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The (“easy to install” my ass!) project from hell.

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Our new storm door arrived the other day.

It’s a nice door, not top of the line because I refuse to pay more for a custom order storm door than I would a used car… but it’s a decent quality. Better than the floor models they have in stock.

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And as you can see, my husband paid close attention to the opening instructions.

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The box promised “Easy Installation” so we figured we could handle it.

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We were wrong.

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The instructions were daunting, and not overly clear.

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We had to check them so many times, I taped the sheet to the kitchen door for easy reference.

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We spent a good hour getting prepped and making sure everything was positioned properly.

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And then spent another hour installing the hinge rail…. incorrectly.

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Which, by the Swiss cheese condition of the door frame? Clearly we weren’t the first to do.

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After another hour of fiddling… we high fived. The door was hung.

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This particular door has two hydraulic thingamabobs… you know, the doohickeys that hold it open. They’re not always easy to seat, so those instructions were taped to the door as well.

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The bottom one gave us trouble, as evidenced by the husband lying down on the job. It has this special whatchamacallit you tap with your foot to freeze the door open and it kept getting in the way of the screws needed to secure it.

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Another hour later, for a total of four, the door was hung. The whoosits were in place and we were ready to put on the handles and locks.

The ones the salesman told us came with the door.

The ones we didn’t have because they didn’t come with the door.

The ones the instructions said came separately.

The ones we had to make an hour long round trip to the store to purchase for an extra $100.

Grrr. 😡

By the time we got back, five and a half hours into the “easy installation”… we called it quits for the day and retired to the barn porch for adult beverages.

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With Lord Dudley Mountcatten trying in vain to push open the halfway installed door.

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38 thoughts on “The (“easy to install” my ass!) project from hell.”

    1. We hired someone to replace two doors when we remodeled a few years ago, it was ridiculously expensive and my husband balked. He replaced our huge beautiful new front door with glass side panels two years ago, frame and all. It weighed a ton but I swear that was easier than this.

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  3. I’ve just been looking at storm doors online. We have an old one with a particle board core. It is waterlogged, heavy, and won’t close fully if the inner door is closed but slams if the inner door is open. We have another that is simple aluminum (no core) and works like a charm.

    I’ve read a lot of online reviews about installation difficulties, missing or damaged parts, falling apart in a year and a very limited warranty – and noticed the one you bought (or one like it) that doesn’t include handles.

    I just want one made of aluminum like my side door.

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  4. My ancient dwelling isn’t square, plumb or level. In most cases, sculpture is a more useful skill than carpentry. Believe me, I’m feeling your pain.
    Pro Tip: Doohickies and whatchamacallits are often less than suitable for their stated purpose, so I keep some whozamafudges in various sizes in my kitchen junk drawer for that reason. Hardware stores don’t carry them, they have to be found. Old mason jars and rusty coffee cans are a good place to start. Good luck, kids.

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      2. Yes, this!!! I have boxes of unnecessary hardware that came with the many DIY projects I’ve attempted over the years. I will never try to hang a door again after my husband and I spent an entire day trying to install a new weatherproof door on the entrance to our 100 year old farmhouse, where nothing was level. We eventually got it working properly, but it made me hate old houses. They look charming and full of character, but behind all that cladding and wood trim is nightmare fuel. 😱

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  9. Four hours sounds about right. I’ve installed more of these then I care to admit. I hope the most recent installs are the last ones I ever have to do. Ours did not include the latch hardware either, but they were about $45. But that was five years ago.

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