Door sizing

[lurker]

I have started to refurbish my new bungalow.
I want to fit a new front door but in a slightly different place to the current one.
It will be (purists look away!) a composite door plus frame and fittings from a company I have used before.

I have been here before, with a replacement one in my current home, but caused myself a bit of trouble as I measured too tight last time!

So question for the experts, my brick to brick width gap is 930 is a frame 925 too tight?

Also what is the standard height of a door ?
This time there is no height restrictions as I will build up after fitting the frame.
Thanks

 

[Trevanion]

Check in multiple places and check for plumb on each side, the last thing you want to do is order a frame to try and fit it to a skewed hole.

I generally allow 10mm on Joinery, I think the plastic guys allow much more and factor in trimmings and such.

 

[MikeG.]

Pay close attention to what Trevanion has said. If you have a parallelogram for an opening you could find that a 925 frame simply doesn't fit in a 930 opening. The normal allowance is 10mm, but there is a lot to be said for having more. 5mm a side is an awkward sort of gap to fill.....a bit too much for silicon, and not quite big enough to get the nozzle of a foam gun in nicely.

If this work needs inspection then you need to be sure that your clear opening width is 775mm or more when the door is open 90 degrees. This is from the face of the door to the door stop opposite. You're going to be tight. And of course, you'll need a level access threshold. If you could squeak an extra 20/25mm for the opening that might help you a lot. Heights of doors (not the opening).......they used to be 6'-6" (1982mm), but if you are in a brick building then it's more likely dictated by the brick courses. It's likely there is a brick course at 2110mm (assuming the floors course with the brickwork), so nowadays it is more a question of working backwards from the opening size. There is, as far as I know, no Building Regulation covering door heights.

 

[deema]

On ‘dodgy’ openings where the builders were still learning their trade it’s not a bad idea to nail/screw/glue gun a few lats together to check the opening by making a quick frame. 75x50 with braces gives you the confidence all will be well. You then get an exact size that you need. Makes it very easy to check the diagonals for square, and ensure you can get a frame in. I personally allow 1/4” (6mm) clearance for a frame on properly built properties. It makes for a lovely tight finish.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Doors used to 6'6" x either 2'6" or 2' 9" or 6'8" x 2'8". They may have changed now. In the '60s 2'3" internal doors weren't uncommon - a pain in the jacksie to get your furniture through.

 

[lurker]

Thanks chaps,

I had another look at it this morning (took a straight edge and spirit level with me this time!) and had come to the same conclusion before I read what you all had to say.
Nice to get confirmation before committing to a spend.