Upside down doors

[racoles]

Hello,

Bit of an odd one! We employed a carpenter to fit our doors. Unfortunately I arrived home to realise he'd done so upside down. The door frames are old so the carpenter pared them down bespoke to fit each uneven frame. He also fitted the door knobs, meaning it will be very tricky now to flip them back around. Unfortunately now I've noticed it its hard to unsee, though I appreciate probably not that obvious to most visitors.

Has anyone got any suggestions? I thought about cutting out/extending the panels so they are an even distance from the top and bottom of the door. Does anyone have any ideas? Unfortunately I think starting again with new doors would probably be easiest but would be too expensive right now and also seems a sad waste.

Really disappointed that he overlooked such an important first step...

Link to the doors here: Door Giant Modern Shaker-Style White Primed 2 Panel Internal Door

 

[eribaMotters]

At first I was lost for words, then I tried to think of a fix. Unless you fancy an infill for the lock hole and plants on all door edges before re-shooting them in to fit, it's going to be new doors. An expensive mistake for your carpenter.

Colin

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Bit of an odd one! We employed a carpenter to fit our doors. Unfortunately I arrived home to realise he'd done so upside down.

If the chippy supplied the doors as well as installing them I'd say there's nothing more you need to do except contact him to get him to make good, i.e., new doors and install correctly, at his cost, not yours.

If you bought the doors and he installed them, the remedy I suggested above still applies. He screwed up so he should make right.

Of course, if the chippy can't tell the bottom of a door from its top ... er, well, hmm, it kind of makes you wonder about the available skillset. Slainte.

 

[AlvyChippie]

Depends whereabouts you live, but I'd bill you £100-£150 to swing in to old frame, fit, do a latch (most of the day, getting tools in etc) per door
so, considering how reasonable the price of them is and by the sounds of you being capable to do it yourself- no brainer, start from new, as even in photo (only one side seen) they (frames) are crooked so the bottom has had loads off, so joining up is out of a question, never mind other complications

 

[Oliver McDonnell]

You ought to get him to sort it out. After all, it’s his mistake.
Good luck with that

 

[DeanN]

Carpenter or handyman? I'm struggling to see how a carpenter, to which this should be bread and butter Work, could make this mistake!

 

[HOJ]

How did you find/contact the so called "Chippy" Trusted trader or the like?

 

[scooby]

Jesus…id Imagine a day 1 apprentice could, maybe, make that mistake once…maybe.
Get him back and insist that he fixes the problem to your satisfaction using his time and money.

This reminded me, when I was an apprentice, a fellow apprentice asked me which way panelled doors were fitted (he’d only fitted flush doors). I laughed, called him an expletive and told him the correct orientation.
I made the mistake of telling my mentor and he called me every name under the sun, saying I should have told him the wrong way. Yes, he was evil.

 

[Spectric]

though I appreciate probably not that obvious to most visitors.

I think it is very obvious, just draws you in and that chippy is either a total plonker or maybe australian !

 

[Bingy man]

Yeah I unfortunately agree with most - it’s his mistake x how many doors he’s fitted . In his defence it’s understandable if he fitted one incorrectly then realised his mistake and fessed up , paid for the one replacement door - or adjusted his labour cost to reflect the mistake but to continue regardless is unforgivable. He either has no idea about hanging doors or having realised his mistake on the 1st door has continued hoping that you too wouldn’t know the difference . He has to put it right but I don’t think you will see him again unless you have not yet paid him .. any attempt at turning them the correct way will require some time consuming repairs that may still be visible even if done neatly ..

 

[scooby]

On brand new frames, you’d probably be able to flip them, jockey the hinge recesses and flip the latch (even that’d be a bodge) but on old frames (as you mentioned) that’d probably end up super gappy. How many doors did he hang? I use the word hang generously.

i really hope you get him back as this stuff really winds up.

 

[Bingy man]

On brand new frames, you’d probably be able to flip them, jockey the hinge recesses and flip the latch (even that’d be a bodge) but on old frames (as you mentioned) that’d probably end up super gappy. How many doors did he hang? I use the word hang generously.

i really hope you get him back as this stuff really winds up.

You will drive yourself crazy looking and thinking about them , try to get him back but don’t hold your breath , you might be lucky enough to save some of them but again with old frames it’s not easy ,
A plus point in the link to these doors is they are supplied primed and not finished so they can be repaired as far as any holes , filled and painted . Do you still have the offcuts removed from the top of the doors - could be worth saving. A decent table saw should be able to square the door back up and then plant a lipping back on to make up the original width / height . This advise is incase you cannot get the guy back and hopefully save you literally having to start all over and bear all costs .. good luck

Edit sorry I should have replied to @racoles but these so called tradesmen get me angry .. but the advice stands ..

 

[AlvyChippie]

I think it is very obvious, just draws you in and that chippy is either a total plonker or maybe australian !

or a hung-over Aztralian

 

[Adam W.]

Hate to say it, but it's about standard for today's chippie chap.

Buy a plastic handled saw = Call yourself a carpenter.

 

[TheUnicorn]

Hate to say it, but it's about standard for today's chippie chap.

Buy a plastic handled saw = Call yourself a carpenter.

shouldn't be the case but I often find that the only meaning of 'professional' is having the nerve to charge money

 

[hlvd]

Show us his hinge and latch recesses, and the shadow gap, this’ll tell us if he’s a carpenter or not.

 

[Fergie 307]

I had just about got over Deemas hinges, then this. How do these people have the front to charge for this sort of work.

 

[Bingy man]

I had just about got over Deemas hinges, then this. How do these people have the front to charge for this sort of work.

Don’t think they have any , was it Horlicks several years ago who ran that add campaign ( don’t know how they sleep at night ) I get stressed if I make a mistake on a customers door especially if it’s visible .

 

[AlvyChippie]

oh lah lah, everyone is "so clever" here, as if they never cocked nothing up... I have!
I wouldn't have just left it as is, would've told him (you, the client) to get another door and would've put it right.

Be in a rush- even worse "5hit happens"... only few months ago, I've cut kitchen worktop exactly 1 meter short... wasn't cheap mistake, never mind needing to go back itself, but after all, I'm not doing things for the rock-bottom price, I can absorb errors

 

[Bingy man]

I’ve made plenty of mistakes small and large but I’ve never left it for the customer/ client to discover , I’m also sure that most of us have made mistakes but on every door - doesn’t matter if those doors cost 60 or 600 the customer has come home to discover the error which suggests the chippie doesn’t care or has not got a clue in which case he most likely thinks he’s done a grand job . Or he could actually need to have an eye test ..