Building An Exterior Door Jamb From Scratch

Determine the size of the door opening.

Building an exterior door jamb from scratch. You can purchase precut boards for this project or you can purchase trim boards and cut them to size yourself. Building your own jambs is cost effective because you can purchase slab doors cheaper than prehung units. Add 1 1 2 inch to the height and cut two pieces. The size of the door opening will vary depending on the size of the door you plan to install.

This is the first of three videos on hanging doors for those who want to see nick s not really a workshop w. Follow along i hope you ll learn something and enjoy created. When building a door jamb to fit a standard wall with a two by four frame and 1 2 inch drywall on each side the width of the jamb board typically is 4 9 16 inches. Measure your door carefully and cut the opening to fit using a reciprocating saw.

Hinges usually go 8 inches from the door s top 9 inches from the bottom and at the. Installation of any door goes a lot easier if you mount the hinges on the door first rather than on the jamb. How nick makes a custom door jamb step by step. Measure the width and height of the door.

Installing a new door frame is not a difficult task and can be learned by understanding the simple steps involved. The door jamb is the vertical portion of the frame that runs along the sides of the door. If you have to replace or repair a door jamb it s most advisable to build an entire new door frame. I m building a custom replacement exterior door for a roughly 100 year old house out of cedar.

A typical door opening is 2 inches 5 1 cm wider than the door size being installed to allow for the thickness of the jamb material and shims to plumb the jamb.