DIY Network

Installing a Handicap Accessible Exterior Door DIY to the Rescue closes the door on this project. From "DIY to the Rescue" episode DTTR-703

DIY to the Rescue takes it to the barn on this rescue by adding an exterior door to the new restroom. Nathan Haun, Karl Champley and Murray Neale, Executive Director of the Charleston Area Therapeutic Riding Facility (CATR), work to install the beautiful crowning touch to this project.

Door expert, Jeff Hawk, right, stops by to offer installation tips to DIY to the Rescue host, Karl Champley (left).

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Materials:

excess siding / scrap wood (if needed)
silicon caulk
caulk gun
plastic threshold
door
level
nails
shims
drill
screws
door levered lock set

Figure A

Steps:

1. Start by making sure the entrance between the inside flooring and the outside flooring are level to one another. If not, adding a piece of scrap wood (like a piece of excess siding in this case) can help shore up the entryway (figure A).

2. Next use silicon caulk liberally to attach flashing to the threshold - in this case we are using a plastic threshold (figures B & C). This will create a smooth transition for wheelchairs and walkers (figure D).

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

	Figure F

3. Now it's time to set the door into place.

TIP: It's always a good idea to have a little help setting the door in place in the doorframe. Employ at least two people, having one on the inside of the doorframe, and the other on the outside (figure E).

First, set the door into the frame by tipping the top of the door out away from the frame and, then, set the bottom of the door in the threshold. Next, simply tip the door into the opening and into place (figure F).

Figure G

4. On the inside, center the door into the opening to make sure that the space between the door jam and the door are even on both sides. Then, add shims to the gaps on the inside of the door. And, as the door is being shimmed inside, on the outside, make sure it is level, plumb and square (figure G).

NOTE: The trick to proper door installation is to make sure that the door is installed plumb, level, and square in the opening.

	Figure H
	Figure I

5. Once the door is level, drive a few nails through the brick mold and into the door jam just to hold the door in place while it's being secured (figure H). This will make it easier on you and keep the door from tipping out while the permanent installation happens.

6. Then, drive screws through the jam, the shims and into the studs (figure I). And, finally add a lockset. For the disabled, lever handled locksets tend to be easier to use.

RESOURCES :

For more information on tips for making a home handicap friendly, check out the Americans with Disabilities website at: www.ada.gov.

Therma-tru Doors www.thermatru.com