The proud owner of this Lake Bluff property called us about her front storm door. The door is a round-top wooden door that had been custom made for a previous owner…likely 70 years ago. The door has interchangeable glass and screen panels and exhibits the original high-quality workmanship. However, the freezing and thawing of Chicago weather and years of snow piled against the door had taken its toll.

The homeowner was concerned that when she put the glass panel back in the door at the end of autumn, that the glass would fall out and shatter. The homeowner wasn’t ready to replace the door yet, so we made a plan for significant repairs that would restore functionality and extend the life of the door. It was important to us that the repairs to this door exhibited the same high level of craftsmanship as the original fabrication.

The turn latches at the four corners of the opening had caused the wood to split. These latches were no longer reliable for securing the center panel. Additionally the bottom of the door was significantly rotted.

Our carpenter installed new rails on either side of the opening. These oak rails were fitted with spring latches to hold the center panel. The left rail was elegantly worked around the existing handle. Next, a shelf was installed under the opening to support the weight of the glass insert. The shelf is made from poplar.

We added a piece of oak lumber to the bottom of the door to give it rigidity and cover the visible rot.

The homeowner was particularly impressed with the way the side rails conformed to the top arc of the door and how easy the spring clips were to operate. This will extend the life of this storm door at least another 5 years, and the homeowner was ecstatic.