How would you fix this?

[CursedS54]

So contractor has supplied and fitted this door in our extension and is refusing to do anything about it/wont come back so I m now left with this mess.

How would you repair it, if thats even possible…. Or am I looking at a new door?


The door doesn t open fully as the hinge hits the wall leaving an opening of roughly 600mm until theres tension. Not sure it meets building regs because of this.

Edited by CursedS54 on Tuesday 16th September 11:51

Edited by CursedS54 on Tuesday 16th September 11:59

[nikaiyo2]

I would get some light weight filler from wickes and wipe it over the hole, then forget to paint over it, keep seeing that it was a different colour for 6 months till I get round to painting it :P

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Lightweight-Ready-...

Edited by nikaiyo2 on Tuesday 16th September 11:59

[Chumley.mouse]

nikaiyo2 said:

I would get some light weight filler from wickes and wipe it over the hole, then forget to paint over it, keep seeing that it was a different colour for 6 months till I get round to painting it :P

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Lightweight-Ready-...

Edited by nikaiyo2 on Tuesday 16th September 11:59

How is that going to help with the main problem of not being able to open the door properly?

[IIIRestorerIII]

I would probably chip out a bit of the plaster to allow the hinge to go into the wall. Bit of filler and paint to tidy up

[Chumley.mouse]

Think the only way to get the door to open further is to remove the skirting ( looks like it’s binding on that ) and replace it with something much thinner so the door can open more .

Take the skirting off and see if it’s better first would be my suggestion?

[DonkeyApple]

CursedS54 said:

So contractor has supplied and fitted this door in our extension and is refusing to do anything about it/wont come back so I m now left with this mess.

How would you repair it, if thats even possible . Or am I looking at a new door?


The door doesn t open fully as the hinge hits the wall leaving an opening of roughly 600mm until theres tension. Not sure it meets building regs because of this.

Edited by CursedS54 on Tuesday 16th September 11:51

Edited by CursedS54 on Tuesday 16th September 11:59

It's the hinge type that is the issue. No point in filling the holes as each time the door is opened against the skirting the hinge will apply pressure and pop the filler back out.

Is there a specific reason for that hinge type? The reason being that the only sensible solution is switch to a normal butt hinge.

That in itself is a very easy DIY job as all you need is a pair of hinges, a pencil, wood chisel, hammer and drill. Just mark the top and bottom of each hinge on the door and frame, remove the door and mark the actual outline of the hinge plates on the frame and door, chisel out the wood so the hinge is flush on both faces then rehang the door.

The other solution, which is a bodge but will work would be to pack out the existing hinges from both the frame and the door (frame already looks to have a packer) and that will ensure the door can then clear the skirting when fully open so not apply the leverage to the frame which is popping the plaster out. The slight risk would be if there is absolutely no gap on the closing face of the door.

[Bill]

By contractor do you mean someone you employed or someone brought in by a builder doing the main job? If you're not paying them direct then make sure the main builder knows and hopefully stops payment. How anyone can walk away from that thinking it's a decent job??!? I'm a massive bodger but I'd be embarrassed about that.

Otherwise, like someone has said, I think it's the skirting in the way.

[CursedS54]

DonkeyApple said:

It's the hinge type that is the issue. No point in filling the holes as each time the door is opened against the skirting the hinge will apply pressure and pop the filler back out.

Is there a specific reason for that hinge type? The reason being that the only sensible solution is switch to a normal butt hinge.

That in itself is a very easy DIY job as all you need is a pair of hinges, a pencil, wood chisel, hammer and drill. Just mark the top and bottom of each hinge on the door and frame, remove the door and mark the actual outline of the hinge plates on the frame and door, chisel out the wood so the hinge is flush on both faces then rehang the door.

The other solution, which is a bodge but will work would be to pack out the existing hinges from both the frame and the door (frame already looks to have a packer) and that will ensure the door can then clear the skirting when fully open so not apply the leverage to the frame which is popping the plaster out. The slight risk would be if there is absolutely no gap on the closing face of the door.

Sorry should have mentioned it’s a upvc back door leading out to the garden. Are there different hinges for upvc doors that I could try?

