As with windows, doors come in many different sizes and
materials. Examples of materials are wood, metal, fiberglass, glass,
acrylic and composite.
Styles include solid core, hollow core,
raised panel, flat panel, louvered, bifold, bypass, accordion, pocket,
hinged, tracked, fire, pet, garage, patio, "French", "Dutch", double and
so forth.
Each door has specification requirements for its use.
With their many components and functions, doors are a bit more
complicated than windows but some of the information is similar.
Don't
get distracted by door descriptions. When inspecting you will be
looking for the physical condition and operation of the door and also
making sure that the proper door is being used.
Requirements for
interior doors are less restrictive than for exterior doors. Exterior
doors may be used on the interior of the building but an interior door
should not be used for an exterior application.
In other words, a
hollow core door should not be used for an exterior exit door. This is
not only for security reasons but also hollow core doors do not provide
adequate insulating properties and resistance to weathering.
In
addition, a solid core fire rated door is required between the living
space and the attached garage. I will elaborate more on the fire door
requirements below.
Begin your inspection at the front door, which is usually the first door encountered when entering the home.
Look at the front door. Is there anything that jumps out at you?
Is it a solid core exterior door?
How do you determine if it is a solid core door?
Knock
on the face of the door with your knuckles to hear if it sounds solid.
If you are not sure, try comparing the sound made by knocking on an
interior hollow core bypass closet door. The solid core door will create
a dull noise and the hollow core door will sound like a wooden drum.
As you approach the door, look at the way it hangs in the jamb (the trim material that makes up the frame surrounding the door).
Check the reveal (the space between the door and the frame or jamb).
Is
the gap in the reveal relatively even? An eighth of an inch variance in
this area is common. Any more than that could be due to loose hinges,
deterioration or poor installation.
Next, inspect the condition of
the door face or surface. Is it deteriorated, scratched or damaged in
any way? Hollow core doors and even solid core doors with a veneer skin
may delaminate when subjected to severe weather conditions.
Are there any cracks in the door edge around the latch?
Front exterior wood doors often have panels. Check to see if any of the panels are cracked or damaged.
Front
exterior doors may also have glazing (glass) panels. Check to see if
any of the glazing is cracked, broken or has lost its seal. Is the glass
tempered?
Next, open the door, straddle the front edge of the
door and grab hold of the knobs. Gently lift up using your legs (NOT
your back or arms) to determine if the doorknob is tight and the hinges
are well secured to the jamb. If you notice a lot of play or movement at
the hinge area, it may simply mean that the screws are loose.
Tightening them with the proper screwdriver may resolve this symptom.
Sometimes the hinge screws are fine but the hinge pin may be worn. In
that case the hinge may need to be replaced.
Once you have made
certain the hinges are secure recheck the reveal around the door.
Securing the hinges may correct some if not the entire reveal problem.
If the door did not latch properly before, that problem may also be
corrected by tightening the hinges.
Next, check to see if the door will actually latch.
You would be amazed how many times I encountered doors that did not latch. The homeowners were often surprised and commented, "We never close that door." I replied, "Well I can certainly understand that but the new owners might want it to latch for some reason.
Doors that do not latch could indicate a number of issues discussed below. Make a note at this point if the door does not latch.
Does
the door stick in the frame at any point, drag on the floor covering or
bind at the striker plate of the latch? The striker plate is the metal
plate screwed into the doorjamb where the latch catches to secure the
door. Does the door swing open or close on its own?
Is there any unusual noise or squeaks when the door is opened, closed or latched?
Do
the knobs and door lock operate properly or do they need some
lubrication or possible adjustments? Sometimes just tightening the
screws of the hardware will eliminate problems.
I often noticed
that when the doorknob screws were positioned top to bottom instead of
side to side, the privacy lock would not work properly. Check the
orientation of the doorknob screws. They should be parallel with the
floor.
Check to see if the deadbolt latches are able to fully
extend into the mortise hole in the jamb. If the deadbolt latch does not
fully extend, the bolt can be pushed back into the unlocked position.
Try
this if you have access to a deadbolt lock. With the door open, engage
the deadbolt part way. Stop before you hear the "click" of the lock
mechanism. Push on the bolt. You will actually be able to push the bolt
back into the door with your finger. Push on the bolt after you hear the
"click." The bolt will not move.
If you are not able to hear or
feel the "click" when locking the deadbolt, the lock is not properly
engaged. The mortise hole in the jamb is not deep enough to allow the
bolt to travel far enough to fully engage. It is not secure.
Home
inspectors will report on the presence of double deadbolt locks. Some
will report them as a hazard. Double deadbolts are those locks that can
only be opened from the outside or the inside with a key. My reports
used to say this:
FYI: A locked double deadbolt lock could be a hazard in the event of an emergency if the key is not available.
I recommend double deadbolt locks be replaced before the home inspector arrives.
Check the striker plates in the jamb. If the striker plates are loose, damaged or missing, repair or replace them.
Check the jamb itself. Is it split, damaged, deteriorated or water stained? Make a note on any of these conditions.
Home
inspectors and termite contractors carefully investigate water stains
found around doorframes. Water intrusion is a serious issue particularly
when addressing walls and exterior siding.
Exterior doors will need to be weather-stripped. There should not be any light passing in around the door from the exterior.
Pay
particular attention to the sweep at the bottom of the door.
