window is the only thing between indoors and outdoors.  If we're going to wait to install until spring, I could do blow-in insulation there to see if it helps.

I would be livid about the shower too.  We only have 1 shower too so I hear you.

[munkii]

Short-term solution for your front door: put up plastic, even just around the window part of the door. Frost king or Duck Brand or anything that's made for winterizing. I know it won't look great, but it should help some.

[Susie]

At least through Christmas when things are all decorated I think I'll just spring for the heat bill. We used that plastic stuff in our last house (and my apartment before that) on all the windows and I know it works, I just get hate-shivers thinking about putting it up. I'm not quite desperate enough for that yet (I mean, we've lived with the existing door for 5 years already so it's not THAT bad).

Really, I'm just annoyed that I had a plan and a timeline and it didn't work for totally preventable reasons. 

[Susie]

Oh, oh, update!

Apparently our door is in. But this door is also bored incorrectly, with 2 holes instead of 3. The place we ordered it from tells us that boring the 3/8" hole for the bottom of the handle set is "easy," and "they have the saw for it" but they have not offered to do it for us. After all this.

I almost wish I hadn't delegated this whole task to Calvin because I've got some crazy that I'd enjoy unleashing on them over this.

[jloww]

Oh, I'd be pissed.  I'd have them do the hole today, pick it up, paint it inside and then push for free installation ASAP.

[emoflamingo]

This is the point I'd shove Calvin to the side and DIMDS (Do It My Damn Self) because my husband does the same thing. JUST DO IT ALREADY OMG!!!!!