The Wonky Door

[Dan R-M]

Thought I'd venture out of "Everything Else" for this one, since it seems like it could pertain to building in general. I hope you'll let me know if the issue is another SMY special
Putting it simply, my door is wonky. Specifically, the deadbolt and latch don't line up well with their sockets, so I have to lift and wiggle to get the deadbolt in its hole as I turn the key. (As a sidenote, I wouldn't even use the deadbolt - or lock the knob - if the normal latch would work. I just want the stupid thing to stay shut in wind.)
My [conventional] contractor father-in-law told me it just needed to be shimmed square and that would solve the problem. I respect his knowledge, but I also know that conventional buildings don't flex quite like a yurts do.
So I put it to you, the experienced yurtists: is there hope, or will I need to teach my family how to do the "door wiggle"?

[Jafo]

My yurt door sticks a little when it is humid out. That is just the nature of the beast I think and hopefully will get better over time. Some days it works perfect, some days it sticks a little on the bottom. If I knew more about hanging doors I could probably offer you some advice, but that is one thing I know very little about.

[HawaiiYurts]

90% of the yurt doors we've done have to be shimmed, that's with all the manufacturers we've set up, Colorado, Great American, Pacific, and

Shelter Designs

. It's rare that they'll line up perfectly from the get go. That said, some yurts are worse than others for it. Square and level, shimming to keep it where you want it. If needed, sand tight areas around the edge of the door. The lock on the knob is also often adjustable, so it can stick out further to 'catch' more easily.

[Abstract]

Hi, I registered to post this in case it helps.

I don't have a yurt myself, but I remember reading in The Foxfire Book (Eliot Wigginton) that fence posts should be set within full moon through last quarter (IIRC) so that they're not wobbly. (because moon phase influences wood humidity so the wood can swell or shrink through the month)
Maybe that would work for the yurt and door too?

[Surely Yurts - Steve]

You may be able to "throw" your hinges by shimming behind where they are attached to the door frame. Several layers of aluminum cut off soda cans behing the hinge will throw it out and hopefully into place.

[Surely Yurts - Steve]

Originally Posted by Abstract

Hi, I registered to post this in case it helps.

I don't have a yurt myself, but I remember reading in The Foxfire Book (Eliot Wigginton) that fence posts should be set within full moon through last quarter (IIRC) so that they're not wobbly. (because moon phase influences wood humidity so the wood can swell or shrink through the month)
Maybe that would work for the yurt and door too?

The moon phases also influence gravity and the pushing pulling forces that control the tides. This concept is applicable to planting things in the ground after the full moon in the last quarter such as garlic, fence posts* and transplanting trees.

[Surely Yurts - Steve]

How to Repair a Skewed Door | Video | Doors | Interior | This Old House

Here is a link to a video by 'this old house', the carpenter here (Tom) uses cardboard for shim stock which is what we use for interior doors, I substitute aluminum for exterior doors. Most likely you'll only have to shim one of the hinges. I now use adjustable wide throw hinges when building yurt door frames. Because, as Mellisa wrote, you will always have to make adjustments at the time of installation. Once you get it working smoothly and locked into place the yurt door should function as well as You'd expect any door to.

-Cheers

Steve

[Jafo]

I noticed mine catching last weekend, I think it is the weatherstripping. Will take the door off next time to see if I am right.

[Dan R-M]

Thanks for the advice, Steve! I do believe the moon affects a great many things. In this case the fault was with one seriously flimsy door frame. I shimmed it here and there to get it square and all, but the middles were bowing, too, and the door was really too heavy for the frame and was pulling above the top hinge. A few extra screws got it all in place, and now it shuts well. That's a relief.

[Pacific Yurts]

From your description it sounds like your door frame was indeed out of square, which is really common when a heavy door is used on a yurt. The structure flexes and moves over time and the weight of the door can pull the door frame out of square. The heavier the door, the more often you will need to adjust the door frame to correct the "sagging" of the door.

Jafo, the door shoe (weather strip on the bottom of your door) is adjustable. If it is dragging a little you can simply loosen the screws and adjust it up a little before re-tightening the screws.