Friday, March 2, 2018

Doors and screwdrivers

In a previous blog I mentioned various items that I inspect in a home. Doors are one of them and are an important part of your home. Without properly operating doors you could have the neighbors dog sitting on your couch at 4 in the morning. Your electric bill may be higher because of a faulty piece of weather stripping. Doors give you privacy while in the bedroom or sitting on the throne. A faulty door knob could be a headache while trying to enter the house with a bag full of groceries on a rainy day. Doors, like windows, come in all shapes and sizes as well. Interior doors; panel, flush, French, pocket, bypass, and bifold. Exterior doors; panel, storm, sliding, French, garage, and patio, just to name a few. The doors can be made from wood, steel, aluminum, fiberglass or a composite. The doors can also have glass installed that may be fixed or operable. Each door comes in a variety of sizes as well. Standard widths are 15 to 36 inches and heights are 80 to 96 inches. Doors can also be custom ordered in any size you desire, for a custom price of course!
During an inspection I check the doors for proper operation. The door should open and close smoothly and securely. Wide gaps let the weather in and cut down on privacy. The most common defect for a door is what I will refer to as “dragging”. You may have one in your home right now. It hits the frame and drags across it as you shut the door, wearing the paint off in that spot. The repair for this is usually just tightening up a hinge but it may be more extensive. The door may have been installed incorrectly. The hinge side of the door is fastened to the framing by using shims and screws or nails. Sometimes the shims were not installed correctly or the fasteners have failed. Either of these will cause the door to sag. To fix this requires a little more than a Phillips screwdriver. That is why I will refer the defect to a licensed general contractor. I cannot tell why the door is dragging unless I pull some trim off of the wall. (Why do I refer you to consult with a licensed general contractor? I will leave the answer to that in another blog.)
Part of the door inspection is checking the operation of the door handle. It does not happen often but sometimes when you turn the knob the latch doesn’t retract. No big deal..... unless you are on the wrong side of the door! I have a tool bag that I carry into the home with me. Screwdriver, pliers, GFCI tester, mirror, moisture meter, flashlight, CO detector, digital thermometer and a probe to check for rot. Not a complete list of items but it’s more than I can put in my pocket. I usually have the flashlight and screwdriver in my back pocket.
Now to my story.... when I entered a room, I would grab the door knob and close the door as I walked through the doorway. If it closed smoothly, I would continue inspecting the room I entered. When I was finished in the room I would open the door and give it a good look checking for cracks, rot and loose hardware. I still do all of the above except for the first part. I was in the middle of nowhere in a basement bathroom. I followed the above routine and when I turned the door knob to leave, I found myself still standing in the bathroom with a closed door. Wiggle, wiggle, tug, turn, tug... nothing. I am locked in a basement bathroom in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service. I wasn’t worried about dying in the basement before someone found me, I was worried about the consequences of using force to free myself. Broken door jamb, trim and or door. Money out the window because of my own stupidity. Then I remembered the screwdriver in my pocket. With a little luck and some careful prying with the screwdriver I was able to free myself from my bathroom tomb.
Lesson learned... check the door knob for proper operation from the outside of the room.

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