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How to fix exposed external sliding door?

My new house appears to be held together with silicone and hope. I have basic woodworking/DIY skills. Grateful advice on two issues:

1) I removed a rotting piece of wood from above the sliding door - and it appears to be missing an essential part covering the top of the door, and is exposed. Grateful advice on what exactly needs to be replaced, and if this is DIY possible, or I need to find a builder (finding one for anything other than building an entire home in my city is near impossible, so starting here, but I’d also like to know who I’m best placed calling, and what I need to specifically ask for).

2) this piece of wood doesn’t sit flush, and appears to be held on with silicone. The screw was a temp fix by me to keep it semi attached while I find a solution. same question as above - DIY or builder?

Thank you in advance!

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Doors and Windows

Comments

JacobZ

Hi @greenleaf,

Thank you for your question about rectifying some issues with your new home.

These tasks are certainly achievable without too much experience, but if you wanted some help with them, you wouldn't need a fully-fledged builder. A carpenter or handy person should be able to assist with this work.

If you'd like to give it a try yourself, start by replacing the piece of rotted timber above the door with a new piece of LOSP treated pine of a similar size to what was removed. It should be installed so that the wall side of the timber is slightly raised to create a small angle so that water will run off. This angle can be created by placing packers along the back edge of the timber.

The timber can be attached with a combination of liquid nails and brad nails fired at an angle through the back edge of the timber into the framing behind the weatherboard. You can see the clouts on the weatherboard that attach it to the frame beneath.

With the trim piece on the right, you can use the same brad nails to attach it to the frame behind like you did with the screw. You can hire a Trim Master Gas Bradder in store if you don't have access to one.

Once the timbers are secured, the seams should be sealed with No More Gaps Exterior Gap Filler, the nail holes with Selleys Spakfilla Rapid Gap Filler and then painted to prevent water from getting in behind them.

Let me know what you think, and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

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