How would you hide this ?

[Mike Cutler]

I got a little problem, and I need some input (HELP!). First a little background.

I live in a house, built in 1921. The walls are not straight and true, and the floors are another story,anyway I need to install a door casing, and hang a door on a wall that has lean angle that is 1 1/2" over 81", and there is a slight bow to the wall also.

The following pictures show the door casing. The first shot is the outside bottom, and the second shot is the inside top of the same side of the door casing.

The most correct way to fix this would be to rip out the walls and true them, however thisi would require me to build a new staircase on the outside portion, and the inside portion is 3/4" T&G planking under the sheet rock, it used to be the exterior wall, ergo.. tearing out the wall is not an option.

I got an idea, but if someone has a better one I'm all ears, and thumbs.I'm telling ya' Bob Villa ain't got nuthin' on us.

Here are the pics. The door casing is level and plumb, and the opposite corners are flush against the existing wall.

Tia.

[Richard Wolf]

I say rebuild the staircase, I'll even come to Griswold to help you. LOL.
Boy that's a nasty looking situation, how about some tappered pillasters on the sides of the casing? Are the jambs wide enough to accomidate the lean?
Where is Griswold, Conn. anyway?

Richard

[Mike Wenzloff]

Same problem in our 1897 Vic. I'm ripping out the sheetrock that currently covers the 7/8 shiplap, removing the shiplap, cutting wedged shaped stock that will bring the wall (in appearance on the inside, thicker at the top, narrow at the bottom) back to plumb.

Good luck.

Mike

[Jamie Buxton]

Mike --

I've never tackled a wall leaning as much as you describe, but my solution has been to make the jambs vertical. If you make the jambs vertical, the installation of the hinges, doorstop moulding, and door is all normal. The challenge is installing the casing (that is, the moulding which covers the gap betweent the wall and the jamb). Say you just nail the casing on the jambs. There will be a gap between the wall and the non-jamb edge of the casing. You need to make a spacer to fill that gap, and install it before you install the casing. I've done it by first scribing the stock to the wall, and then using the jamb to mark the non-wall edge of the spacer. I cut that too, and then nail the spacer on to the wall. After that, the casing goes on easily.

You'll probably need to get wider jamb stock. After all, it is going to be sticking out of the wall by that 1 1/2".

[Mike Cutler]

My original Idea was to cut a wedge that was a wide as the jamb, and tapered to give me good mechanical contact. The two jambs on the inside can easily be done this way. And I'll just try to make some type of a nice Roycroft, Limbert or Greene and Greene wraparound style trim. The one on the outside, in the stairwell is another matter all together. I will most likely scribe the casing and bandsaw it to conform to the wall. I have a piece of brazillian cherry that has a bow to it, so I'll probably make that piece into the new jamb material.
If it wasn't so visible from the stairs, it would be easy, and if it didn't eat into the width of the stairway landing. I would just fill it with a wedge to fill the gap.
I had this same problem on the doorway on the level below this one. It was easier to hide the wall problem there though.
Jamie. You are correct about needing the door to be able to hang true. Luckily the door will be on the inside. Where I can hide the problem with thicker jamb stock or a bandsawn wedge.
Richard. I'll probably use tapered pilasters (cool word) on the other side because I can hide them.
The casing is almost 9" wide to be able to accomodate this issue.
Griswold is about 10 miles from the RI border, and about 30 Miles inland in CT. Nice rural/ farming community.
Oh well, such are the challenges of playing "This Old House". I haven't cut any wood yet, so any other suggestions are more than welcome.

[Michael Cody]

Put in an arch instead of a door :)... otherwise the only fix is rip it out and make it right. I feel your pain BTW -- our house was a ranch built in '37 by a baptist minister who weren't no carpenter.. I've got walls that bow over 4" and best of all the house is out of square by almost 2' .. honest to god.. re-roofing was a bit of a chore! Every piece of work on this place is an adventure!