LESLIE: Kay in Vermont, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we do for you?
KAY: I have a very – I’m renting a very nice two-bedroom townhouse and last winter the temperatures were so severe that the wood door warped. Now should I just push for a storm door and see if that will work or should I go to have them replacing the door?
TOM: Well, perhaps both. If the wood door is warped you’re having a bad seal there so there’s a couple of things you can do. First of all, you could weatherstrip to make up for the warping. Secondly, you could add the storm door or you could have them replace the door. Now, if you have a brand new door in there you probably won’t need a storm door. It’s really going to be kind of up to your landlord.
LESLIE: Yeah, and especially if you have any pull at all with the landlord as to material or the type of door that they would use, you might want to ask them for a fiberglass door because based on the weather that you get in the Vermont area – it’s hot in the summer; it’s cold in the winter; you’re getting severe winters – you want to get a material like fiberglass because it’s not going to warp or rot or twist like real wood might but it’s going to look just like wood. It’s gorgeous. It has graining. It’s got beautiful staining in it. So it really will stand up well. If you’ve got any pull ask for that.
TOM: Take a look at a website for the folks that invented fiberglass doors; Therma-Tru. You can buy these at Lowe’s for as little, I think, as about $300 or $400. So they don’t have to be too expensive and they’re about eight times more energy efficient than wood doors.
Kay, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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