Exterior door question

willtel · 12-02-2016, 09:48 AM

I've got three sets of exterior doors on the back of my house that are still single pane glass. Two single doors with sidelights and one set of french doors. The doors themselves are in good shape and are made of wood.

We have been thinking of upgrading them to get some doors with insulated double pane glass but it won't be cheap. Is it feasible to just remove all the glass in the existing doors and replace it with a single pane of insulated glass?

You can see all the doors in this picture. I'd replace them with a single pane to match the windows that were thankfully upgraded before we bought the place.

House by willtel, on Flickr

look 171 · 12-02-2016, 10:01 AM

The answer is yes, but its a pain in the ass due to the amount of little panels you haveto remove. the thickness is the other factor. Best to call your local glass man to come out and see if the thickness of the new glass panel will fit in the existing location. They should with room to spare because exterior doors are usually 1.75" thick. Get low E coating too for a few bucks more

ossiblue · 10:41 AM

You need to make clear what you are trying to accomplish. If you want to increase the insulation of the doors/windows, then you are looking at R value. The R value of single pane glass is ~1, and dual pane glass is ~2, depending on the air gap. Higher R glass not only decreases heat transfer (ambient air temp), but reduces outside noise as well.

Single pane "insulated" glass is designed to raise the E value, cutting the transmission of infra-red and ultra-violet light through the pane. It is constructed like an automobile windshield, two pieces of glass with a clear polyvinyl membrane between that has an E coating. The R value of single pane insulated glass is not much greater than single pane alone. If you want to limit the fading and heat generated by sunlight through the glass, single pane insulated will work.

Know what you are after, then calculate the cost for replacement. You might find it is not economically worth it for the small gain you achieve.

willtel · 12-02-2016, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ossiblue

You need to make clear what you are trying to accomplish.

Sorry about that. Let me see if I can clear it up.

The doors now are just one piece of glass. Really thin and you can feel the cold if you touch them (when it is cold outside). There are 15 panels in each door, 5 panels in each sidelight.

I want to remove all that and replace it with something more efficient. In my mind that means 2 panes of glass with an air gap in between them and that gap is either a vacuum or filled with argon or something to increase the R value.

For each of the 15 panel doors I want the replacement glass to be one single panel and one single panel for the sidelights removing all the muntins. < I had to Google that...

look 171 · 12-02-2016, 12:08 PM

Get new doors and be done with it. Retrofitting can be done, but the labor cost will kill you and who know about their ability to do the job well.

look 171 · 12-02-2016, 12:09 PM

Single lite doors are easy to fine but be careful with cheap import doors from Home Depot

Crowbob · 12-02-2016, 12:09 PM

Doable.

If you want to maintain the look of panels you can add faux muntins later.

dad911 · 12-02-2016, 01:06 PM

IMHO Labor and custom sizes are likely going to cost more than an entire door unit, but get some quotes.

It's often cheaper for me to buy a whole double sash window, than a single replacement sash from the manufacturer.

ossiblue · 12-02-2016, 01:22 PM

Okay, much clearer now. I agree that you should price out new, single light doors and side panels as well as the cost of retro-fitting. Keep an eye out for quality, as mentioned.

john70t · 12-02-2016, 05:21 PM

I really like the 'divided' door look as it exists now.

The door muntins break up wide horizontal to add distinction and character.
Focus is on main areas.
Also the pines look like they provide summer shade except between 10am-2pm.

Nice place!
Pls don't change too much.

Reg · 12-02-2016, 07:37 PM

Maybe consider a storm door in front. With some weatherstripping you will get an airspace and keep the truly divided lites. No seals to fail either!

MBAtarga · 12-03-2016, 06:21 PM

There are companies that I've seen advertise that will take your existing door - remove the existing glass pane structure by cutting it out and will insert a new glass assembly in it's place. In your case though - that doesn't help with the sidelights. Not sure there system will allow replacement of those.

rick-l · 12-04-2016, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crowbob

Doable.

If you want to maintain the look of panels you can add faux muntins later.

I like that look also.

The muntin, , mullion, grid, windowpane divider, or grill will come between the panes of glass in an energy efficient door.

MRM · 12-04-2016, 03:46 PM

For the doors themselves, it's probably cheaper to go back to the manufacturer and buy new door panels that meet the current frame with the most current insulated glass in them. You just unhinge the current panel and slip in the new panel. Typically the frame and panel are each about half the total cost of a door/frame unit, so it won't be cheap, but it will take zero labor because the frame stays in place.

Actually, you can probably order replacement sidelights too. Just pop out the old units and pop in the new upgrades. You can do it yourself. The advantage of using a new panel or sidelight is that you have virtually no labor to complete the replacement.

If your original manufacturer doesn't have a drop-in replacement door panel or sidelights, look at Marvin Window's custom-sized product and see if they can make a drop-in replacement for you. The key is that if you can avoid replacing the frame that's attached to your rough opening you'll save a ton on both product and installation, and if you can replace the panel or lites alone, labor will be minimal and you'll have a brand new door combination.

Crowbob · 12-04-2016, 03:53 PM

A local residential glass company can make panes any which way you want, provided you have the dough.

MRM is exactly right.

flatbutt · 12-04-2016, 04:05 PM

I don't know how cold it can get in Marietta but that double door on the left might be nice if it was one big wall o' glass. If'n the view is a nice one.

Crowbob · 12-04-2016, 04:26 PM

Estheticallly, all the windows inside the ground-level porch and above should have muntins. The rest should be clear planes. Or vise-versa.

As it is I see a mix-n-match scenario that diffuses the over-all architecture, which is well-done.

vash · vash's Garage

stop me if i ever decide to post a pic of my house.

that is a nice place OP!!