Upside down UPVC door!?!

[RazzyRascal]

Yes, you read the title correctly - I have an upside down UPVC door that needs to be righted.

I think the previous owners were a bit 'out there' as the dude just laughed with no explanation when I pointed it out during viewing...

Anyway, is this a relatively straightforward task to right? I have zero experience with UPVC but they seem fiddly...

Also, there is no key for the lock so that will need to come out too. Is this a case of removing the whole metal trim/mechanism that wraps around the door?

Cheers in advance for your help, guys!

 

[kingandy2nd]

As the door is open you will only need to unscrew the handles and then remove the lock retaining screw on the edge of the door frame and then removing the cylinder and replacing it.

Providing you can get the old frame fixings out, it’s a straightforward job to turn the frame up the right way and fix. Make sure you use packers and a spirit level to get the frame correct

 

[Feck]

If you turn that around won't the hinges will need altering too??

 

[RandomGrinch]

My first attempt would be to take the doors off (they will just slide straight upwards off the hinges) - swap sides, turn them upsidedown (remove the top cap from the hinge) and replace on the opposite side. Then see how well everything lines up.
Hopefully only some small adjustments of the hinges will be needed.
The doors will be heavy, so a two person job, or deglazing them first will make the job a lot easier (search 'removing sealed units' on YouTube!).

....there don't appear to be any weep holes in the frame either?

 

[RazzyRascal]

As the door is open you will only need to unscrew the handles and then remove the lock retaining screw on the edge of the door frame and then removing the cylinder and replacing it.

Providing you can get the old frame fixings out, it’s a straightforward job to turn the frame up the right way and fix. Make sure you use packers and a spirit level to get the frame correct

Thanks KingAndy, I'll whip the handles off later and install a new cylinder if that's the case.

There's a few valuables in there so I'm really grateful for the advice - My current security strategy until now was assuming any would-be thief would pull the handle down and assume its locked!!!

Re the frame, it looks to have been pugged up with mortar when it was installed which is crumbling away now so if i decide to tackle that then it would probably make sense to turn the frame to its correct orientation.

Out of interest, does it look upside down? There definitely seems to be some kind of metal threshold/drip trim on the top, which is now going rusty...

 

[RazzyRascal]

My first attempt would be to take the doors off (they will just slide straight upwards off the hinges) - swap sides, turn them upsidedown (remove the top cap from the hinge) and replace on the opposite side. Then see how well everything lines up.
Hopefully only some small adjustments of the hinges will be needed.
The doors will be heavy, so a two person job, or deglazing them first will make the job a lot easier (search 'removing sealed units' on YouTube!).

....there don't appear to be any weep holes in the frame either?

Cheers RandomGrinch,

If I decide to re-orientate the frame I'd need the doors off anyway, so I may attempt your suggestion first as a potential time saver.

My only concern is that the upside down frame looks to be poorly installed and potentially rusty up top?!

This is a 'garden room' aka part of the garage, so I can live with it being a bit of a bodge but with the caveat that its weatherproof and structurally sound.

Also, excuse my ignorance, but where would i expect to see weep holes? Is this an issue or just an example of a poorly manufactured set of doors?

 

[thomp1983]

Given you've said there's a metal threshold at the top turn the frame round instead of just the doors, it's the proper way to do it, anything else is s bodge and won't save that much time

 

[RandomGrinch]

Out of interest, does it look upside down? There definitely seems to be some kind of metal threshold/drip trim on the top, which is now going rusty...

I think you may be talking about the boot lintel that's supporting the bricks above the doors?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Out of interest, does it look upside down? There definitely seems to be some kind of metal threshold/drip trim on the top, which is now going rusty...

Yes, the middle hinges are offset closer to the bottom that the top - most of the weight of the door is at the top, so the middle hinge needed to be higher up.

 

[RazzyRascal]

I think you may be talking about the boot lintel that's supporting the bricks above the doors?

Ah, that'll be it, thanks!

 

[RazzyRascal]

Yes, the middle hinges are offset closer to the bottom that the top - most of the weight of the door is at the top, so the middle hinge needed to be higher up.

OK, noted.

How the hell did it end up like this?!! I shouldn't be surprised really, they had hammered enormous bolts into the blockwork inside to use as hangers for their tools so that's the standard I'm working with...

 

[RandomGrinch]

Yes, the middle hinges are offset closer to the bottom that the top - most of the weight of the door is at the top, so the middle hinge needed to be higher up.

Yes, I missed the hinge offset.
Although it's not uncommon for the hinges to be evenly spaced

 

[RazzyRascal]

Yes, I missed the hinge offset.
Although it's not uncommon for the hinges to be evenly spaced

I'll give them a measure later. Fingers crossed they're even...

 

[robby71]

You'll see if the frame is upside down as they'll be no drainage holes at the bottom (oval shaped) so the water will just sit there