House entry door recommendations?

bigbrad123

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What's a good, reasonable brand of exterior door to buy? It would a special order with windows on both sides. I've heard Mastercraft from Menards isn't the best, but still Not ruling it out. Also wondering which is better, steel or fiberglass? Can't afford the best of the best so just want quality at a reasonable price.
 


AR-15

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Nothing wrong with Mastercraft, i've got a Mastercraft patio door I put in about 30 yrs. ago and it's still going strong and it's been used with 4 kids that grew up using the door, have had to put a few screen doors on, and for a front door, had a master craft for about 20 yrs. but kids got the best of it finally, so had a carpenter put a door in from a local lumber yard and that is really junk, going back to a mastercaft before fall
 

eyexer

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I’ve put in well over a hundred mastercraft doors over the years when I built homes. When I built homes for myself I put them in also. Nothing wrong with them. It’s all about the install. They get a bad rep because they are mostly installed by do it yourselfers whom often times don’t know how to put em in. They’re good doors
 

LBrandt

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They are good doors. Have put in quite a few and never had any call backs but have fixed some that were put in by other people.
 

bigbrad123

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I’ve put in well over a hundred mastercraft doors over the years when I built homes. When I built homes for myself I put them in also. Nothing wrong with them. It’s all about the install. They get a bad rep because they are mostly installed by do it yourselfers whom often times don’t know how to put em in. They’re good doors

Eye, hoping to be one of those do it yourselfers and have my father in law and I install it. He has more construction experience than I do. Any helpful hints that you see DIY's always do wrong?
 


LBrandt

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Use screws for everything. That leave ajustability if you dont get it right the first time.
 

Bfishn

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Not to hijak this thread, but does anybody have a recommendation for somebody to replace an exterior door in Bismarck?
 

eyexer

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Eye, hoping to be one of those do it yourselfers and have my father in law and I install it. He has more construction experience than I do. Any helpful hints that you see DIY's always do wrong?
put two or three beads of caulk across the sill before you place the door. The first mistake people make with exterior doors is using a level to make it plumb. For interior doors yes you use one. But exterior doors you have to have the sill solid and siliconed. If your sill isn't level and you plumb the hinge side then you have to raise or lower the latch side to match the latch to the dead bolt bore. To do this you have to raise or lower the sill. Just place the door in the rough opening and center it then screw through the brickmold on each bottom corner to keep it from moving. Then have somebody inside and rack the door left or right to get an equal reveal on the inside all around the door. Once you do that the guy on the outside can screw through the brick mold up in each top corner. But before you screw the top verify the latch bolt is lined up centered in the latch plate opening. Now that you have the door secured go inside and place shims even with the top hole of the hinges. Then replace the screw in each top hole of the hing and screw it in just snugging it up. Takes 3-4" screws so you can get into the framing. Then just shim the latch side right at the latch so that the reveal is identical all along the latch side. Peal the weatherstripping back at the latch shim and place a screw through the frame, shims and into the studs. Then go outside and place a couple more screws evenly placed through the left and right brickmold. Then insulate the inside rough opening gap and trim. easy peasy
 

db-2

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eye
bought a home some time ago and am in the process of replacing front attach garage walk in door.
Now back door I have done two years ago and it seems to not move with winter. It is a floating floor in garage but front door moves with frost. I assume the walls of garage are on footings that go into ground and house has a 4 foot basement. So I assume all walls are at the same level just not deep enough. By mid winter the front garage door opens but does stick somewhat. So adjust sills but still get an uneven gap over 1/4" at top by late winter and snow comes in.
Now summer old door lines up ok so will put it on and do use screws and do work with the opening and not based just on level. It is level all around now and square.
So I guess I live with the frost? no/yes. db
 

LBrandt

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Add a larger weather strip and live with it unless you have a really large checking account.
 


eyexer

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eye
bought a home some time ago and am in the process of replacing front attach garage walk in door.
Now back door I have done two years ago and it seems to not move with winter. It is a floating floor in garage but front door moves with frost. I assume the walls of garage are on footings that go into ground and house has a 4 foot basement. So I assume all walls are at the same level just not deep enough. By mid winter the front garage door opens but does stick somewhat. So adjust sills but still get an uneven gap over 1/4" at top by late winter and snow comes in.
Now summer old door lines up ok so will put it on and do use screws and do work with the opening and not based just on level. It is level all around now and square.
So I guess I live with the frost? no/yes. db
yea not much you can do about it. is the garage heated?
 

db-2

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insulated but no heat at this time. db
 

eyexer

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If the garage was added on and you live outside if city limits it probably doesn’t have a frost wall
 

db-2

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OK help eyexer. Garage was attach and built with house in city limits however small town and doubt if there are codes they were follow in 1983.

Frost wall. When I built a home in another town I put sheets of blue installation around the outside support walls in ground. This I understood was to aid in keeping frost away. no/yes?
Not sure what a frost wall is and just curious what your statement tells me. At my age I can not believe I will build another home but.

The frost moves the house at some point during the winter as the support walls are not at least 6' deep. So outside support walls move but there is a middle support wall in the home that I assume is sitting on a footing of concrete that frost does not get to. So winter there are some cracks in corners that disappear in summer. Am I on the right tract with that? db
 


muzzyhunter

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I guess I have to go against the grain here.I am not a fan of mastercraft doors,I also replace several doors every year.The quality has gone down alot,the jambs are often cracked,the brickmold around the door is pieces all dovetailed together and not a solid piece,overtime it will seperate and look like crap,not saying all are bad but we do get a good number that are,and we do put in alot of mastercraft.You do get what you pay for and I would buy the best you can afford.
In the mastercraft price range,I prefer fargo glass and paint or timber root,a little more would be therma tru,but if I could I would put manions in all day long,and whatever I put in would have adjustable threshhold on it.
Also an 89$ Larson stormdoor from menards may look like a 189$ Larson from a lumberyard,but they are 2 different animals!!
Not a menards hater at all,but if buying a mastercraft I would look it over good.
 

eyexer

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I don't put any doors in anymore that don't have vinyl jambs and brickmold. That solves the issue with finger mortises on the brickmold and that happy horseshit.

In regards to your foundation db2 code states the base of the footing has to be below the frost line. Here that is considered 48". The foam on the outside of the foundation you are talking about it to stop cold radiation through the concrete into the inside space/floor. It's simply a thermal barrier. That being said you and I know damn well the frost in ND gets below 48" on a pretty regular basis. Hell I've seen water lines freeze at 8' deep. The reason this happens is entirely dependent on the soil you have. Certain soils freeze much deeper than other soils. So my guess is that the type of soil you have freezes deeper and is allowing the soil beneath the footing to freeze. This will cause lift in the soil causing the foundation to rise and crack in the winter. Then settle back down in the summer. At this point there really isn't a damn thing you can do that wouldn't be extremely hurtful to your pocket book.
 

bucksnbears

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I've had no problems with MasterCraft doors.
One thing I always do though is add more nails from the brickmold into the jamb.

Expecially when adding a storm door.
D
 

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