UPVC door too short in frame causing draughts

[Daniel Barclay]

In September 2020, I moved into a new build property (built 2018). Shortly after moving in, I noticed that downstairs was considerably colder than upstairs and found very noticeable draughts coming from the front door that was letting in cold air from the bottom of the door and noise from the road outside. I'm sure this has increased heating bills massively too.

After further inspection, there's a gap of approx 15mm between the threshold and the base of the door (photo attached).

I'm not the original owner of the property and by the time I moved in the 2 year builders' warranty had expired and after contacting the house builder, Lovell, they were not willing to offer any support to resolve the issue as their warranty had expired. I also reached out to the door manufacturer, Permadoor, but they offered no help either. A third option was making a claim via NHBC but the NHBC warranty only covers structural damages after the initial 2 years and so it is highly unlikely the original developers will ever see to the issue.

In the meantime, I have added a draught excluder to the back of the front door but this seems totally wrong to me in a new build property that is a little over 2 and a half years old.

I also had a uPVC door repair specialist come by to visit but the best he could suggest was having a draught excluder sausage in addition to the draught excluder I have attached to the door, and adding draught excluders to the rest of the doors in my property.

Has anyone faced an issue like this before?

I feel like the only options I have are:

1) Raising the uPVC door threshold some how?
2) Attaching something to the uPVC door in order to extend it?
3) Replacing the door entirely with one which is actually fitted corrected

At this point I'm leaning towards option 3 and replacing the front door in September when the weather is considerably cooler as one of the main reasons I bought a new build was to reduce heating/energy bills.

I would be really grateful for any advice or tips on how to resolve this. Thank you!

 

[diy_fun_uk]

It's difficult to tell from the pic posted, are you saying there's literally a 15mm gap that you can see daylight through?

Assuming there are no other issues with the door, I think a complete replacement is a bit drastic and very likely not required. The door will have vertical adjustment, possible by adjusting the hinges. However it's unlikely you can resolve a 15mm gap by lowering the door as that would most likely cause issues elsewhere. Raising the existing threshold might be an option, again difficult to tell by the pic.

Depending on the overall gap i.e. from floor to underside of the door, you could try a replacement threshold. Maybe have a look here to see if any would suit.

Threshold Seals | IronmongeryDirect | Same Day Despatch

Loads of other websites to choose from, just Google door threshold for more options.

 

[Daniel Barclay]

Hi, thanks very much for the reply and your suggestions. Yep, there's literally a 15mm gap in which I can see daylight through sadly.

I had UPVC door specialist come round earlier to look at it and they suggested that the door threshold was built into the frame and is essentially non-replaceable.

Would be interested in getting your thoughts (pictures attached) if that is actually the case.

Thanks again for your help, really appreciated.

 

[ronniecabers]

Hmm door specialist eh? That threshold is replaceable , its screwed on to the frame at the bottom ( sides you can see the screws ) but it would require the doorframe to be removed from memory ( a while since I 've worked on a Permadoor door , also known as Safe Doors , owned by SBP LTD , same company that owns and manufactures Profile 22 ). Again if memory serves me correct the gasket in the centre of the threshold should be removable, it just clips in ( I may be thinking of another door company here though lol). Looking at the aftermarket draught excluder on the side, I'm not convinced this is the only problem with this door, that should be either a grey ' woolpile ' gasket or a Black ' Qlon ' Flipper gasket. I can't tell from the pictures though how 'worn ' that bottom threshold gasket is , 15mm Gap is huge , if that is , is the entire 15mm gap open to the elements ( eg can see daylight all the way along and t a depth of 15mm) ? or is it just a gap between the door sash and the gasket of say 2-3mm?

 

[Daniel Barclay]

Hi Ronnie, thanks very much for all that information and for taking the time to reply, much appreciated. Ah sorry the draught excluder was added by me as a temporary measure as there were draughts coming from all sides of the door before it was tightened more to its frame. Currently, it's just the bottom where the draught is coming from.
The gasket itself isn't too worn - I think because there's such a big gap between the threshold and the bottom of the door that some debris that has made its way in there that I should clean out.
I can see daylight all the way along the bottom of the door and it is all open to the elements. I have a front doormat with a thickness of 13mm that can slide all the way through the door which is quite alarming.

Thanks for the tips about how to remove the threshold. Is this a task I could get a proper specialist to do as I'm rather new to DIY and would feel a lot more confident leaving it to someone who knew what they were doing haha.

 

[Old Salt]

Shouldn’t there be a rubber gasket in the gap of that threshold strip so that it comes flush under the door bottom, covering the screw heads and keeping draughts out?

 

[diy_fun_uk]

It's a strange one, assuming the door sealed properly when installed, for there now to be a gap of 15mm all along the bottom takes some explaining! I do wonder if the door's been raised to solve one issue, thus creating the issue at the threshold?

