Replacing a door in Lockhart, TX: odd sized openings in older homes, the fire rated garage entry door, glass options and how to stop winter drafts.
A new front door looks simple at the store. Then you measure the opening on a house near the Lockhart square that was built a century ago and find it's an inch narrower than anything on the shelf, and not quite square.
That happens a lot in the older parts of town, and it changes how you shop. Here's what to think about when replacing doors in Lockhart, from old bungalows to houses in the newer subdivisions.
Most doors sold today come in standard widths and an 80 inch height. Older homes often have taller or narrower openings, and decades of settling can push frames out of square. You have a few ways to handle it:
Custom sizes take longer to arrive, but they keep the original trim and proportions. Our custom doors page shows what's possible.
On a historic home, a wood door usually looks most at home. It needs a good finish and regular upkeep, especially on a south or west entry. Fiberglass doors with a wood grain texture make a lower maintenance stand in, and they won't swell in humid weather. Steel doors are affordable and secure, and they make sense on newer homes where a painted door suits the style.
If your old entry has a transom or sidelites, ask whether the new unit can keep them. Losing that glass changes the face of an older house more than people expect.
In newer Lockhart homes, the door from the garage into the house has a safety job. Residential building codes call for a solid wood door, a solid or honeycomb core steel door, or a fire rated door in that spot to slow a garage fire. Swapping it for a hollow core interior door is a common mistake. That door is also a big source of hot, fumy garage air sneaking into the house, so the weatherstripping matters here as much as at the front.
Glass panels bring in daylight, but they also bring in heat. On a door that faces afternoon sun, ask for low-E glass. Decorative or textured glass in a front door gives you privacy without blinds. Codes require safety glass in and right next to doors, so whatever you choose will be tempered or laminated.
Older doors often have hardware that's been swapped a few times, which leaves the jamb full of old holes and patched mortises. A new deadbolt can't hold well in wood that's been chewed up like that. When you replace the door, have the strike plate fastened with long screws that reach the framing behind the jamb, and make sure at least one screw in each hinge does the same. It's a small detail that keeps a heavy door from sagging and makes it much harder to kick in.
A cold snap like the February 2021 storm shows exactly where a door leaks. You don't have to wait for the next one. On a cold or windy day, check these:
Some of these are cheap fixes you can handle in an afternoon. If the frame is soft from rot or the slab is warped, a replacement is the better use of money.
If you're replacing old windows too, doing both at once means one round of trim and paint. Our page on windows in Lockhart covers options for older homes, and Lockhart roofing covers what to check after a hailstorm.
Texas Energy Pros includes doors in our free home energy audit, so you'll see how much air your entry is actually letting through before you decide on anything. Contact us to book one, or visit our Lockhart page.
