How To Make An Exterior Door Frame Larger

Step 6 build wall reinforcement to create a header beam for the new door if needed.

How to make an exterior door frame larger.

Cut through the nails at the foot of the studs. Measure and mark the exterior siding to widen the opening the difference between the old and new doors. Wedge shims behind both side jambs at the top bottom and middle. Remove bricks or house siding on the entryway exterior to make room for the bigger door system.

If you re narrowing the frame by more than an inch remove the hinge side. To fit a specific door use the rough framing measurements the width of the door plus 2 1 2 inches to allow for shims and jambs. With the same 38 inch wide opening and a door or set of doors 48. Cut the siding away using the circular saw.

To make the door header the top of the door frame cut two 2x4s to the same length as the width of the original opening and nail them securely together. Construct header to construct a header cut two pieces of 2x6 or larger to the width of the rough opening plus 3 inches to allow for the thickness of the two jack studs. Cut the door header. To make a door frame wider the do it yourself should also ensure that the planned construction does not cut into any existing electrical or heating and air conditioning equipment.

Subscribe to this old house. You will need to add 1 2 of plywood between the 2x4 s to get the right wall thickness of 3 1 2. Stand the new prehung door in the opening and nail the exterior trim at one top corner. Step 1 remove the existing door from the frame by unscrewing the screws on the hinges and lifting the door away.

Cut 1 2 inch plywood spacers. Working on the floor stack the pieces with the crowns facing the same direction see next step and use a square to make sure they are aligned. This is the actual thickness of a 2x4. Ask this old house general contractor tom silva trims a front door that s getting caught on a homeowner s entry rug.

Pull the framing from the existing doorway. Cut through the nails that secure the doorjamb to the rest of the framing with a reciprocating saw.