The Key to Doors By Greg Jordan    Properly installed doors work smoothly and do not have large gaps between the door and the doorjamb. The doorjamb is the frame that houses the door and the proper alignment between the two is critical. Go to the front door of your house and stand on the inside so you can see the hinges. Study the gap between the door and the doorjamb. Use a tape measure to measure the gap; it should be a uniform measurement all the way around the door, preferably no more than a eighth of an inch or closer. If the measurement is not the same on all sides of your door, than you may have an air-infiltration problem. This could lead to greater amounts of dust and dirt entering your home and as well as air conditioning and heating exiting the structure.    Another problem that can contribute to air-infiltration is if the doorjamb is not plumb in relation to the wall (plumb is vertical whereas level is horizontal). If this is the case the weather-stripping will not seal correctly. One way to visually check if your weather-stripping is sealing properly is to stand on the outside of your front door and look between the door and the door stop (the strip of wood that keeps your door from swinging outward) on most pre-hung doors there is weather-stripping between door stop and the door. The gap where the weather-stripping resides should be uniform all the way around the door. If the gap is wide at the bottom and very tight at the top, your door could be improperly installed and leaking air.    Most new door units are pre-hung, meaning the doorjambs, weather-stripping and thresholds are assembled and ready to be installed. Quality can vary considerably from different manufacturers and good doors can be expensive. High traffic doors will get much use and abuse throughout the years, especially if one has children; therefore the extra expense of a quality door is a good investment. Greg Jordan is the owner of Omountain Homes and has been building & remodeling homes since 1986. He does projects throughout central Texas. Omountain Homes can be reached by calling 847-5507 or 557-4790 or you can e-mail them Close this window