How to Measure Storm Doors

There’s a reason the saying “measure twice, cut once” is essentially the mantra of house projects everywhere—the time, money, and effort of fixing a mistake due to poor preparation can easily be skirted when you take a moment to jot down precise measurements of whatever DIY project you’re undertaking.  A storm door is no exception to this rule of thumb.  In fact, you’ll want to probably take down the measurements more than twice!

A new storm door will require a precise fit. If there’s already a doorway you can skip the tedious process of cutting.  The measurements you’ll need will be simple: height and width.

The reason why you’ll want to triple check these measurements is that houses aren’t infallible to warping and settling—even newly built homes will settle over time.  When a home settles into its foundation, features like door frames, walls, and windows will warp.  This is a process that is continuous, so your measurements will always be changing.  That’s why it’s important to get your measurements and check them again right up to the point of actually purchasing your new storm door.

Getting Storm Door Measurements

Precision is the name of the game in storm door measurements.  You know you’ll need height and width and to measure these features more than once.  Being precise means you’ll need to measure the top, middle, and bottom for width and left, center, and right for the storm door’s height.

Measure where the storm door sits and not where the front door actually is.  When measuring the height of your storm door, take note from the bottom of the threshold to the very top.  To measure the width correctly, take your measurements from left to right on the interior of the brick mold where you will mount your new storm door.  Do not measure inside the door jamb.

Now that you have your storm door measurements, note the narrowest width and the shortest height.  These are the correct dimensions you will use to purchase your new storm door.

Checking for Obstructions

There are a few things to look out for that could potentially obstruct the installation of a new storm door.  Some obstructions can be easily moved out of the way while others are more permanent fixtures that will require you to mount your new storm door differently.

Hardware and Accessories:  Examine your storm door’s hardware.  Take note of the placement of things like the door handles, any exterior lighting nearby, or the mailbox, if it’s integrated in the door.  For some homeowners, these features and accessories may obstruct the installation of a new storm door.  You might need to downsize the doorknob hardware to fit a new storm door, move the mailbox, or find new lights that won’t hinder the door’s outward swing.

Exterior Features:  In some cases, exterior features of a home may prevent a proper installation of a new storm door.  These features can include things like pillars on the front porch of a house that are placed too close to allow a new storm door to freely swing outward once installed.

Finding the Right Size Storm Door

The majority of entry doors and the storm doors that accompany them are standard sizes.  You can find standard size storm doors at any big-name home improvement store like Lowe’s or Home Depot.  With your dimensions in hand, visit the replacement door section and select the new storm door, double checking with a sales associate that your new door will fit without issue.

Hardware Placement

When picking out your new storm door, you may want to consider alternative hardware placement if there is an obstruction that would require a different outward swing.  You can decide if you’d like the door handle on the right and the hinges on the left for a left-hinged outswing, or the handle on the left and hinges on the right for a right-hinged outswing.  If your home has a lot of exterior obstacles like mailboxes, lighting, décor, or pillars, you’ll need to choose the hinge side that has the least amount of obstructions so the door can swing open properly.

Custom Storm Doors

Not all exterior entry doors and storm doors are created equal.  In fact, you may be stuck with a storm door that has special dimensions.  Don’t worry, all is not lost if your storm door is unique.  Lowes and Home Depot can both assist in custom storm doors that fit your doorway.  A sales associate can assist you in ordering a custom storm door so long as you have the accurate measurements and dimensions needed.  Custom doors will be more expensive than standard ones.

Feldco has high-quality doors in many shapes and sizes to perfectly fit your home. We also have professional and experienced installers to make sure the job is done correctly.

We provide homeowners with great local services and showrooms so they can customize their homes with a variety of styles and colors. Get a free quote today to start your project.