Interior door modification

Greetings.

I just bought my first home, I have a background in carpentry, and will be posting some of my updates over the next couple months.

Up first is one that's really bugging me. The house I bought has an addition. The part of the house transitioning from the "old house" to the addition has exterior style double doors.

For some reason, they never took out the exterior doors. So from my dining room, to the addition (Master bedroom) there is two doors, with glass paneling on the sides.

I want just a single, solid, interior door. For privacy, and when I have company over they can understand that this is a bedroom.

I'll post pictures when I get off work, but this should be as simple as removing the door and panels, and shortening the opening to a standard door with framing. Then drywall/paint correct?

I will post before pictures, and then you all can follow along with my process.

 

Should be straightforward as you say. Things you may run into:

Nonstandard wall thickness, due to it being an exterior wall at one point, so you may have to special order the door with the proper jamb width. Any lumberyard can order an interior door with any jamb width you need.

Uneven flooring: since exterior doors usually have a threshold, and interior doors don't, you will have some floor patching to do. Hopefully, the floor of the addition is even with the interior floor or you will have to have some kind of a threshold. Often this can just be a piece of oak or whatever, set in where the old threshold was.

The header should be usable, but you may need to add some framing under it if the exterior door was taller.

Good luck with your project!

 

The wall thickness may give you trouble. If the wall is thicker than a standard 4 9/16" jamb, you will need to install the hinge / latch side of the door flush with the surface of the wall. Then you will need to add an extension jamb onto the other side of the door to make up the difference.

You might also need to move the light switch over to where people expect it to be... right next to the trim as you open the door.

 

The light switch needs moved, it's in a terrible location.

Also the light switch covers are awful, the paint, everything. It could be the worse designed house in history currently.

 

A jamb extension is quite a bit easier than making a new jamb, mortising hinges.

 

Anyone seeing a picture yet of what the O/P is dealing with?
No one here can see what your seeing without a picture.
I agree 110% with xsleeper on this one.