Control side of new door

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Weighing a good 86 lbs, it was best to use three 4-inch hinges. I also kept the floor gap small -- about 1/4 inch. It'll help control sound between the rooms. The light switch is also new, added during framing.



Most expensive part was the Pella slimshades because I had to pay full retail for it as if I was purchasing replacement components. Conniving costs, I guess.

Custom door completed

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Such seamless appearance doesn't come about haphazardly.

Flush fit glazing

There were some special factors to consider while making the door.

The integral blinds assembly was purchased from Pella (with some conniving). It's their slimshades feature that I already have in the bow window nearby. I got them to sell me just the blinds and glazing panel. It's actually part of their exterior door product that's typically sold only as a prehung system with full weather-stripping, threshold and jambs. Trickiest cuts were the slots for the pivoting tabs that held it in place.

I also had to consider the available space between the first and fourth wall studs. I actually calculated backwards and got a 35-inch door that can still contain the Pella slimshades. It met wheelchair accessibility requirements, too, which is a nice bonus.

So this glazed door had to be finished before framing the opening!

A tempered beveled glass panel enclosed the other side. Both glazing panels are in fact tempered because of the proximity to the floor and window.

Custom door

(continued from earlier)



The type of door installed here becomes very important. It had to provide full control of privacy and view because the potential function of the separate rooms are so different. I needed a fully glazed door with integral blinds. It also had to be seamless, contemporary-looking and maintenance-free.

My search turned up nothing like it for sale.

I had to design and fabricate it.

New doorway

After careful consideration, I decided to open a doorway between the "living room" (now office/library/den) and bedroom #2. The floor plan here is such that having the access is ultimately better than not having it. My estimation is that it will improve circulation, function, comfort, accessibility and home value.



Structural restrictions were also absent. There was no load from above, no shear wall involved and no mounting substrate to be eliminated. It was a simple cutaway of a non-load-bearing interior partition.

Nonetheless, for good measure I built a double 2x6 header with sandwiched 1/2" plywood and further added a Simpson LSTI49 reaching across four studs. Existing sheetrock was used as patch for good texture match.

See completed door.