basement door

[ddday]

Hi, I have never done any home construction or used anything but a drill, butt.... I am going to attempt to build a door to close the opening in my basement at the bottom of the stairs going up to the bulkhead. I think I figured out how to do the top and sides but am having a problem on how to build the threshold. The bottom stair is 6" inside the door frame. How high does the threshold need to be and should it be directly on the concrete? Should it be 2 layers? How do I level it because to concrete is uneven?

I really just want to close the opening due the extreme draft the comes in the house. Any suggustions would be greatly appreciated.

Materials I have purchased so far -
3 2X6's,
3 1x2's to go just inside the frame to block the draft.
3/4" plywood for the door itself.

How am I doing so far.

Donna

[mjpliv]

Am I correct in understanding that you want to install a door at or about 6" and parallel to the bottom step? Not sure what the codes are in your area but I would fail an inspection if I did that here. We require space at the bottom of the stairs as deep as or deeper than the width of the stair case.

[Dragon]

Yep. Here too. You must have a landing at the bottom or you can't have a door.

Also, Donna, if you aren't going to put a regular door in then you're wasting your time if it is a draft you want to stop. The wind will still blow around the edges without any weatherstrip. Plywood will just warp on you.

[ddday]

O.K. I guess it wasn't such a good idea. Can you give me a quick explantion on how to put a door in that space. The plywood idea came from a friend that has that type of door in his basement. Like I said, I don't anything about building codes or building. I am a single mom and I own my own home and have decided to just "do it myself"! I asked for power tools for Xmas and my birthday and I am ready. I need a lot of tutoring however.

So what do I do now?

thanks for responding guys.

[ddday]

I just went and took a picture of the space so you can understand where I'm coming from.

thanks so much in advance for your help.
Donna

[Dragon]

I'm going to cheat.

http://www.hometime.com/Howto/projects/window/win_3.htm

[ddday]

Thanks so much. I will let you know how it goes. I'm sure it won't be my best work, but it will be my first. I am very excited.

thanks for the instructions.

Donna

[Dragon]

You're welcome.

You'll want to use an exterior door with an adjustable threshold. From the looks of where you set things you'll probably want a left-hand door. Pay very close attention to the spacing between the door and the jamb, especially along the top and on the striker side. Keep it even. If the door is hung in the jamb properly you should have about a 1/8 inch space.

Please be careful when using the stairs. If you slip you'll have no place to land before you smack the door, which is why building codes require a landing area.