Doors designed to FAIL?
Doors designed to FAIL? This Central American wood pivot door company got a hurricane product approval, sold a bunch of doors cheap, went out of business and left wealthy homeowners with failing doors. Don't let this happen to you!
The complex engineering that goes into a high quality exterior door would surprise you. Expansion and contraction due to humidity. Hot and cold stresses from outside to inside temperatures (especially if it gets any sun exposure). The wood has to be cross laminated and joined to resist these stresses.
These doors were built as cheaply as possible and started cracking and not being able to open and close properly as the hardware jammed. I've heard of cases where the cracks were so bad you could see daylight through the body of the door.
When you see a product thousands of dollars cheaper, this is why. Don't throw away your money! Have an independent professional research how the door is built.
I help architects, builders, and owners select, specify, and detail luxury residential hurricane glazing systems without manufacturer or dealer biases. I also give classes in all aspects of hurricane windows and doors on glass aesthetics and energy performance, manufacturer product overviews, detailed installation planning and best practices, and understanding hurricane product approvals.
