|
Posted by per.corell@privat.dk on October 31, 2007, 4:18 am
> I am moving changing a door to a window. So I hired a concrete contractor
> to remove the door and build up the bottom and frame the window, followed by
> a window installer coming in to install the window. Simple right? No...
>
> As soon as the concrete guy arrived after two hours he told me he could not
> remove the door frame. He could not find anywhere along the door frame
> screw holes or nail holes whatsoever and he is unable to pry the metal frame
> off the exterior wall.
>
> I drove to the site to see it and called a carpenter friend of mine to meet
> me there.
>
> In examining the door frame I could see no visible fastener of any kind. My
> carpenter friend said he has not seen this before but it looks like they
> custom fabricated the entire metal door frame in one piece then embed it in
> solid concrete.
>
> At this point the door frame is so beaten up but it's not coming out.
>
> My concrete contractor says he can try using a concrete saw to saw off the
> 8" solid concrete wall to which the frame is embedded in, and I am thinking
> may be he can just lay his concrete blocks and notch the end for the door
> frame, then pour solid concrete to fill in the notches. However this will
> create complications too when it comes to the window frame. Dade County
> requires rebars to be placed on either side of window tied to the tie beam
> and slab below, and fill in any void in concrete blocks with solid concrete
> etc...
>
> Here are some pictures:
>
> http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w67/143house/demo/P1010448.jpg
>
> The white part is the concrete stucco being all damaged when they tried to
> remove the frame, the stucco came off and some concrete came off but the
> door frame is not coming out.
>
> http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w67/143house/demo/P1010447.jpg
>
> http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w67/143house/demo/P1010446.jpg
>
> http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w67/143house/demo/P1010445.jpg
>
> I am just wondering if anyone has seen this door frame installation method
> before? and if there is a magic trick to remove it that is obvious to some
> but not to others?
>
> Also, now that I know it's done this way, I was planning on replacing all
> the exterior doors in another phase of the project. guess I am not going to
> be able to replace the frame so I would need to get custom door to match the
> frame and hinges?
>
> and how would they have leveled the frame if it's installed in one piece
> with concrete, no shim at all.
>
> I kept finding many "unconventional construction method" in this place,
> that's really puzzling, causing tons of delays and "change orders", and now,
> I have half a dozen window and door openings, with tropical storm Noel
> blowing nearby.
>
> MC
When you uncovered that the frame are most proberly fixed into the
concrete, is there any other solution , than to cut off flush , so you
can continue in same building fasion , and have made new frames made
in steel ,these welded to the old ones ?
Maybe you don't need to put a whole frame in maybe only the piece at
the hinges. then plaster it after. Atleast you will not need to tear
out the intire frame, and if what is there is strong , then why not
just remove what is in the way for a new steel frame with hinges the
right place.
| 
Yahoo! 
Google 
Windows Live 
del.icio.us 
digg 
Netscape 
XML Sitemap