How We Converted a Window Into a Door
We had this room off of our garage that didn't have the best of access. This was an ideal spot for an entertainment type room (man cave if you asked my husband) but before we could consider that, we needed to give it easier access from the house. The good news is that this room had a couple of windows and one of those windows would make the perfect spot for a door. Job half done, right? Click here to see this and similar DIY tutorials.
To convert this window into an exterior door, here are the steps we took. If this isn't something you are comfortable with, always seek the advice of a professional.
1 | DEMO
We began this demolition by carefully removing the exterior casing trim around the window. We didn’t want to mess up the siding so we took a little extra care here. Along the casing on the inside, we used a reciprocating saw to cut the nails and free the window casing from the studs. After that, the window slid right out.
2 | CUT OUT THE DOOR CASING
Before we did any cutting, we removed the electrical wiring in the doors path. Using our saw, we cut through the siding first and then the interior studs.
3 | INSTALLING THE PRE-HUNG DOOR
We purchased a pre-framed door through our home improvement center. To help it fit snugly in the window opening, we added a few pieces of 2x4s and 1x4s. Then we just nailed it into place with a finishing brad gun.
4 | FINISHING TOUCHES
To finish off the project, we installed a keyless deadbolt and door knob and installed new trimming around the door.
Resources for this project:
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Comments
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Great job!!
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Very clever and a good job and made me go to your blog. The trim with 1X6s must be unique and gives it a "barnish" feel. It would be nice to see the final project added to the blog.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
How did you cover the area around the door, where the window was wider than the door is, that was left uncovered/un-sided?
I am wondering if there is any need for a new header where the window was?
Wanted an after pic. Also what about wiring?