Entry door for double wide Mobile Home

[loveoldtrux]

See http://www.mistynewbeak.com/mark/foundation/foundation.html for a picture of the entry door I want to replace

The covered porch is about complete and the wife wants a "REAL" door on the home - she doesn't seem to appreciate the mobile home doors made out of foam sandwiched between 2 pieces of tin.

We've seen some nice "home" doors and wondered if anybody has installed these into a mobile home. This home does have 2X4 studs and I understand I would probably have to produce some magic trim for the installation, but couldn't it be done and look nice, too?....

From what I understand (just by imagination) the door jams would have to be made bigger and the opening possibly enlarged (the panels on the front of the home are soon to be replaced, so I could whittle a large opening whilst the panels around the door opening are down)...

What'cha think?....

[Dragon]

I say Doyle needs to take a look at this first hand.

[doyle]

Actually, I was just looking online last night for a replacement entry door and found a couple of sites that sell the nicer 6-panel fiberglass mobile home entry doors. These are already sized to fit, so you won't have to do any framing work. They already have the full-view glass storm door included in the frame. For $376 plus shipping, I'm almost certain I'll go this route. I've also wondered if it's possible to buy a new door from a mobile home dealer. Might have to check into that also.

[loveoldtrux]

HI Doyle from rome!!

You think Lowes on shorter Ave could get me one of these "nice" 6 panel doors (would sure beat trying to peer out that little slit!!....).

I used Copernic (my favorite search engine) and can't find the doors you mentioned on the internet - could you send me a link?

[doyle]

No, I've tried ordering doors from both Lowes and Home Depot and they no longer have access to those parts.

Three links below. The first one doesn't have a pic, but look at item #7660 in the list. I just realized that the storm door is an additional cost.

http://www.mor-co.com/Products.cfm?Category=4

This next place has 3 different styles, but for $600 to $700, the storm door is included:

http://www.abchomecenter.com/sku.cfm/sub_cat_id/84/ID/56/

This last place seems to have the nicest style of the group (see LP-4700), but no prices listed. They are a vinyl-clad steel door, with your choice of 6-panel solid, or a variety of window choices.

http://www.creationhousing.com/doors/doors.html#LP3000

Hope this helps.

[loveoldtrux]

Thanks for the links Doyle - quite helpful.

Still will wait for some possible responses on what's involved installing a "normal" wooden home door.

On the corner of hwy 283 and tom jones road (about 8 miles from Dairy Queen), there is a double-wide on the right that had a home steel door (with panel lites) installed....maybe I'll have to break down and ask who their carpenter was.

[dhill]

loveoldtrux,
It's certainly possible to rebuild the opening and to put in a standard home sized door, but you're talking about a lot of work. Are you planning on adding the side light panels, too? Even more demolition/rebuilding for that. You probably won't find the doors at a lot where the homes are sold, but you can get information on who supplies them with their replacement materials. And, yes, you can find a door that's made for the mobile home like you're wanting. Don't know what kind of price you're hoping for, but I had a set-up crew manager tell me he spent 400 dollars on one that had the glass arc at the top.

Dusty

[loveoldtrux]

Thanks for the update, Dhill --- I was hoping for the "side-light" models but when I look at the distance from the door to the windows on the front of the home that won't be possible. We'll settle with a six pane door though made out of WOOD. It'll be down below freezing here in Rome next week....so I think I have about 3-4 months to ponder over what we want.

Best I can see is I have to remove the old door and create new jambs for the replacement prehung unit..... seal the threshold, plumb / level it and nail it up. I might have to do some "custom" trim, but that's okay...... nothing is standard on this mobile home anyway....

I just want to get rid of these ridiculous foam doors!!...

Thanks...

[dhill]

LOL. I hope you have success custom setting your door in there. It may be possible to buy just the wooden door and use the existing jamb. I don't know the thickness of your existing door, but I know that height and width of a wooden door can be altered. You can use the existing hinges and cut your own holes for doorknob, dead bolt. That might be the easiest way to go, but again, depends on the thickness, I think.
Just curious. I've built a number of decks on mobile (manufactured) homes. Why did you set yours so far down from the door threshold? I always build up even with the threshold bottom.

[loveoldtrux]

Dhill ~ Yes, I'd forgotten that...yes I CAN build my own jambs. Been a few years, but It's not that bad.... thanks for reminding me!!


I usually build my floors level with the threshold, but by dropping the floor I was able to create a cathedral ceiling affect on the porch and the thicker ceiling area will allow me to insulate it a lot more. If the floor was up to the threshold --- to get the kind of ceiling we wanted I would have had to interect the rafters into the cheap 2X2 rafters of the mobile home. Later, I'll build a nice oak entry platform that steps up to the threshold.