I'd get someone to complete the remedial works for you, especially as you're new to DIY. I'd love to get my hands on this!

In the interim, to stop some of the draughts, you could buy some of this and stick to the metal strip of the threshold (the second metal strip when looking from the inside)

The HairyWorm Brush Pile Wool Pile Self Adhesive Draught Seal Various (georgeculley.co.uk)

It can then be removed when the proper works are being done.

 

[ronniecabers]

As I say i'm pretty sure you would need to take the door frame out to remove the threshold, and once the threshold is removed you would be able to actually cut the sides of the frame down to reduce the height of the door and refit the threshold ( as this one isn't moulded under the actual door frame like a lot are today.) I'm not sure how many ' specialists' would what to touch it to be honest , they certainly wouldn't offer any guarantee on the repair.
You say the door mat slides under the door, does it meet with any resistance from the rubber ? what i'm trying to get at , is you have a wheelchair threshold there, on a Composite Door ( Not a upvc door, they are slightly different ). The bottom of the door sash , when closed should compress the rubber seal below, making it water and air tight, but this compression won't be as tight as trying to make it flat, so waht I am wondering , is if the visible daylight is only 2-3 mm between the rubber gasket and the bottom of the door sash , then the door could be adjusted down on its hinges. To put this into comparison , with no visible daylight under my composite door the gap between the sash and the metal is 5mm. How much of a gap do you have at the head of the door , between the sash and frame ?

 

[ronniecabers]

Shouldn’t there be a rubber gasket in the gap of that threshold strip so that it comes flush under the door bottom, covering the screw heads and keeping draughts out?

No from memory that gasket looks correct, shouldn't really screw through wheelchair thresholds ( but everyone seems to!), which actual leads to the question , is it level? has it been ' pulled down' by those screws

 

[ronniecabers]

Going back to your first picture ... something isn't right... The bottom of that metal threshold should be level with the bottom of the upright of the pvc door frame, they certainly don't look it in that picture. I am wondering if the threshold has been lowered for some reason , my suggestion ... undo the screws that hold the threshold on to the side of the frame ( in the black bits ) , now see if you can gently prise that strip upuntil its flush with the bottom of the frame , you may need to cut the silicone to do this though

 

[Swwils]

I think the entire threshold construction is in doubt. What's stopping water getting in through the block joint under the sil?

I think that this door was originally installed with a regular frame lip and then it was replaced for a level threshold variant.

 

[ronniecabers]

I think the entire threshold construction is in doubt. What's stopping water getting in through the block joint under the sil?

I think that this door was originally installed with a regular frame lip and then it was replaced for a level threshold variant.

possible but there are no welds in the bottom corners , showing where a ' regular ' threshold would normally have been ' welded' in...unless major alterations to this doorset have taken place

 

[Swwils]

possible but there are no welds in the bottom corners , showing where a ' regular ' threshold would normally have been ' welded' in...unless major alterations to this doorset have taken place

Hmmm true! Mystery!

 

[Daniel Barclay]

Thanks very much for all your replies guys. I've got a couple of photos from my backdoor, also a Permadoor that is identical to the front door, and I believe it has been installed correctly (there's no draughts from this door). The rubber gaskets look identical to the front door. The only difference I can make out is the actual door length.
I'm starting to genuinely believe that the door wasn't sealed correctly in the first instance and that the previous seller (somehow?) never brought it to the attention of the builders. Thanks very much for the link to the Brush Pile Draught Seal.
At the moment I'm struggling to find anyone who would be willing to do the remedial works so I'm a bit stuck for options.

 

[Daniel Barclay]

As I say i'm pretty sure you would need to take the door frame out to remove the threshold, and once the threshold is removed you would be able to actually cut the sides of the frame down to reduce the height of the door and refit the threshold ( as this one isn't moulded under the actual door frame like a lot are today.) I'm not sure how many ' specialists' would what to touch it to be honest , they certainly wouldn't offer any guarantee on the repair.
You say the door mat slides under the door, does it meet with any resistance from the rubber ? what i'm trying to get at , is you have a wheelchair threshold there, on a Composite Door ( Not a upvc door, they are slightly different ). The bottom of the door sash , when closed should compress the rubber seal below, making it water and air tight, but this compression won't be as tight as trying to make it flat, so what I am wondering , is if the visible daylight is only 2-3 mm between the rubber gasket and the bottom of the door sash , then the door could be adjusted down on its hinges. To put this into comparison , with no visible daylight under my composite door the gap between the sash and the metal is 5mm. How much of a gap do you have at the head of the door , between the sash and frame ?

Thanks for all the information, really appreciated. The doormat slides underneath with no resistance whatsoever. Apologies if I've misunderstood you. I've attached a couple of photos - the bottom of the door when is still approx 15mm above the top of the threshold. There's is a very small gap by comparison from the top of the door to its frame, 3-4mm