Several months ago I had a handyman replace a pre-hung entry door leading out to our deck. Last night I noticed a small water stain on the subfloor under one of the pieces of interior casing. I had to remove the casing to find the leak (latch side), and discovered there isn’t anything securing the jam to the frame – the strike plate has 1-1/2" drywall screws going into some shims, but the jam sits just a little too far back inside the house for the screws to hit the stud. I haven't taken the casing off the other side yet, but I suspect the hinge jam has only has one security screw (in the middle hinge) attaching it to the frame. I do remember him telling me he put 3d casing nails in the brick molding – that might have been the only thing securing the jams ?!?!

Anyway, perhaps not surprisingly, gaps between the closed door and weatherstripping have formed, and the door has become a bit hard to close (scrapes the threshold on the latch side). With the casing off (hinge side), it looks like it might be a little out of plumb too.

I'm going to put some 3" screws through the jams to secure them to the frame, and try to shim the bottom hinge to get the door to close more easily. I should also mention the door leads out onto a 2nd story deck, with no stairs, so I'd probably have to do this without keeping the door closed. Should I try to re-plumb the jam before securing it to the frame, or would that make getting the door to close properly more of a problem?

Thanks,
Andrew

skiberger

If your going to re-plumb the door take the door off the hinges. I hang all my exterior pre-hungs w/o the door. It makes life easier.
Plumb the hinge side w/ a 6' level, shim and secure at all hinge locations and make sure the head jamb is level. After the hinge side is straight and plumb then you can re-install the door. With the door back on hinges you can now shim the latch side jamb for an even reveal. Make sure you install a 3" srcew through the top hinge into the jamb sytem. This will help prevent your door from sagging.

Depending on the interior door, I will set them with or w/o the door.

kitchendoor

The door threshold seems to need shim. It is a wooden threshold on concrete. I have replaced the rubber strip and still air and space under door. Also my door is out of plumb from the hinges. Top of door near the hinge has more space and the bottom of door is touching the frame, causing it to hit the frame on other side How do I fix this door ? It is a solid wood exterior door.


Problem number 2
My front door has a fake side to which it has come loose and also seems out of whack - what do you suggest.