Did Grandpa make these interesting doors, or were they mass-produced? Here’s a woddity to wonder about and to ask — has anyone else ever seen a door like this before — and is there a particular name for this nifty wood design other than the rather blasè ‘sliding storm & screen’? Susan is the lucky owner and writes:
We own a 1956 Texas Ranch home, and the house has these really cool exterior doors. I’ve looked all over the internet, but can’t find the door. It is a wooden door, with the top half with 6 glass panes. That part drops/slides down to expose the screen, thus making it a 1/2 screen door! Any idea what this style of door is called? Thanks!
Blair says
I would call that a self storing combination wood storm door. There still many manufacters of combination wood storm doors where you remove either the glass or screen panel, depending on the season. There are also many manufacturers of aluminum self storing storm doors; where the glass or screen panel slide up or down, but are not removed. I think a good finish carpenter or cabinet maker could replicate the door.
dkzody says
The house I grew up in, built by my dad, had a similar back door. The front door had glass at the top, but the back door had the screen and then there was a cover to be used in the winter.
LM says
My BF’s old house had one of these for the back door. It didn’t appear to be homemade or built in place.
Carolyn says
OK, I can search online to find the answer to this question which would most likely bring me right back here to Retro or y’all can have a laugh at my expense…
Susan, is your ranch house in TX? or is there a Texas Ranch House type of ranch house?
Mary Elizabeth says
Carolyn, you have no idea how many times that has happened to me! 🙂
The doors are made now out of many materials. We have three that are aluminum and vinyl. They are called “self-storing” screen/storm doors. Ours has a retractable screen that disappears as you pull up the upper half of the storm from its summer position at the bottom of the door. And it is so convenient as the seasons change! No more hauling the glass insert out of the attic or garage as winter approaches, only to have a really balmy day in October when you wish you hadn’t put the storms on.
The other thing I like about the self-storing screens is that the bottom half is always glass. That keeps the kitties or doggies from scratching through or climbing the screen, doing a lot of damage and possibly escaping.
Lance says
Christie’s Wood and Glass in Durango CO advertises something similar, where the panel flips down instead of sliding down.
https://www.custommade.com/the-breeze-entry-door/by/christieswoodandglass/
Emily Grace says
Thanks for this link!
Kathy says
I thought of that door too and it is advertised in the back of Old House Journal. Wish they came in more styles!
I have storm windows something like this on the second floor of my house–sort of an early hybrid from the 50s or early sixties. They have wood frames with mill-finish aluminum storm window inserts. I think they are a nice compromise between convenience and being able to remove them for maintenance. My brother’s custom Colonial house from the 1980s also has something similar, but in wood. The storm doors alas are not like this.
Adams Architectural Millwork Co. in Iowa offers a variety of storm window configurations with screens, including the self-storing option in wood with fixed bottom screen at adamsarch.com .
There are many manufacturers of storm doors something like this, but the screen portion is typically not self-storing, but sometimes can be an option. I bet they could do a custom door that is similar for a southern climate. The main difference between a door and a storm is the thickness and the hardware.
I have salvaged the window portion of a couple of old aluminum combination storm/screen doors and have contemplated making my own wood storm with the insert. This could be an economical way to get the vintage look for less.
Otherwise, the best place I have found for a quality combination wood storm at a fairly reasonable price (including hardware, which can be very pricey) is the Combination Door Company in Oshkosh, WI at combinationdoor.com . Unfortunately, they have to be ordered from a dealer, but if you live in WI, they might be available from your lumberyard at a discount.
Otherwise, you can try Old Goat Storm Door Co. in Colorado to order them online at screendoors.com . (It is their economy line). Since they are made of poplar rather than cedar or mahogany, they are best painted and used in a covered location.
One thing to factor in ordering doors online is that shipping is typically $100-$150 per door. Getting them through your local lumberyard could be cheaper.
Jamie says
My kitchen door that was installed during a 1960 remodel was similar. The window was solid glass with a “squeeze-me” latch at the top. Squeeze it and gently lower the window between the wooden front side and the back side of the door to let cool breezes in through the exposed screen. Wish I still had that door — not a fan of the contractor’s special my beloved had installed in its place.
Briana says
My dad has six of these that were salvaged from an old hotel! His do not have window panes but rather wooden slats similar to a floor vent, if that makes sense. His explanation is that they provided air flow to the hotel rooms before any sort of heating or cooling came around while maintaining privacy. They are pretty fun to show off! We now have two of them in his office. I can send photos if desired!
Dan says
A friend once lived in a grand old apt building in which each unit had an outer full louvered door and inner solid door. The inner door could be kept open for ventilation. That idea goes back to the time when folks rolled up the carpets and put cotton slipcovers on the furniture each summer.
pam kueber says
And put up awnings and closed their curtains tight all day long and then opened windows at night!
The Atomic Fox says
I can’t find anything on those doors. I believe you have something truly unique – possibly a custom job done at a local millwork shop? Are there any brand markings on the door?
Carolyn says
Looking at the hardware and workmanship, it looks homemade. It’s also within the time frame of the DYI craze when Dad and his buds would have a couple beers and start thinking of ways to improve their homes for not a lot of money. Probably priced them newfangled aluminum screens and decided to make something just as good using what was at hand.
We lived in a Cape Cod that, instead of storm windows on the outside, had Velcro with Plexiglass on the inside. Never found out the rationale behind that but it worked. Worked real good! Possibly she was single/widowed and didn’t want to fool with a ladder.
Michael says
Never seen one before. Very neat. Doors and windows are often made at very small local factories. So it might have been made just a few miles from your house.