[CursedS54]

Bill said:

By contractor do you mean someone you employed or someone brought in by a builder doing the main job? If you're not paying them direct then make sure the main builder knows and hopefully stops payment. How anyone can walk away from that thinking it's a decent job??!? I'm a massive bodger but I'd be embarrassed about that.

Otherwise, like someone has said, I think it's the skirting in the way.

Someone I employed to build my extension. There are other small snagging issues but this is one of the main problems.

Before anyone asks, the contractor came from a recommendation and wasn t the cheapest!

I’ll try removing the skirting and see if that helps with the opening.

[DonkeyApple]

CursedS54 said:

Sorry should have mentioned it s a upvc back door leading out to the garden. Are there different hinges for upvc doors that I could try?

Ah, ok. Then packing the hinges further off the door and frame is probably the solution?

You could test with washers first and establish how think the packers need to be.

Is the new door thicker than the old? Hence the packer already being used between the hinge and the door frame?

Edited by DonkeyApple on Tuesday 16th September 12:52

[Panamax]

IIIRestorerIII said:

I would probably chip out a bit of the plaster to allow the hinge to go into the wall. Bit of filler and paint to tidy up

^^^ Absolutely this. Do it neatly and nobody will ever notice. When you walk toward a door you generally look at the handle edge, not the hinge edge.

[Ynox]

DonkeyApple said:

Is there a specific reason for that hinge type? The reason being that the only sensible solution is switch to a normal butt hinge.

That in itself is a very easy DIY job as all you need is a pair of hinges, a pencil, wood chisel, hammer and drill. Just mark the top and bottom of each hinge on the door and frame, remove the door and mark the actual outline of the hinge plates on the frame and door, chisel out the wood so the hinge is flush on both faces then rehang the door.

Looks like a uPVC door to me which explains the hinges.

[DonkeyApple]

Panamax said:

IIIRestorerIII said:

I would probably chip out a bit of the plaster to allow the hinge to go into the wall. Bit of filler and paint to tidy up

^^^ Absolutely this. Do it neatly and nobody will ever notice. When you walk toward a door you generally look at the handle edge, not the hinge edge.

That isn't the issue though is it? Is it not that the door hits the skirting and then exerts leverage on the frame which has popped out the plaster etc?

Removing a foot or so of skirting would be a fix of sorts, as would packing the hinge out further on both sides.

[Little Lofty]

The frame should have had a frame extender added to the hinge side to allow for the plaster thickness, the guy who measured has cocked up.

[nikaiyo2]

Chumley.mouse said:

How is that going to help with the main problem of not being able to open the door properly?

I dont think that was listed when I made my reply :P I thought it was just the unsightly finish around the frame.

[wolfracesonic]

Little Lofty said:

The frame should have had a frame extender added to the hinge side to allow for the plaster thickness, the guy who measured has cocked up.

This is the problem OP, it wanted a 15mm add on on the hinge side of the frame, this pushes the hinge and door away from the plaster and skirting .TBH this a pretty standard thing to do, a cock up as said. I can’t see faffing around with different hinges helping. I’d take off the skirting and taper it down to nothing where it hits the door frame , start the taper 150mm out and see how that works, more maybe needed. If the hinge also hits the plaster, some of that may have to be dug out.

[LordLoveLength]

Agreed needed a spacer - don’t suppose it’s fitted on the other side in error?
Personally I”d remove the frame and trim the other side down. The extrusion shouldn’t be flat, but ‘ribbed’ to take an extension piece. The ribs can be ground down and will give you 5 - 10mm you can shift the frame over by, which should be just enough. Refit with suitable spacer on hinge side.

[netherfield]

And when you've done all that, fit a doorstop or the next thing will be the handle through the plaster.

[Inbox]

Definitely a cockup but isn't that a UPVC door into a wooden frame?

I can't recall ever seeing a UPVC door without the frame as a single unit.

Total bodge job, not even very good bodging.

Edited by Inbox on Tuesday 16th September 19:20

[InitialDave]

I assume it's the door hitting the skirting which is limiting the movement, rather than the hinge hitting the wall?

I'd most likely use a reciprocating multi-tool to create a chamfer in the skirting leading down to that corner, at an angle so the limitation on the door's opening is the doorhandle hitting the wall.