A New Key Appears On My Ring

September 1, 2014:  What a productive day!  For weeks I have been stalling on buying three more windows and a door.  I went back and forth between new and used and kept checking craigslist.  I got a quote on new windows and the total was going to be about $800 for three windows.  Gah!  It seemed such a shame to spend that kind of green on my first handmade home when there are used windows popping up on craigslist daily (many of them in new condition).  Unfortunately I had gotten ahead of myself and framed the window openings before I had all the windows in hand.  This strategy may force me into buying a new window or painstakingly undoing framing to accommodate a more affordable used window.  Lesson:  If you are building a micro house on a budget, buy all your windows used before you finalize your design and framing.

I got lucky today and bought a door and a window that are perfect sizes for my rough openings.  And tomorrow I expect to buy my most exciting BIG window for $60 used instead of $400 plus dollars new (with a 2 week wait).  Hopefully by tomorrow I will only need to find one more window.

Also I'm excited to announce that as of today my home has a door!  With the instrumental help of Ken, we installed the door in less than an hour.  If you're interested in the process...read further:

First of all, I wasn't just searching for any old door.  Initially I had wanted to use a door from the Habitat Restore or Rebuilding Center, but many of these doors do not come "pre-hung," that is, attached to the door jamb.  I learned that one can purchase a jamb kit from a place like home depot, but that may not be as simple as it seems.  According to a few folks I called, "nothing is standard about doors," which was surprising to hear.  Each door can be pretty particular about how it hangs on the door frame.  Anyway, I decided to begin looking for a used door with its door jamb still intact.  Furthermore, I was seeking a 30" wide by 80" tall exterior door (a not-so-common size for an exterior door).  It also needed to swing inward to the left, so that I didn't block access to my "mudroom" on the right side of the entry.

Once I found the door, we first considered the total thickness of the wall. With 1/2" plywood sheathing on the outside of a 2x4 wall and 1/2" sheet rock on the inside, most doors built for 2x4 walls have a jamb that is 4.5" thick.  My finish material on the inside was going to be thinner, so we disassembled the jamb, ripped down the pieces on the table saw and then reassembled it.  The purpose of having the jamb the same thickness of the wall is so that the moulding (finish material) around the door lays flat against the wall. Then, we carefully hung the door on the hopelessly floppy frame and carefully placed the assembly in the rough opening of the doorway.   Next we placed shims between the door jamb and rough opening framing and adjusted so that the frame was plumb and also flush with the walls.  Using 16 penny, galvanized finish nails, we nailed through the jamb at the shimmed areas and into to the framing.  We wanted to ensure that the hinges were well secured to the framing for a sturdy, long-lasting installation.  Now we could open the door and verify that it was swinging properly on its hinges.  With the door in the right position, we set to making the gap between the door slab and jamb consistent around the whole perimeter using shims.  The threshold (sloping metal piece at the bottom of the door) and top piece of the door jamb do not get attached to the framing.  Retained!?!

This is not an incredibly attractive door for my house, but the price was right for now.  When I find the right door (left-swing, 30"x80", wood, window in the upper half), I'll just swap out the old one when I like!