There is a Vinyl Window Company called Atrium Windows & Doors. But the term “Atrium” has also come to describe a door-configuration commonly consisting of a set of doors wherein only one of the two doors is operable. Usually the operable door is hinged off of the non-operable door, as shown in the second photo here, but sometimes the operable door is hinged off of the opposite jamb-leg.

One of the advantages of an atrium door-configuration is that you have the additional view & light afforded a double-entry configuration without some of the liabilities of a double-entry.
As most folks can probably understand, locking one door into another operable door panel is less than optimum when it comes to security, or even the best weather-stripping seal.

Before Shot – Exterior.

Before Shot – Interior.

In Process Shot – Exterior.

In Process Shot – Exterior.

After Shot – Interior. As you can see, the new door assembly was wider than the original window assembly. So we opened up the wall above & installed the requisite header support beam.

Behold, we also provided & installed new wood screen doors. As you probably assumed, a new deck was also in the works.

These are a type of a “double-door assembly,” though different than what most folks are inclined to think of when they hear that term.
As most folks know, this door configuration allows larger groups to share adjoining…

…rooms while maintaining a modicum of privacy in that both doors must be opened from their respective rooms to allow passage. You’ll notice that there is only a knob on one side of each door.

Is there anything that so easily seems to add value to a structure than the tactful use of natural light?

The metaphors are many, and many of them are probably accurate as it relates to the healing and therapeutic characteristics of light.

Some of our clients have taught us about a disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). For whom the impact of the absence of light is no minor issue.

But you needn’t have a disorder to know that the existence and use of light can have a profoundly healthy impact on our emotions at more than one or two levels.

The Mt. Park area has some enviable views, even if it’s the wooded areas that provide a degree of privacy and a greater sense of rural beauty, even as it’s but a hop and a skip to downtown Portland.

This was a dining room in need of a natural infusion of the great Northwest’s local landscapes.
And Pella’s wood-clad sliding patio door certainly facilitated that infusion.

The west hills overlooking soutwest Portland.

Our clients wanted a deck from which to enjoy the view.

But they needed a door by which to access the deck.

And they wanted to door installed before the deck.

Presumably, this was so the folks installing the deck would know where to attach it to the house.

The door & sidelight are Marvin Wood Clad, with the cladding color matching the original windows.

Stucco work was done for us by Kingsman Contracting, Inc. They have to be among the best in the business.

Interior After Shot.

Looks like it was always there.

Whether “custom-made” to replicate a certain period or style of door or a stock Simpson or Buffelen door, we have the sources and the resources to make it happen.

Replacing windows with doors is a time-honored tradition among the modern day remodelers. When it’s possible to do, it can save a wheelbarrow full of money.

It can translate into not having to open up the wall above to install a header-support-beam (because one already exists), not having to get a building permit, dealing with a building inspector, dealing with drywall work and thus saving a few clams. It’s a good thing.

This is a really old house on Vista Avenue in Southwest Portland. You’ll notice how both of these projects involve our clients wanting to gain access out to their decks. Both wanted double-entry doors and both wanted the doors to be outswing(See the hinges?).

These were custom-made doors that were sized to fit the existing rough-opening width, as well as to achieve a height that would allow us to reuse the crown mouldings on both the exterior and the interior, which would also maintain the sightlines that match the other ground-floor openings on this house and in this particular corner room.

Once again, savings can be realized if an existing rough-opening can be utilized within the existing parameters because it eliminates the need to change the structural supports in the wall.

Before.

In Process

In Process

After Shot

After Shot

The finish trim

Made to look as if it was always there

Hopefully, our client took our advice about investing in some sort of protection for these wood doors. Storm doors are not an option because these doors are OUTSWING. But some sort of awning would do much to extend the life of these wood doors with little or no real protection from the elements when this photo was taken.

A modest, yet exquisitely laid-out and continually improved upon home up on the Burlingame area hillside.

Time for a well thought-out touch of architectural personality right across the prominent face of the home.

More cosmetic, or architectural than utilitarian, our client wants to replace the existing window assembly…

…with a new Marvin wood-clad sliding patio door assembly with matching, flanking Marvin wood-clad Double-Hung windows.

Everything being thought out and carefully ordered with the help of Portland Millwork’s Brian Dana, we were able to stay within the specifications needed for our newly created rough-openings without incident.

An important part of the project included our installation of structural blocking being installed into the walls and behind the siding that was to be used for the…

…necessary anchorage of the new wrought-iron Juliet Balcony that we were installing.

Due to the expertise & skill of David Schlicker Art Glass, we were able to install art-glass inserts into the top-sash of the flanking double-hungs that replicated the same design as some glass in the original overhead garage door directly below. Go to www.davidschlicker.com

Unfortunately for our “After-Shot” photos, the original cloth awning structure somewhat hampers the light that might otherwise shine through to highlight this classy architectural detail. As well as somewhat hiding it from view on the exterior (see next photo).

Nonetheless, this was a classy improvement that proportionately reflects the classy client who patiently worked with us as we researched the various options with her as she figured out what her preferences would be.

Removing dining room or breakfast nook windows to install doors that lead to a back patio area is probably among…

…the most common “new exterior door opening remodel projects” that exists.
I remember my father doing it when I was a child.