Before Shot.

In door/window parlance, this configuration is referred to as an OXO.

The O’s stand for a non-operable door or window sash or opening. The X stands for an operable door or window panel or sash.

You’ll notice that on many, if not most of these wood door & window assemblies that we replace, that there is a pattern emerging as it relates to why the original assemblies had to be replaced. In my opinion, that pattern is a lack of overhang. A lack of significant eves or an awning or something.

In my humble opinion…this is something architects should take to heart for structures subjected to climates such as in the Willamette Valley when specifying “wood” windows and/or doors. Clad…or not.

But then, that would take a significant bite out of our business. So never mind.

Forest Heights. Notorious for weather related issues among those of us who specialize in all matters related to exterior envelops.

The original residential-grade steel door, sidelight & transom assembly.

Our client reports substantial drafts emanating from between the various components as well as cold air seemingly cascading right off the glass.

Some of the wood components have also begun to show signs of water damage. Our client has done her own research and instructs us to replace the assembly with a Fiberglass version.

The original door assembly is removed.

Improper flashing issues are quickly discovered beneath the door assembly.

And the investigation quickly leads to the further discovery of some water-damaged sheathing in the exterior wall beneath the deck, which we are employed to repair.

The new Therma-Tru Fiberglass door assembly is to be installed with a sill-pan beneath it. Jared is shown here cutting back the deck to facilitate the new aluminum threshold/sill assembly that extends out further than the original.

The door assembly is installed and the interior & exterior trim materials are installed.

A side note would be to mention that the client specified multipoint locks to help hold the door panels tighter together and to hold them tighter to the jamb assembly as well.

A Bull-Mountain Residence with doors & windows lacking the benefit of any eves or significant overhang for protection from the elements.

Failed glass & water damaged wood-clad Kolbe & Kolbe doors are the result. This is not the fault of the manufacturer. Anybody’s products would be sorely tested in this setting.

So we were contracted to replace the four flanking insulated glass units into the existing non-operable door panels.

Oregon weather being the unpredictable thing that it is, the very same lack of protection necessitated measures be taken to protect our work.

New insulated glass units glazed into the original Kolbe & Kolbe sidelight panels (non-operable doors used as sidelights).

The original doors are carefully laid over the new door panels and used as templates to transfer the hinge locations.

Hanging new doors into original door-jambs is just one of the skills that frequently sets us apart from the competition.

This is a job we did in 2002 for Neil Kelly Remodelers. This is an after-shot (thus the fresh paint job & roofing) of a job-site in N.E. Portland.

As we are frequently called upon to do, we hung & weatherstripped two sets of double-entry doors & (1) single-entry exterior door into the original door-jambs (frames) on the back of this house.

This process involves sizing, planning, trimming, routing, mortising and boring…doing all the machining ON-SITE. The new doors where thicker, and had insulated (double-pane) glass.

So we modified the jambs to facilitate the thicker new doors and employed the use of a zinc interlocking weatherstripping system.

The finished Product.

Time to upgrade an early 20th century back facing sitting room.

Our client wanted the original doors, sidelights & three transom sash upgraded to insulated glass.

As would be expected, the original sash were 1 3/8″ thick, as were most of the sash built in this era.

1 3/8″ does not lend itself well to facilitating double-pane glass, so it was deemed necessary to replace all (7) sash with the related jambs.

This was obviously time to also upgrade the hardware.

Please note the use of a Cremone-bolt on the inactive door. And yes, the active-door (primary) was changed to the Right-Hand-Swing door panel.

The jambs were replaced to facilitate the thicker 1 3/4″ thick doors, sidelights & transom sash, which we had custom made to replicate the original.

Sometimes, the rabbeted portion of the jambs can be routed out to facilitate the thicker doors.

But with the quantity of jambs here, and the issue of lead-paint containment, we chose complete replacement instead.

The business of home-based business’ has had an impact upon our business.

Turning otherwise living-space, or in this case, a garage space that had already been decommissioned as a garage into some sort of office or studio space.

Understandably, they wanted to employ the use of more natural light, and thus the choice of Simpson’s wood door model 7037.

As you can see, the opening had to be built-in to facilitate the new door assembly.

We do a lot of wall-building. Or more accurately, rebuilding.

If interested, you might want to visit the “Water Damage Remediation” portion of our Web Site to see just how much of this rebuilding we do.

Please know that we did NOT recommend wood doors for this application with this exposure to the elements. In fact, we were given a sheet of specifications…

…and asked to supply the products as specified. If asked, I would have recommended a Fiberglass unit with composite jambs.

