New front door frame - differnt questions?

[dpblack]

I'm putting in a new front door frame but cannot anchor the sides as there are glass block walls either side of the opening. The existing frame is rotten on both sides where it meets the cill (just poor maintenance by previous owners)

As the opening is full height 90" but my door is 80" high, should I get a pre-made frame to the door height (and extend it 10" - how?) or the opening height (tricky as I haven't seen any off the shelf for this size). Something like this:

Also I've seen a lot of comments about not drilling/nailing into the brickwork through the cill... but I don't think I have any choice, what should I be wary of? Also, what's the security like of a door anchored only at top/bottom?

And I'm puzzling over cills and weather bars... current door has a little metal bar in the cill but when I rip out the frame, I'm going to put a new cill in. I was thinking about using a Stormguard "SLIMLINE" thing, would that do? And do I need to have a sticky-out bullnose type strip (a "weatherstrip"?) on the bottom of the new front door or can I leave it flat?

All will be exposed to the elements, particularly given this summer

 

[EddieC]

When you take the old frame out I would think that it would be fixed with achor ties bedded into the glass blockwork joints and screwed onto the back of the door frame and that is what gives it strength at present. If you use pre-made frame you still have to make up the top, this could look messy. See what you local timber merchant has in the way of loose framing or get a frame made up to suit the opening by a local joinery manufacture it will pay in the long run and give you less grief. as for storm guards i have used all sorts in the pass and IF fitted correctly and they are brill but include the weather strip as a precaution. happy woodwork

 

[dpblack]

Thanks... done a bit more "digging" looks like 6mm horizontal steel rods are going through the frame into each row of glass blocks :O but otherwise the fram doesn't seem to be attached to the glass blocks, there's sealent on interior and exterior sides with an expansion strip. From what I know of glass block walls (less than my joinery knowledge!) this looks about right.

Still wondering about drilling into the cill and fitting it to the bottom brick though... is this a seriously bad idea?