Friday, December 13, 2013

Fix the Balcony Doors!

I was so happy with my balcony doors, until I tried to open them after I added the balcony railings ... and they wouldn't open all the way. It was then that I realized that the balcony doors have to swing inwards, and not out!


So I had to take off the doors and the side jambs. The hinges came off in the process, but it was nothing SuperGlue couldn't fix.


Once the doors came off, it was quick work to pry off the inside jambs using my Xacto knife.


Then I glued the inside jambs outside, and the outside jambs with the hinged doors inside. It was considerably difficult to align the doors this time, since I had limited space inside the room to maneuver my hands as I worked.


But at least, the doors open all the way now!



However, I am not sure if I can manage fixing the front balcony doors. If I want to do so, I will have to work through the opening of the second floor bay-window.

LESSON LEARNED: the balcony doors must swing in, not out :(

5 comments:

Marisa said...

the rules have changed sometimes they swing out..take a peek at this.

http://www.home-style-choices.com/doors.html

if you look halfway down you'll see that sometimes they swing out...california does break a lot of the rules.

Hugs

Marisa

Sumaiya Mehreen said...

However, in this case, the doors cannot swing out because the balcony isn't deep enough, and the doors hit the railing :(

Unknown said...

Some things can get confusing, especially when it's still in the process of installation. It's oftentimes only after we've seen the finish product that we find these little hiccups. At least you were able to fix it. Great looking balcony doors, by the way. I hope they're still in top shape. Cheers.

Eagle Building Solutions

Amy Fletcher said...

I had the exact same problem as you did! I ripped off the bedroom doors and made them swing in the same as you did. Luckily I realised before I had put on the doors on the landing. However, when those doors open the right one blocks the stairway and the entry to the master bedroom. I think that balcony is a bit bigger though. Did you find that the doors on that balcony could open outwards?

Sumaiya Mehreen said...

Hi Amy,

Unfortunately the landing balcony doors do not open up all the way either. Currently, they swing out. I have not had the chance to fix them :(