DIY Network

Building a Sunroom: Setting the Door and Enclosing the Exterior From "Weekend Remodeling" episode WKR-205

	In this episode of Weekend Remodeling, host Fuad Reveiz shows you how to convert a patio into ...
	a beautiful sunroom!
	Reveiz says adding a sunroom will give you the benefits of nature all year long, without the drawbacks of harsh weather. And it only took two days to build!

Host Fuad Reveiz sets the door and encloses the exterior in this segment.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most difficult, this project rates a 4.

Materials:

2x4s (standard and treated)
aluminum clad windows
exterior door
OSB plywood
insulation
exterior composite siding
silicone caulk
nails
screws
assortment or trim
paint
paintbrush

Tools:

utility knife
pry bar
circular saw
jig saw
compound miter saw
drill and drill bits
reciprocating saw
framing square
2' level
4' level
framing nailer
trim nailer
air nailer

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G

Installing the Door and Finish Setting the Windows

1. The first thing you need to do is to apply a generous amount of silicone (figure A) to the concrete where the door sill will rest.

2. Carefully set the door into position, which will create a nice seal at the threshold (figure B) and help keep bugs and water from getting in.

3. Plumb the right side of the door while your helper shims the bottom left side. Be sure to work carefully here in order to set the door properly.

4. When you're satisfied with the door setting, put the first nail in the top right-hand side and then another directly below it.

5. Check to make sure everything is still in place, and then nail the left side of the door frame to the studs.

6. Continue nailing all the way around the nail flange. On the inside, add shims between the door frame and the studs (figure C).

7. When everything is solid, secure the door in place by using 3" wood screws. Shoot the screws through the door frame and the shim. Then break off the shim.

8. Continue to add shims all around the frame, even behind the strike plate. Then screw through the frame and shims and then break them off.

9. At the threshold pre-drill the concrete underneath with a masonry bit. Then install some tapcon screws to secure it to the pad (figure D). With this done, the door is now up!

10. Now it's time to set the final window in place. It's a larger window (for this particular project), but it goes in the same as the others.

11. Check to make sure the window is plumb, level and has been shimmed from the inside.

12. When you have the final window where you want it, secure the nail fin to the wall with roofing nails, working around the perimeter (figure E).

    Buttoning Up the Exterior

    Note: Since the biggest part of the walls are the windows and a door, you'll mainly be working on the lower part of the walls, or the knee wall, which shouldn't take too long.

13. First, seal around the edges of the windows. Do this by using a special tape (figure F) supplied by the window manufacturer. The tape covers the nail fin around the windows and overlaps onto the chipboard. To create a watershed, tape the sides first and then all away across the top. Since water can't run up the walls, there's no need to put it across the bottom.

    Note: The tape is extremely sticky and once it's on, it will "not" come off.

14. With all the windows and the door sealed, you can install the finished wood to the exterior. For this project, Reveiz used a sheeting called "MDO" (or medium density overlay -- figure G) that's 3/4" thick.

15. Measure the area next to the door and cut out the MDO using a circular saw. Set into position, again being sure to raise it off the ground, and then nail into place. You'll want to use an air nailer here because there's a lot of wood to go through.

16. At the corner, check the miter cut to make sure it aligns properly.

    Note: The smaller pieces between the door and windows go up fast, and since the front wall is mostly windows, this part goes quickly as well.

17. Be sure to caulk all the seams where the boards meet, and caulk around the windows and door and where the sheeting meets the house.

18. All that's left is to fill the nail holes with some painter's putty.

You're halfway through the second day and coming down the home stretch of this level 4 project. In the final segment, Reveiz will close up the interior walls, do the trim work and paint.

RESOURCES :

Kohler Product Information
Kohler Co.
Website: www.us.kohler.com

MDF Molding, Chair Rail and Base Molding (Georgia Pacific)
Georgia Pacific
Website: www.GP.com

GUESTS :

Charlotte Wood
Marketing Mgr.
Georgia Pacific
Website: www.GP.com

Carroll Bogard
Representative
Pella Corporation
Phone: 641-628-1000
Website: www.pella.com

Karen Hess
Roseburg Forest Products
Phone: 541-679-3311
Website: www.rfpco.com