Rebel's Doors & Windows Portfolio...

One of the most common, and most bothersome, small problems around the house is having a malfunctioning entry door. If your door squeaks, sticks, or has other problems opening or closing, it is often an issue several times a day for anyone who lives in the house. Entry door repair is not always an easy task, occasionally, it is not incredibly involved, either. If you're tired of dealing with an offending door, here are a few tips about door repair that might come in handy.

Door Repairs

Sticking or Swelling

Changes in temperature and humidity can cause swelling, and subsequently sticking, of an entry door. Repair for this situation will involve sanding down or using a plane on the portion of the door that sticks and causes friction. To identify where you need to sand, you can slip a piece of carbon paper in the area where friction is suspected and close the door; when you open it back up, the area that needs to be sanded will be marked with ink. Once you sand the area smooth, make sure to seal it up with varnish, or you're likely to have even more moisture problems in the future.

Sagging

A door will occasionally sag under its own weight and bind in the doorframe. If the situation isn't corrected, it will worsen over time until it's virtually impossible to open or close the door. Sanding the upper door edge is only a temporary fix because the door will continue to sag. Instead, remove the screws from the upper hinge leaf that's attached to the doorjamb and replace them with three-inch decking screws. The screws will pass through the jamb and reach deep into the jack stud of the rough opening. Tighten the screws just enough to pull back the door a little bit. Be careful not to over tighten them or you'll bow the jamb and distort the swing of the door.

Drafty Entry Door Repairs

Especially in colder climates, a drafty entry door can make a room that would be perfectly comfortable into a far less pleasant place. Two very common solutions to this problem are adding weather stripping or installing a storm door. Weather stripping comes in a few different varieties, and can be installed in a couple different ways. When done properly, it limits the draft by 90%, that is cost-effective and quick way to a savings in energy cost. Installing a storm door can make a huge difference when it comes to protecting your entry door, however, it will do very little towards blocking drafts, and when the weather gets warmer, a storm door fitted with a screen can allow a great deal of air circulation without letting in bugs.

Hiring a Professional for Door Repair

Entry door repair is a project that generally doesn't take too much time, especially for an experienced professional. If you're not the do-it-yourself type, you may want to hire a professional to come and do the job for you. Even folks with some experience in fixing things around the house might want to call our service department for door repair and group it together with a few other odd projects. Make sure to let the us know when you contact us about each individual project you need done, as this will allow us to come to your home prepared, and allot enough time for your job.

Common Styles of doors

Hinged Doors— The most traditional door is still the standard but may not be practical if the door swing interferes with the room's space. You'll also want to carefully consider which way the doors will swing. For double hinged doors, you may want to have each door open into a different room.

Sliding Doors— Sliding doors come in their own different styles. Pocket doors slide into spaces in the wall. Bypass doors slide by one another and can work especially well in three section panels.

Folding Doors— These doors combine the mechanisms of hinged and sliding doors. They open and close like an accordion. If you like the dynamics of hinged doors but have an opening too wide for conventional hinged doors, folding doors can be the way to go.

Door Ideas

Your entry door may be the first door a visitor sees, but it also has to endure the hardships of the weather. An interior door can be a more decorative material at a more reasonable price. Interior wood doors don't need to have the same premium grade and exotic softwoods that would be impractical for exterior doors can add the ambiance you're looking for. Privacy is also less of an issue for some interior doors, allowing you to choose a decorative glass door in some areas of your home.

Interior Wood Doors

Even interior wood doors aren't cheap, but they won't break the bank and are often cheaper than their exterior wood counterparts. While you can still achieve the warmth of wood doors, the heavy-duty solid wood doors typical of exterior doors are often unnecessary, unless you are concerned about noise control, or just plain like the feel and weight of a solid wood door as you use it.

Interior Glass Doors

Glass doors are easily broken and usually aren't the best idea for exterior doors. Interior glass doors, on the other hand, can bring a polished decorative element that even wood doors struggle to compete with. You can choose between different degrees of transparency and opaqueness to meet your demands and preferences. The most luxurious interior glass doors are still encased in a wood frame but still offer the distinct look of decorative glass. Choose the glass pattern carefully. Something too ornate may simply be distracting, but you still want your doors to stand out.

Interior Door Styles

Expanding your options for interior doors is about more than just a reduced need for durability. Different styles create doors that will make your living space more versatile. French doors encapsulate many kinds of doors that can open between two adjacent rooms and nurture an open mental landscape. Closed, these doors give you two distinct rooms that allow multiple household members

Windows

Information About Windows

Quality window installation depends upon finding a quality window contractor. Finding the window style is usually the first step for window installation. A window contractor can walk you through the trade-offs between single-hung or double-hung windows, casement or horizontal sliding windows. You may only be looking for replacement windows, where your window opening will dictate the style, but changing the style may not cost as much as you think, and it's good to hear from an expert before you make up your mind. Even replacement window installation requires expertise to ensure your windows will provide you with the performance and longevity the manufacturer promises.

Window Manufacturers

One of the most difficult decisions for homeowners can be choosing a window brand. Small window manufacturers tend to provide specialty and customized glass for a small niche of window installations, but there are still close to a dozen major window manufacturers and knowing which one is right for you can be a crap shoot. We are CERTIFIED PELLA window installers, however we can install any window you prefer. We are happy to visit with you about your needs and the options open to you, as we are a good source of general information, about these manufacturers and many others.

Energy-Efficient Windows

One of the most common reasons to replace existing windows is to increase the energy-efficiency performance of your windows. For poor performing windows, as much as 90% of your heat loss can occur through your windows. Our customers report our window replacement options pay for themselves in an average of 3 years with energy savings.  Double or triple insulated windows will greatly increase the insulating value of your windows. The highest performing windows can even approach the insulation performance of the walls that surround them. Reflective glass windows will deflect much of the sun's rays, making them perform well, not just in the winter, but in the summer, too.

Most of the heat loss occurs through the glass but an energy-efficient window frame shouldn't be overlooked. Wood frames are great for energy-efficiency but are also expensive and require maintenance. Aluminum is inexpensive and durable but has a poorer insulation rating. Our selections of Vinyl windows are more energy-efficient than some wood framed windows and with our options you have plenty of choices of colors, textures, stiles and hardware! R-factors are the measure of a material's insulating performance. U-factors refer to the total window unit's insulating performance. The U-factor is the reciprocal of the R-factor, which means you should look for window installations that have a high R-factor and a low U-factor.

Hiring a Window Contractor

Window contracting is open to would-be scammers. Because window installation and repair is a common home improvement project, it's not uncommon for a dishonest person to blow through town, line up a bunch of quick customers, make promises, falsify supply orders, take your money, and take off. At the very least, check to make sure your window contractor is licensed. This is your first line of defense, but you should also check references and talk to some of the contractors’ previous customers. Never hire someone who comes to your door and solicits a window installation to be completed that day. Also, to the untrained eye most windows look a like. This being said let me tell you of something my mother told me once when I was a kid and learned a very valuable lesson that I still remember today “If you buy a diamond for a dime, you probably have a diamond that isn’t worth a dime”. Quote by Angie Snodgrass 1978.