How to Install Doors in Thick Walls
Superinsulated walls make it challenging to install standard-size door jambs and sills. Energy-efficient-home designer Michael Maines offers some workable solutions.
Synopsis: When installing doors in buildings with high-performance envelopes, you need to contend with thick walls and other insulation details. Contributing editor Michael Maines describes three approaches to installing doors in thick walls: using doors with thicker jambs, creating a stepped opening, or holding the door to the interior so it can open fully. When situating the sill, you must plan for a deep threshold. Maines details the inclusion of a sill extension, and describes how to create structural support for the extension over exterior insulation or an elevated slab by created a formed recess.
In the last issue, we looked at installing windows in thick-wall assemblies. In this installment, we’ll focus on doors. In high-performance envelopes— those with thick walls and other details that allow for extra insulation and air-sealing—installing standard doors poses challenges that builders don’t typically encounter on more conventional builds. The placement of the door relative…
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