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French doors: New construction door broken since day 2

23 days ago

Hi everyone — hoping for some advice or insight from anyone who’s dealt with this before!

We moved into our new construction home about two months ago, and our front French-style door (both sides open) has never worked quite right. From the start, it felt a little off alignment, and by the second day after moving in, it stopped latching properly altogether. Several people from the builder’s team have come to look at it, and I was told something called a T-astragal was ordered — but I haven’t been given any kind of ETA.

It’s frustrating because I really love having both doors functional, especially when moving large furniture in and out, but at the moment the main door doesn’t latch at all. I’m also concerned this may not just be a latch issue — it feels like the doors themselves might not have been set correctly from the start.

Has anyone experienced something similar with new construction or double-entry doors?
Was it an easy fix once the right part arrived, or did it end up being an installation issue that required a bigger repair or full replacement?

Any advice or photos of how yours was corrected would be so appreciated! I just want to make sure this isn’t “patched” temporarily if it needs a more thorough fix.

Thank you!

Comments (8)

  • 23 days ago

    Looks to me like the reveals are not even all the way around the door which would lead me to believe it is not installed plumb, level and square. Is this a tract or developer type home? Can you tale a better pic from the interior so we can see the entire unit straight on? Do you know the brand of the door? Can you measure top corner to bottom corner diagonally and be certain that the two dimensions are exactly the same? Tract type installers typically rush these installs and more often than not the issues are install related.

  • PRO
    23 days ago

    You aren't using cremone bolts. That's a problem. A design problem. And probably a budget problem is why they weren't used.

  • 23 days ago

    " You aren't using cremone bolts. That's a problem "


    Not a problem at all no production doors are made with cremone bolts today and cannot tell you when I saw a door use them in todays works, even high end custom uses flush bolts today, or multipoint locks more likely.. There are visible flush bolts in the side of the door and quite honestly flush bolts are more than acceptable. I canot speak to the quality of any of thsi at the moment but even a lower end door should work properly for at least a year or two before falling apart. That is exactly why I saiud what I said about installation.

  • 23 days ago

    " Looks to me like the reveals are not even all the way around the door which would lead me to believe it is not installed plumb, level and square." I'm not a pro, but it definitely looks off to me as well. Did you or the workers place a level next to the inside edge of each door, and on top of each door, to see if they are level / plumb? I'd also check the upper and side frames as well as straight across the top and bottom of both windows (e.g. across both doors) because those should be level with each other. Finally, is the floor level? The threshold?

    I'm sorry you're going through this. It's a pretty door and this must be very frustrating.

  • 22 days ago

    The funniest (not really funny) is about 4 different people have come to see this. Fiddled with it…
    All said yup…guess it needs new flush mount.
    Some other final “door/sourcing/parts” person for windows and doors guy came by today I think to ensure not “user error”. Yup. Still needs a whole new part. I’ve been told it is ordered but not sure I believe.
    And I believe someone asked if this was a “tract or developer” type home. The answer is yes. I do realize the risks that come with this. Generally a decent builder in the area, but this and another MAJOR issue (stay tuned for that post 😳😬)have made me almost sick about our purchase . Being here two months and not having a working double door really irritates me to say the least. I absolutely think house and others have been put up way too fast. Quality is lacking.
    Looks like the threshold is level yes.
    I’ll check the other parts. And further, I think I’ll ask their “person” to ensure that as well. We are still in a warranty phase, so hoping to get things fixed properly the first time.
    Thank you everyone for the thoughts. I’ll try to post more pics soon and do more leveling measurements.

  • PRO
    22 days ago

    I have had a few projects where I have wondered to myself, "Would this make a good sitcom/horror show?"

  • 22 days ago

    Exactly 😂😂😂

  • 21 days ago

    " I absolutely think house and others have been put up way too fast. Quality is lacking. "


    Exactly.


    " Looks like the threshold is level yes. "


    Threshold is not what I asked about, overall door unit MUST be plumb, level and square in ALL directions and I can tell you from the reveals that look different from the limited info you have provided that it is not plumb, level AND square.

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