Doors and Windows - Back Door Difficult to Open?

My back door on my house is very hard to open - especially for my little girls. It rubs and sticks at the bottom of the door. There is also too much open area in between the door and the threshold - and the door latch catches there as well. All the screws are tight but I need some ideas on how to make it open and shut smoother. The house may have settled a bit (2002), but I'm pretty sure it wasn't installed correctly. I'll post some pics later. Any help is appreciated!

The normal problem is the opposite of what you have....too much space at the top and dragging at the top latch side, which is remedied by installing a couple of 3" screws in the top hinge, replacing the original screws. From what you describe, it does appear the house could have settled directly below where the door latch king studs are located. And, as you suggest, the door could have been installed incorrectly. Before we go jacking your house up, let's have some pix so we can see all the problem. Just post them on a site such as photobucket.com and copy/paste the IMG code to your reply post.

It sounds like the door is sagging.

A quick check to see if the door is hung properly is to check the clearance between the door and the jamb all the way around. It should be reasonably even. If it isn't, the door or the opening may not be plumb or level or the jamb may no longer be square.

Make sure all the hinge screws are tight and that the hinges are still sitting flush on the jamb when the door is open.


Check it out and post back on what you see.