Doors and windows are key to custom home design – interior and exterior
Both command lines of sight
Additionally, doors command traffic patterns
This article addresses
Nitty-gritty details of house finishing of doors and windows principally for safety and durability and
Uniquely collected from book-learning, listening, thinking about it, and decades of on-the-job experience
Comment: A really good window and door home designer or contractor won't be much surprised by what's to come. They probably could add a line or two or more. It's that this home designer doesn't know of more than a few such folks ever and that's it. In my opinion, most home designers won't be detailing at this level, suppliers supply mostly, and contractors will work with what's in front of 'em often to get from here to there the easiest. So, buyers, this article's for you.
FINISHING HOUSE WINDOWS AND DOORS
Exterior doors and windows
Shall be fastened on all sides securely to structure
Except, shall not be fastened to a header
Exterior, hinged doors shall have not less than 3 hinges
Hinge butt fasteners shall be securely attached to structure and have solid, full-depth blocking
Exterior door bolts shall extend at least 1 linear inch past strike plates and have solid, full-depth blocking
Exterior double doors shall be fastened
At midline of leading stiles with door bolt as above and with surface-mounted throw-bolts to not less than 1 linear inch of structure at leading stiles’ head and foot or
With multipoint locking device or
Both
Comment: For door hangers and hinges, this designer knows no better commonly available than L. E. Johnson Products, Inc. at www.johnsonhardware.com
Strike plates shall be securely fastened to structure and have solid, full-depth blocking
Cabinet door knobs and drawer knobs shall not be constructed such that they hook, snag, or catch garments and goods of passers-by
The following shall be fully operated with not more than 1 hand
Latch
Door knob or lever
Drawer pull
Switch
Other control of any sort
An in-swing exterior door throughout its travel shall neither cover nor in any case conflict with an interior door
Exterior windows and doors
Shall be sealed continuously at their perimeter flanges and sills with silicone caulk and
Shall be sealed by caulk or painter’s putty as appropriate at countersunk nails, miter butts, and joints to both exterior wall clad and frame and
Shall be lapped at their heads by house wrap and drip cap or similar
House wrap
Shall be applied before windows and doors are applied and
Shall be “x" cut, then wrapped around and fastened to headers, jack (,or trimmer, or jamb) studs and
Thereat, shall be subordinate in layer to flanges and flashing
Exterior doors
Shall be installed over a bead of silicone sealer for both sill and flange and
Shall be installed with finish nails and
Shall be solid, full-depth blocked at hinges and striker plate
Shall be operable from the interior without need of a key or of special knowledge
Shall be tight fitting with both gaskets and sweep and
Between garage and habitable space shall be both self-closing and self-latching
Comment: The latter part about self-latching is meant to identify a mechanical means which will securely hold a door closed without individual attention to its operation. The word “latch" can be troublesome in that it could be taken to mean either securely closed (or securely closed for subsequent locking) or locked. The AG is without intention to promote self-locking in this instance.
If window clad is vinyl
Then expandable foam shall not be applied around that window perimeter
Instead, batted insulation and window wraps shall be applied
Each window or door
Shall be set in pan flashing and
That pan flashing shall not be penetrated
Comment: This last one, about pan flashing, is not common and speaks substantially to durability. Top-notch pros'll do it without fail, but not likely the rest without your guidance.
A design pressure estimator may be applied to window selection, e.g., http://www.andersenwindows.com/stormwatch, which estimator results shall be vetted with the local building authority having jurisdiction
Comment: This is not an endorsement of Andersen Windows. Hardly. Before The Architect generally prefers Marvin Windows, especially their Integrity line.Loewen’s a substantial second, but only offering at the high end and then only if you’re looking for the sturdier fir rather than Marvin’s high end yellow pine.
Plate glass shall be a prohibited material
Glass shall be tempered glass
In doors anywhere
In windows less than 4 linear feet from a door locking device
A child’s bedroom
A child’s bathroom
A child’s playroom
Recreation room
An exercise equipment room
Emergency egress exits
A workshop
Doors shall not be pre-cased
Windows shall not be pre-cased
Overhangs to windows should be adjusted in depth for latitude and proximate window size and height above finish floor level. See in this regard “Designing Overhangs with the Sun in Mind" by Jerry Germer, Journal of Light Construction, May 2001.
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