How much clearance for entry door?

We recently had carpeting removed and hardwood floors installed. What is "acceptable" clearance for an entry door? Our front entry door, which is 104 years old, original to the house, was "trimmed" by the installer. However, it now is at an angle, and is 1 3/8" above the floor on the side of the door knob and 3/8" on the hinge side. Needless to say, it looks terrible. The installer tried to justify it, saying that the floor is uneven (which is true...but not that much!) and that in the winter, the floor would swell, so he had to make enough clearance so that it wouldn't hit the floor...What are our rights and options at this point, in regards to either repairing (I doubt that is possible) or having the installer replace the door? What really bothered me was that he did those cuts without asking us how far we wanted to be able to open the door, or how much we wanted taken off...What is standard, professional practice in such cases?
Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

The standard, professional practice is if the installer makes a boo-boo (which can happen), he should correct it. If he did not trim the door properly scribed to the slope of the floor, then he goofed. If the house is 104 years old, and the door is original and was in good shape, his goof will cost him a lot of money.

Find out how much the door will cost to replace and get a professional opinion on the quality of the work performed. Then go after him.

 

Who (or what type of professional) should I call to get an opinion/estimate for the door? Thanks

 

I forgot to mention, the door is in excellent condition. It opens onto a porch, so it never gets rain or snow onto it...and there has been a storm door there, too, for many years (not sure how many). It needed to be repainted this year, and, earlier this year, I had considered stripping it and leaving it the natural color (which is a dark stain). I don't know what type of wood it is, but the stairs in the house (the original ones) are cherry....I don't know if it was practice to use the same kind of wood or not...the original floors were pine. Anyway, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the door before this was done to it.
Thanks again.

 

standard is 3/8 to 1/2 inch then a ruber shoe ( adjustable ) should be installed if the thresshold is not adjustable to make a good seal to keep weather out.
Slope should be concidered when installing the door, but you can also make adjustments in the door jambs to help corect any slope problems in the floor.

I would make him come back out and reinstall your door and or pay for a new 1

 

We will be talking with the store (who the installer contracts with) today...and, I figure that is what they will be telling us, that it is the installer who is responsible. Although we don't disagree with that, we also used this installer, because they set it up (and said he was the best in the area) and each time he was here, he had their truck in our driveway. One of my mistakes was that I paid him his portion of the bill. In fact, that is when I really saw his true colors. I had an itemized bill, and one item that was listed was for kitchen floor vinyl/plywood tear out ($150)...well, when he had taken out the carpet (from the adjoining rooms) he said that he was afraid to take out the plywood in the kitchen, because there might be worse problems under there...and recommended that he put plywood in the other areas (which was an extra $350 for materials and labor that we paid right then), and just go over the vinyl flooring, which is what he did. When I questioned the $150 on the bill, he became defensive, and was trying to say that he did a lot of extra things for us (things that he offered to do, like a different molding - which we painted, he cut and installed)...long story short, he knocked off $100 of the bill...And, during the whole time he was here (5 days) he told me about other jobs where he had had problems with a customer (never his fault!), and that he was 'never going to let anyone take advantage of him again.' And, that he wouldn't stand for stuff like that...so, when I was standing there with my checkbook, he and his wife (yeah...he brought his wife with him for the last day!) stood there...I was alone, and not feeling like finding out what his 'threats' would mean if I refused to pay him at that time.
So...hopefully, the store will take some of the responsibility for this guy...we still owe them half of the amount for the materials...But, I have no problem talking to this installer again, and tell him to replace the door....With the number of problems that we have seen with this installer, I don't think that we would have a problem in court, getting our due...And, I videotaped everything...before and after shots, and he knows that...so, maybe he will just take responsibility, to avoid the legal hassles...
Wish us luck!
Thanks for your help...and for listening!

 

How did your meeting go?

