Screen door

Crack team of installers.

Work and social/family commitments have slowed progress on house projects this month but we did manage to find a morning to install our screen door in the front. It was clear from the door frame that a screen door of some type had been there before, probably and old fashioned type with a wooden frame. It might have been nice to restore the old door had it still been there, but only the old hinges remained. Anyway, like just about any project, there were obstacles to overcome. First, was the size of the door frame. Apparently, standard door frame size is either 32 or 36 inches by 80 inches. One thing I have learned is that our house is anything but standard and the door frame at our house is a lovely 34 and 5/8 inches. Of course, places will sell you a door of any size, custom made if need be, you just have to pay a considerable up charge for the privilege. However, I found one place that would sell a 34 inch width door at the price of a standard door, and that would be Home Depot. Now, sharp eyed readers will note that I mentioned the width of the door was 34 and 5/8 inches. The "standard" 34 inch door will accommodate a door frame opening up to 34 and 3/8 inches. DOH!

The finished job. Well...almost. 

Stepping up to the plate was Uncle Ed and his Yankee workshop in Apalachin. He had a piece of oak that he perfectly milled to 80 x 1 x 1/2 inches that filled the gap. He brought that oak furring strip pre-drilled and ready to mount. After that, it was a fairly simple job to mount the door in the frame and add the hardware.

The height of the door was about 81 inches, which was really perfect since I needed to add a threshold anyway. I ended up choosing an aluminum threshold and used a hacksaw to size it to the door frame. I then adjusted the rubber brush on the bottom of the door to close the gap.

The door is really nice and more practical that an old fashioned wooded screen door. The biggest advantage is the roll down screen that eliminates the need to store the screen for the winter. As you slide the upper glass down, the screen rolls down from the top. This will be convenient in the shoulder seasons when you want to get some air in the house on unseasonably warm days, or let the sun in but not the cold. I had wanted the door with a kick panel on the bottom but Cindy preferred the full glass door and, well, you can see who won the argument.

The Woods Inn. The weather was better than
 the picture shows,.

Natasha and Katia, our resident cats, also prefer the full glass model as they can lay on the rug, basking in the sun and see out the door. The kick panel would have blocked their view.

I mentioned commitments and I should mention that we had a great time over the weekend at the wedding of the son of our friends Joe and Angela. The ceremony took place in Old Forge NY at the The Woods Inn. The inn was a classic turn of the century hotel on a beautiful lake in the Adirondacks. We had quite an adventure the morning of the wedding when the hotel where we and much of the wedding guests and party were staying lost water. I was willing to go ahead and throw on my clothes and "forge" ahead (this is the mountains for crying out loud) but Cindy calmly and patiently explained (kidding - ha ha) how she needed a shower before the wedding. She actually considered jumping into the lake at one point but just in the nick of time the water came back on and we literally walked in for the "I do's" of the ceremony. Most importantly, we were there, well showered, for the reception.

My  spooky, deluxe suite.

A work commitment was our annual weather support for the NASCAR race at Watkins Glen. I spent two days sitting in the Emergency Operations Center waiting to give weather support for fire and law enforcement should things go bad. Luckily things stayed quiet through the race. Of interest however, is the the New York State Fire Academy where support personnel stay during the event. There may not be a spookier place to sleep anywhere and while nothing went bump in the night, walking around the place is unnerving. The faux marble floor hallways echo your footstep in the 5 story brick edifice. At the end of some of the halls are memorials to dead firefighters and rescued children including silent statues. Past students and officers stare at you from framed black and white pictures. If a couple of red haired little girls in pink dresses ever stepped out from around a corner I'd be out of there faster than a lightning bolt.