For the most part, you can find a door that is the same
size to replace the old one at any lumberyard or hardware store that carries
doors; but nothing lines up! The
hole for the doorknob is set at 40 for a mobile/manufactured home and a stick
house is set at 36. The mortise
for the hinges is wrong. So even if
the door is the right size, its still not the RIGHT door!
Mobile/manufactured homes have all been constructed to
HUD standards since 1976. That
means no matter what year your home was built, if it was built since 1976, all
the doors and even the windows are the same size regardless of the make or
model!
1. Exterior doors.
a.
In-swing.
i.
This is usually at the front of the home.
ii.
There are four basic styles available: (You can see them here.
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1.
Blank, six panel.
2.
9-lite window.
3.
Sunburst window.
4.
15-lite window.
iii.
Sizes range from 30 x 74 to 36 x 78.
iv.
All in-swing doors come with 4 jams.
6 jams are available.
b.
Out-swing.
i.
This is usually at the rear of the home.
ii.
There are four basic styles available: (You can see them here.
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1.
Blank.
2.
Slider.
3.
Cottage.
4.
Slot.
iii.
Sizes range from 30 x 72 to 36 x 80.
iv.
All out-swing doors come with aluminum jams.
c.
How to measure an exterior door:
i.
Measure from stud-to-stud. That
is, measure the actual hole the doorframe fits in from left to right.
ii.
Measure from floor to header. That
is, measure the actual hole the doorframe fits in from bottom to top.
iii. Is
it a "left" or "right" hand door?
To establish this, stand outside of the home and identify which side of
the door the hinges are located. If
the hinges are located on the left, then the door is a left hand door!
d.
Exterior doors have an R-19 rating.
Replacing
an exterior door is very easy. Remove
the screws from the frame. Pull, or
pry, the frame from the home. Clean
any putty tape or caulking that may have stuck to the home. Put
on new putty tape.
Install the new door! (Same
as a window!).
2. Interior doors.
a.
Bedroom.
b.
Bathroom. The bathroom door
is usually smaller in width than the bedroom door.
c.
How to measure an interior door:
i.
Interior doors do not come with jams, so just measure the door!
e.
Interior doors come in two colors: (You can see them here.
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i.
Oak finish.
ii. White.
3. Water Heater doors.
a. There are always exceptions and this is one that defies explanation. Exterior water heater doors are NOT standard.
b. Water heater doors are "custom" made to your specific measurements. It takes three weeks and are expensive. Note: Due to a wind storm, I was forced to replace my water heater door. I replaced it with a new jam and solid wood door. I cut both of them to fit. Sealed and painted, I figure I spent less than ordering a custom door; unless you figure in my labor. But Hey, I could have been wasting my labor on T1-11 skirting!
Have a suggestion we can share with other mobile/manufactured home owners? Please call or email us postmaster@reallyneatstuffalaska.com