Understandably, Fiberglass is generally considered to be a downgrade by many folks, which is why I am hesitant to offer my opinion when not asked.

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 flanking Marvin 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 constraints of the original rough-opening width.

An important part of the project included our installation of structural blocking being installed into the walls that provided the…

…necessary anchorage for the installation of our wrought-iron Juliet Balcony.

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.

One of the many boat houses at the Oregon Yacht Club behind Oaks Park.

A major remodel being undertaken by Barnett Development.

Two new Jeld-Wen Wood-Clad Door Assemblies to be installed into newly created rough-openings.

As stated numerous times throughout these projects, we are often called upon to install door assemblies for contractors due to the peace of mind garnered from employing the expertise of an installation specialist company. An 8-foot tall folding door wall is slated to be installed into the bottom rough-opening.

Up above, is where we installed what is called an OXXO double-sliding door assembly. This was a 7-Foot tall door assembly. One might ask about the lack of a deck or balcony.

The answer would be that there were certain constraints related to the stairs that required this exterior access by which large furnishings could be taken upstairs.

The railing shown laid over the upper door-opening is apparently designed for relatively quick and easy removal for the occasional need to access this opening from the exterior.

You can probably imagine the wind-driven weather that these homes down on the river are subjected to. If the doors and windows are not correctly installed and flashed, you are going to know it eventually.

Here we have four very different types of doors. A wood-clad Andersen pre-manufactured complete door & jamb assembly. A Simpson 9-Lite Two Panel Fir Door installed into the original jamb. A set of Therma-Tru Double-Entry Doors with 15-Lite internal grid that came prehung with it’s own jamb assembly. And a Generic Birch Flush Veneer Solid-Core Door with a Half-Lite Glass Insert hung into the original door-jamb assembly.

Folks frequently tell us that they can’t understand why people would ever install an exterior door with only a 1/4″ flat plywood panel and a single-pane half-lite, given how easy it would be for someone to gain illegal entry. To which we’ve sometimes responded that these doors were installed before security was the issue it is today.

This door can be broken down also, but it’ll take a truck load more work to get through. The glass is double-pane tempered, the deadbolt is double-cylinder in case they do succeed breaking the glass, and just as important as the deadbolt itself, is the heavy-duty strike-plate with the extra-long screws anchoring the plate to the rough opening structural stud behind the door jamb. Plus, if you enlarge the photo, you should be able to make out the “Wrap-Around-Plate” around the deadbolt that reinforces the wood around the deadbolt.

And then here we have a client who is more interested in style than security. Or at least AS INTERESTED in style as security. If you click on the “AFTER” shot (next photo), you can see that this client also elected to have a “Wrap-Around-Plate” installed around the deadbolt.

Coupled together with a beefed up strike-plate that is tied into the rough-opening stud, and you can be certain that someone is going to have to make considerable noise trying to kick this door open. I can pretty much guarantee that it won’t be quick and easy, even WITH the glass in the door.

We cannot even begin to tell you how many of these old Aluminum Sliding Patio Doors we’ve replaced. The rollers go bad, and then you’re pretty much dragging the door “metal against metal”…and by the time some folks finally get around to talking themselves into paying to replace the door…

…after years of wrestling with their old difficult to operate door, they are sooo happy to have a new easy to operate door with the latest and greatest weatherstripping and insulation technology.

And then finally, here is a project we did that you will also find in the “New Openings” section of our Residential Door Installation portfolio. The new door assembly our client wanted was an “Andersen Wood Clad Door & Jamb Assembly,” as shown in the second photo. And of course since we can acquire just about any door or window manufactured…

…we were able to accommodate their preferences. And since we have the experience and expertise to install any door or window into just about any exterior wall, we were able to create a new rough-opening and install our client’s door of choice and make it look as though maybe there’s always been a door there.

Yamhill County.

Wine country.

Four sets of wood-clad sliding
Patio Doors with no protection from the elements. Obviously, the notion that clad wood products are bullet-proof against the elements is a misnomer.

They still require a degree of maintenance.

All of these door assemblies had significant failure of one type or another. Leaking, rot or failed insulated glass units.

So we were contracted to install four new Jeld-Wen wood-clad Sliding Patio Door Assemblies to replace the original doors.

The trick here being to remove and reinstall the doors without leaving a trace that they had been replaced.

Our installation crew enjoying the ambience of dusk in the rolling hills of Yamhill County.