Words to the Cosmos

HOC: Storm Door (Back Breezeway)

// July 5th, 2009 // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects

When we moved into the new House-of-Chaos, the storm doors were in sad shape.  First, they were the cheapest doors available on the market 20 years ago.  Next, they had never had their pneumatic closers replaced so they slammed every time you closed them.  Next, they had flimsy lower panels which the Chaos Cats immediately saw as vulnerable and their doorway to the outside world.  They immediately head-butted through them and made their own “kitty door”.

Bah.

So.  I knew they all needed replaced.  Three total; front door, breezeway front and breezeway back.  Since I’ve never replaced a door before I thought I’d go with the least conspicuous and most damaged of the three and start with the breezeway back.  I measured and figured that I’ve got a 32″ door.  Typically it’s standard, but we’ll see when it shows up.

I went to Lowe’s and tried to find a door that would be secure, sturdy and reasonably attractive for the value.  What I learned is that storm doors have gotten rather fancy in recent years.  They had two major brands; Larson and Pella.

I selected Tradewinds Clear Midview in Sandstone with Nickle hardware.  Isnt’ she pretty?  She’s got:

• ScreenAway – roll-away disappearing screen.  Nice.

  Larson revolutionized the storm door market when we invented the ScreenAway™ retractable screen and balanced window system. With just one hand, the screen discreetly disappears into a hidden cassette at the top of the door. ScreenAway models are available in fullview, midview, and highview styles. Ventilation is a breeze with ScreenAway.

• Added energy efficiency – Since all the renovations to the House-of-Chaos should add energy efficiency and value, even it it costs a bit more I’m pleased that Larson doors accomplish thisAll storm doors add an extra layer of protection and create a dead air space between the storm and the entry door which blocks air movement. In addition, this model features an overlapping edge to seal out weather, dust and bugs. The stronger the window blows, the tighter the door seals to your opening. Double weatherstripping is applied to all sides of the frame for added protection.

It’s going to take two weeks for the door to arrive.  Since I ordered it in sandstone it was a special order.  But that will give me time to get the kids room painted and the gardens edged and planted.  Then, while my daughter is on vacation I can get the back door installed.  Once I see how that looks, we’ll order the two front storm doors.

You can see some photos from the original condition of the door and frame here: