Door Questions. Low-e worth it? Also, some specific Simpson questions.
I’m having trouble finding detailed door info. Wondering if anyone here has the answers.
I’m looking at a couple Simpson doors (recommended by builder and architect) for the back of my house.
Mudroom door: A 3′ x 7′ mudroom door would be the most used door in the house. It faces SW and has a 4.5′ overhang (about 8′ from the bottom of the overhang to the bottom of the door). One side of the door is close to the edge of the overhang, about 2′ (vs 4.5′ going straight out and 7′ on the other side).
The other door faces the same way and goes down a flight of steps to the basement. This door is 3′ x 6’8″. By the nature of descending down a hole to the basement it is well protected on both sides. But the vertical height to the same overhang is obviously a lot higher (and well above the 1/2 or 1 ratio I have seen recommended elsewhere) but it is directly under part of the deck which will be 4′ deep.
These overhang scenarios don’t fit neatly into the simple 1/2 or 1 x:y ratio I have seen recommended elsewhere when deciding between the performance series door with or without water barrier or the more expensive (by about $1000/door) Nantucket series door (which has a 10 year warranty with no overhang). The people I ask (builder, architect, lumber yard that would supply the door) don’t seem to be experts and are bias to erring on the side of caution which in this case is spending more money on the more expensive door. If that is the right answer, I don’t mind doing it, but I don’t want to throw money away if it is unnecessary.
Any Simpson door experts care to chime and on what they would do here?
Separately from the Simpson specific question, is low-e glass worth getting for these doors, given the overhang and direction they face? It 1/2 lite, glass measures roughly 26″ x 40″. Low-e adds a couple hundred dollars. Climate is 5a.
Thanks!
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Replies
Door overhang rules of thumb are not specific because there are so many variables to consider. From which direction are your prevailing winds? Do you get intense storms out of the southwest (or south, or west)? Do you have gutters? How close to grade are the door sills? Will there be splashback? How much rain do you get? What is your tolerance for leakage? What is your tolerance for maintaining a finish?
I have spec'd and installed a lot of Simpson doors. They are good quality but the base lines are not very resilient against direct sunlight or heavy rain, in my experience. I have two going into a project now, both with generous overhangs and neither getting much sunlight--my requirements for using them on the exterior. I try to never have exterior doors without roofs over them, though I'm not always successful.
I haven't used their Nantucket grade doors but I have worked on Nantucket and if they can stand up against the horizontal rain there, they should work almost anywhere.
Facing SW in CZ5, I would estimate that low-e glazing would save you something on the order of $10 a year in energy costs, and improve comfort slightly if you're sitting or standing near the door.
Sounds like it is worth paying for the nantucket door. Thanks for the input!