Hey friends,

I've gotten stuck deciding on what type of hearth we should have in the fireplace. It's a bit of a character flaw of mine, wanting to make the perfect decision despite it being a fairly insignificant detail. I'm sure I'll make a breakthrough soon but suggestions are welcome.

Instead of that I've got a garage door replacement piece for you. And I make a complete pig's ear of it.

🚪 Installing A Steel Personnel Door

The wooden door is rotting away at the bottom and any fix wouldn't be permanent. A new wooden door would set us back about £250 and would likely end up with the same issue down the line. A UPVC or composite door would be good but comes with a high threshold which is no good for getting the wheelbarrow or mower in and out. Steel doors come with a low threshold and with locking mechanisms into the top, bottom and sides of the frame should be more secure too.

I started out by measuring the opening as per the yellow arrows below. All measurements were consistent at 865mm wide and 2015mm high so I ordered a door 845 x 2010mm.

I got sent a door 890mm wide. I looked at the brickwork and decided it was too much hassle cutting it back so I got the company to take it back and deliver the correct size.

Once I had the right door I removed the wooden one. The top of the frame extended into the brickwork so I filled these in. The previous owners had left an acrow of the right height in the garage so I used that to hold up the lintel. I'm becoming a bit of a pro with these lately.

Next I removed the steel door from its frame and expected it to slide into place with ease. It wouldn't. What's wrong with this picture?

Even though the width is consistent top to bottom the opening is on a massive slant! And here's the worst thing: I could have cut a vertical line down both sides, like so:

That would have enlarged the opening and the first door I received would have fit! 🤦‍♂️ FML.

Instead I had to cut the right side of the door plumb first. I did this with an angle grinder on both sides of the brick to get a clean cut then chiselled out the middle of the brick.

The left side required me knocking out a bunch of brick and relaying new brick to jut out further into the opening to narrow it again. Even though I've been getting my practice in lately it took forever.

Once that had cured a bit I was able to get the frame in. It comes with lugs in the side which you can wind out with an allen key to hold the frame in plumb. A good system and much easier than using plastic packers. I marked up the location of the fixings with a pencil through the holes.

Then I drilled and knocked in the supplied wall plugs.

The rest was fairly easy: Frame fixed, door back on its hinges, seals added where the door meets frame, handle and lock fitted and then white silicone sealant around the edge. Trim would have been good but like with the window I don't have the depth of wall for them. Looks okay from a distance.

So I turned what should have been an afternoon project into a multi day job. On the upside I guess it's kind of cool that I have the skills (and tools) to get out of a problem situation. I'm sure you'll have felt the same at some point. The lesson here of course is, in addition to measuring, make sure your apperture is plumb before ordering a new door or window!

The door came from this supplier. £410 but I had the £90 delivery fee (you can collect if you're near the west Midlands) refunded due to the cock up so £320 all in. Not much more than a wooden one. They also sent the wrong coloured sealant and I'm not convinced the handle is of great quality despite selecting stainless steel, so it's not a strong recommendation unfortunately.

Anyway, unless I concoct some other plan that's the garage finished! 4/5 projects completed and it should stand for a few more decades.

👋

I find the garden gets seriously untidy around this time of year so the other thing I've been up to is a big garden clean up: hedges trimmed, trees neatened, beds weeded. It's a lot of work. Sometimes I think it would be nice to own more land but definitely not as a maintained garden - if I'm the gardener anyway.

I tackled the front as well. It's quaint but I think most of it will have to be removed. I'll try to keep the vine though.

Hit "reply" if you've got any comments on this week's newsletter – otherwise I'll see you next time. Have an epic week :)

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