Exterior doors and stopping draughts properly
The order matters. We set the sill on a proper bead, shim the hinge jamb plumb, fasten through the shims so the frame cannot flex, then insulate and air seal the perimeter before the trim goes on.
Low expansion foam or backer rod and sealant go in the gap. High expansion foam can bow a jamb and make a new door bind, which is a common cause of callbacks.
Then the sweep and threshold get adjusted so the door closes with even compression all the way round. That final adjustment is where the draught either goes away or does not.
Interior doors in older Ottawa homes
Older openings are rarely square and floors have often settled, so a stock prehung door will bind or show a wedge shaped gap at the top.
We shim to plumb, adjust the strike, and where the floor slopes we cut the door bottom to match rather than leaving a gap you can see from across the room.
In heritage homes we can also rehang original solid doors, which are usually better made than anything stocked today. Casing to match is handled by our trim carpentry crew.
Replacing exterior doors in winter
We do it one opening at a time so the house is never standing open. The new unit is prepped first, then the swap and the air sealing happen the same day.
On deep cold snap days we reschedule, because nobody benefits from an open wall at minus 25.
What a door installation quote includes
- Door and frame spec: material, swing direction and glazing.
- Opening prep: any rot repair or framing correction needed.
- Air sealing: insulation and sealant at the perimeter.
- Threshold and sweep: set and adjusted for even closure.
- Trim and casing: interior trim and exterior capping.
- Hardware: lockset, deadbolt and strike fitted and aligned.
Where door installation sits in the bigger job
This work is part of our carpenter service, so it can run on its own or as one stage inside a larger project. When it is part of a bigger renovation we sequence it with the other trades rather than treating it as a standalone visit.
Clients booking this often pair it with cabinet installation, deck building, fence installation or window installation. One contract covers whichever combination you need, with a single schedule and one point of contact.
Door Installation across the Ottawa area
We take this work on throughout the greater Ottawa area. Recent jobs have run through Nepean, Merivale, South Keys, Kanata and the surrounding neighbourhoods. The consultation is free wherever you are in the city.