Question about installing french doors?

Question

I want to install french doors from my kitchen to my patio, but the current opening is too high for all the standard doors. Short of paying $5000 for custom ones, is there anything I can do to make standard doors fit? They are about 5 inches too short, but the right width.

Answer 1

You have to make the opening smaller.  You need a couple of 2x4s to make this little "wall" or header.  You'll have to cover it on the outside and inside to make it appear part of the house.  If you take a look at the picture here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89485511@N0...

you can see these guys putting up the whole frame for a large door.  The small part that is going across the top between the two long sides is what you need to build.

Hope I explained this clearly.

Answer 2

Just place another headed board in the upper part of door frame. You can plaster it in or sheetrock whichever you use to fill in that space. Once you frame in the new door it will hide any flaws.

You are lucky....it's harder to make the hole bigger than it is to make it smaller.

Answer 3

You would have to rebuild the frame.May be put a small transome above the doors.