Construction defects in doors

Construction defects in doors, especially an apartment's entrance door, are a nuisance. A contractor-work inspection should always check the gap between the door and the floor and the durability of the contractor's door, since defects like these are unfortunately common.

This page covers contractor door standards, what you are entitled to receive in a sale transaction regarding a home's doors, and why it matters to check doors for resistance to dampness.

Why even small door defects matter

Perfection is hard to achieve, and in practice almost everything has some flaw. In some places a flaw is tolerable; in others, even the smallest one is not, and calls for immediate repair. Our home, the biggest investment we make in a lifetime, should not tolerate flaws, so at the time of purchase it is worth making sure there are none.

It is also worth remembering that a home wears down over time, and the better its condition at the start, the longer its components will last.

Entrance and interior doors are an important element of a home, both functionally and visually, which is why the engineer carrying out a home inspection gives the doors close attention, examining every relevant aspect: the gap between the door and the floor among them.

What a contractor-door inspection covers

A home inspection of a contractor's door is a thorough, comprehensive check meant to examine every essential element of the home and confirm there are no defects, faults or other problems in the apartment or the building.

How much does a home inspection cost? Whatever it costs, an inspection of a new apartment is worth it: what looks like a minor flaw, or something an untrained eye would miss entirely, can turn out to be a defect that, once caught, prevents a chain of further damage.

That includes doors that let in dampness, waterproofing failures, leaks, cracks in the walls, uneven flooring, faulty cladding, doors and openings of the wrong size, window defects, radiation issues, and other things the contractor did not attend to carefully. If you do not insist on having them fixed, you pay the price later.

The contractor's warranty and the types of doors checked

When you buy a new apartment, the contractor provides a technical specification and is also required to provide a warranty on the apartment and the building. Since the scope and duration of that warranty vary and can change, it is best to have the apartment inspected as early as possible, ideally even before the purchase.

Doors are an important element of a building, and so of the inspection too, covering every type: the building's main entrance door, the apartment's own entrance door, wooden interior doors, and aluminum French or sliding doors leading to the balcony. Every door goes through a rigorous check to confirm its soundness, function and appearance.

What the entrance-door inspection includes

Home inspection reviews: to confirm that doors are sound, every relevant aspect needs to be examined, and only a professional engineer well versed in the various standards can guarantee a truly thorough check. The parameters naturally vary from door to door, depending on its function. An inspection of the entrance door, for example, includes:

1. Checking that the peephole is at the right height.
2. A proper gap between the door and the frame.
3. A proper gap between the entrance door and the floor: enough to keep out drafts and pests, but not so much that it rubs against the flooring.
4. The finish and paint of the door and the frame.
5. Door stoppers, where needed.
6. How easily the door opens and closes.
7. The door's level of security, sealing, stability and acoustic insulation.
8. Leveling of the frame and the door jambs.

The contractor warranty covers a comprehensive check of every door in the apartment: entrance doors, interior doors of every type, and the doors leading out to the balcony or garden.

Construction defects in doors often come down to the gap between the door and the floor, or a contractor's door that was never properly fitted to the building.

Issues like these (cracks and stability are a related example) often show up in contractors' doors even in a brand-new home, precisely because the door was installed right after construction. An apartment's entrance doors matter both for how the home looks and for how it functions day to day, and a door that lets in dampness will not deliver the everyday quality you are paying for. This is the contractor's responsibility, and a home inspection helps you establish exactly that.