One of the challenging and rewarding aspects of our work is converting an architect’s two-dimensional drawing into a three-dimensional reality. This Beaux-Arts doorway was built based upon photographs of an existing doorway and rudimentary line drawings. Working with the architects and using modern design tools, such as AutoCAD and SketchUp, we produced detailed shop drawings illustrating every aspect and joinery detail of this door and doorway. Each section and every moulding profile from the head to the sill to the paneled-extension jambs to the neck mouldings on the colonettes were carefully scrutinized and studied. It went through numerous reviews and revisions until the design was perfect before going into production.

As with all of our doors, the doors for the Salem Cross Inn were built with solid wood and constructed with traditional mortise and tenon joinery. The wood joint, when pegged or wedged, is sufficiently strong to hold the door together. For added durability and longevity, we also glued the joints with modern adhesives. The 18th century door has through-tenons. Wide tenons are split to prevent compression set. Panels float in a plough, allowing the wood to expand and contract with seasonal climate changes.

Lock Rail

Our design and construction of these French doors illustrate the answers to a question we often hear from architects about French doors, generally. “How narrow can you make the stiles?”

These particular doors are 1 3/4″ thick, with 3″ stiles and insulated glass. Architects’ goal with these and other multi-pane French doors is always the same—less wood and more glass for a lighter, more elegant look. However, there are several parameters to consider. First, is size of the doors: their height and width as well as their weight. The taller the doors the more likely they are to warp; the wider and heavier they are, the more likely they are to sag.

We have built French doors as tall as eight feet with stiles as narrow as three inches. In order to accomplish this, we make the doors thicker, usually 1 3/4″ thick for interior doors or single-glazed doors, and 2 1/4″ thick for exterior doors, glazed with insulated glass. Mahogany is our first choice of wood due to its stability, strength and rot resistance. Proper finishing of the doors is also critical in order to control the amount and rate of moisture exchange in the wood.

Another consideration is the type of hardware to be used. Narrow stiles limit the number of options for conventional locksets. We recommend multi-point locks with narrow backsets to operate and lock the doors. Multi-point locks secure the doors at the latch, head and sill, preventing warping and sagging as well as increasing the level of security. Surface-mounted cremone bolts also can be used.

With narrow stiles and narrow muntins, we can build true divided-light French doors and French casement windows with insulated glass, and achieve both energy efficiency and the delicate elegance desired by so many clients.

Section through rabbeted and beaded meeting stiles for French casements and doors with cremone bolts

Front entrance with elliptical transom and sidelights, fluted pilasters, and true divided-light sash and door with insulated glass.Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, Conover Restorations Design/Build

Reproduction clinch-nailed board-and-batten Dutch door with sash in upper panel. Kingston, New York

Paneled door and extension jambs, transom bar and fanlight window with Restoration Glass. Palmyra, New York

In 1760, Samuel Partridge, a renowned joiner, built what became known as the Connecticut River Valley doorway for a home in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Neighboring Deerfield Academy later purchased the home. Its distinctive doorway is one of the finest surviving examples of this unique vernacular style of the mid-eighteenth century.

In 2000, after withstanding 240 years of harsh New England weather, Deerfield Academy removed the doorway to preserve and display it for future generations to admire. Architectural Components was chosen to reproduce the original doorway in every detail, down to the patina on the brass knocker.

Original Connecticut River Valley doorway (left) and the reproduction doorway (right).

We spent months researching, measuring, admiring and drawing upon the workmanship of Samuel Partridge. The original doorway was built from native old-growth eastern white pine, a remarkably durable wood. Though not old-growth timber, we selected clear, eastern white pine. We removed the sapwood edges, leaving the denser, extractive-filled and rot-resistant heartwood. Using traditional joinery, we reproduced the doorway and surrounds—matching every molding profile and carving detail. Interior surfaces were hand planed and the exterior was sandblasted to raise the grain and create a weathered appearance. For added protection, we treated the finished doorway with preservative. A local blacksmith reproduced the wrought-iron hardware and a foundry cast the brass knocker.

Elevation Drawing