Weather-stripping is inexpensive and easy to install. The bottom sweep
can usually be adjusted downward to sweep the threshold properly.
Is there a doorstopper preventing the knob from hitting the wall?
As
you move into other areas of the building, check the condition and
operation of any bifold, bypass and accordion closet doors. Along with
the considerations mentioned above, they should slide in the tracks and
operate with ease without coming off the track or dragging the floor
covering. Broken mirrors on bypass closet doors should be replaced.
When
checking any interior or exterior double doors, determine if the pins
of the secondary door can be properly secured at the top and bottom. Do
they operate and engage smoothly?
Check patio doors and screen
doors for smooth operation and proper locking. Home inspectors will
report missing or damaged screen doors.
Patio doors often have
window coverings. Many home inspectors do not report on window coverings
but you should check and note their condition to be sure they operate
properly. Your Realtor will usually not recommend replacing window
coverings unless the home shows badly. The buyers will probably want to
select their own.
On many of my inspections the buyers were
present. I could hear them discussing how they would redecorate the
building to reflect their own personality. New floor and window
coverings were almost always on the list for replacement. Realtors often
suggest cleaning or removing these items but not replacing them.
The glazing in patio doors should be tempered. Check for lost dual pane seals in dual pane patio doors and the fixed glazing.
Fire
doors are an important consideration. Such doors are located between
the living space and an attached garage. They may also be located at the
stairway to the basement or any other area that may contain flammable
materials, a water heater or furnace.
Fire doors should have an
operable automatic closer that will cause the door to self close and
latch when it is released. If the fire door has an automatic closer but
does not latch when it is released, the closer should be adjusted or
replaced. Sometimes the floor covering can obstruct the proper operation
of the closer causing the door to drag.
Fire doors are installed
to suppress fire from entering into a living space but only for a
limited amount of time. Any modifications to these doors create a
possible hazard, such as a pet door.
Pet doors installed in a fire
door compromises its fire suppression function. I realize we need to
help our pets get in and out of our buildings for obvious reasons. I
have pets too, but you need to know the home inspector will write up a
fire door that has a pet door installed.
Some home inspectors will
write up a fire door that has a door stop installed because it
overrides the purpose and proper function of the door.
The swing direction of a door is also VERY IMPORTANT. The code requires a 36" landing if a door swings out over a step.
HAZARD
A door should not swing out over a step as a person could trip and fall.
This error is common when homeowner alterations are conducted.
Keep
in mind that we are primarily concerned with the appearance and
operation of the doors. Interior hollow core doors with holes larger
than a nail or screw should probably be replaced.
Exterior
doorjambs that are deteriorated at the threshold may also have to be
replaced. Probing with an awl or screwdriver in these areas will help
you determine if deterioration is present.
Check all the remaining
doors in the house using the same procedures stated above. Again, do
not be discouraged when you find an item. That is the reason for the
work you are doing.
DOOR FINDINGS: REMEDIES AND SOLUTIONS HARDWARE OPERATION
If
you notice a lot of play or movement at the door hinge area, it may
mean that the screws are loose. If so, tighten them with a screwdriver.
A
screw that will not tighten could mean that it is stripped. A longer
screw may be required to secure the hinge into the jamb. Be sure to use a
screw with the proper bevel and head size or it could interfere with
the hinges ability to close properly.
Doors that do not latch could indicate a number of issues.
A
very common occurrence is a door that will latch during one part of the
year or season and not during another. This is an indication of normal
changes in the shape of the building during temperature or humidity
variations.
Plumb bob The design of the striker plate will usually
account for these variations unless the plate was not installed in the
proper position during construction.
The door may be warped or the
doorframe may be out of plumb (a plumb bob or a plummet is a weight
with a pointed tip on the bottom that is suspended from a string and
used as a vertical reference line. This instrument has been used since
the time of the ancient Egyptians by bricklayers, masons and carpenters
to ensure that their constructions are "plumb", or perfectly upright.
The plumb bob is still used to this day but the builders level has
replaced this ancient tool in most construction applications.)
Doors
that bind, stick, open or close by themselves may do so for the same
reason the doors do not latch. The hinges might be loose, the striker
plate may need to be adjusted or the doorjamb may need to be
repositioned.
A qualified handyman should be able to adjust or
repair a door or jamb that is out of alignment or not plumb. You could
also hire a licensed contractor to refit the door.
Although a bit
more complicated, secondary doors that do not secure properly are
usually adjustable provided the internal hardware is operating properly.
Knobs
and locks that do not operate properly may require lubrication. Dry
graphite is recommended rather than oil based lubricants. Oil will
accelerate the problem by attracting more dirt. A locksmith can help
with fussy knobs and locks.
Install any missing or damaged striker plates.
CONDITION
Jambs and Frame
Cracks
in the jamb and around the hinges can be filled with putty or caulking
if not too badly damaged. Repainting the trim will be optional,
depending on your particular situation and realtor's recommendation.
Door
The
door surface itself is often difficult to repair if badly damaged or
worn. Cracks in the door edge can be filled with putty or caulking if
not too badly damaged.
If the door drags the floor covering or
binds in the casement frame, it may have to be shaved to allow for more
clearance. This can happen when new thicker flooring materials like
hardwood, tile or carpet are installed.
If simple repairs can
bring a door back to serviceability that's good. However, if the door is
damaged so badly that repairs would cost nearly as much as a new door,
replace it. This is particularly true of a front door.
By
Rick Daniel