I have to ask: When you open your door, do you still have 1 3/8" clearance between the floor and the knob side of the door? I can not imagine the floor being that far off and if it is, it should have been addressed before the flooring was ever put down. If it is a problem with the way the door is hung, than maybe he should have called in someone more experienced in the area of doors.
Something tells me, if the door worked before, it should still work. Understandablly, you might have to trim it "a little" because the wooden floor is higher than the orginal floor. However, 1 3/8" is just to far!!!

 

My husband spoke with a rep from the store (the one who sold us the flooring). He told him of all of our concerns, and the rep said that he will speak with the installer and the owner of the store, and most likely set up a meeting between all parties. Hopefully, it won't take long to set that up.

To answer your question, there is a slight difference in the floor level, and, when opened fully, the door angle is not as pronounced, and there is not a full 1 3/8" space...but, if there was a question of how much to take off, he should have consulted with me first before he took of so much (and at such an angle). I would have wanted a door to look even, not much space underneath and used a door stop to prevent it from scraping...if there was a concern...Or as you said, the floor could have been leveled before cutting the door. He had to put down plywood, but believe it or not, he never used the level on the floor before he put the hardwood in. He didn't use it afterwards, either...the only thing he used his level for was to level the appliances. There was another area where the kitchen (which had the vinyl) and dinette floor (where carpet had been) met. When he first laid the plywood, it matched pretty well (to the eye, not with a level), but once they screwed it down, there was obviously a difference, as there is a swell at that juncture (the kitchen floor is higher.) He should have shimmed that area, or something...When I asked him about it, (after many more strips had already been laid past that point) he assured me that that strip would not have any problems...I was concerned that the tongue may snap off the higher strip...Again, just not satisfactory work. This is an old house, and I know there are uneven spots (overall, it is in very good shape, don't get me wrong)...but, when one is laying flooring, one should take that time to make it as level as possible, right?
I think he wanted to do the job as quickly as possible, and trying to level the floor would have taken more time...but, we do have the right to expect that they would have addressed the unevenness of the floor...Everyone knew it is an old house, and when we were getting estimates, that fact was mentioned by each and every one who came to check it out (we got several before we chose the one that we did).
I will let you know how we make out. Thanks for the concern, and allowing me to vent!!

 

Just to let you all know...Yesterday, the store owner and the installer of the hardwood came and checked out our door....Well, they are sticking to their story that the door was cut correctly (surprise, surprise) They say they always cut straight across, no matter what the floor is like...maybe that is the standard, but it looks bad....plus, when measuring the door, it is NOT straight across..there is a difference of about 3/4," with the hinge side closer to the floor than the handle side. Well...the owner said that, although he agreed with the installer (who knows if he really did..he would say it anyway), he said he would call the insurance company, so they can send out an adjuster. So...we will see...
Oh...and they said that they "do not level floors" before installing the hardwood!!! I could not believe that..especially when we were told that it would be leveled!!! (when we were getting estimates)
Now...another problem...There is a 7 foot long step that separates the kitchen and our family room. There was supposed to be a peice of stairnose (bullnose) put there, just as on the steps that they did to the upstairs. Well, the installer originally put a peice of transition molding, the type that would be put between carpet and hardwood. Then, when I asked him about that, he tried to tell me that it looked better than the rounded peice. The next day, when I told him that I wanted the bullnose, he came up with some story that the store had only given him 7 pcs. of bullnose, which he used on the steps, and he had to put something done, until the could get the other peice of bullnose...I just shook my head, and didn't remind him about his 'reasoning' the day before...as long as I was getting my bullnose, I didn't care....Well....when they were here yesterday, he brought the bullnose...and put it in....When he left, I looked at it....it put it so that the rounded part is flush with the riser!!! I could not believe it! Plus, there is a small gap between the bullnose and the last strip of hardwood! To be honest, you can't see the gap too much, unless you turn the light on (which is directly above that step)....but it will cause a problem with dust, etc. getting into that gap...
I tried to call the installer, but he has not returned my phone call (left a message with his son, who works with him)...
I hate to keep sounded like a nit-picking b****, but we paid a lot of money for this floor...I think that we have the right to expect that it was done professionally, don't we???