Are your hinges adjustable (in/out, up/down) with a hex wrench, etc.? If so, there's a procedure to follow, and worth looking up.

 

1/4" sounds like a lot an doubt the door would either open or close without a great deal of force.

try a 3" screw in the top hinge leaf so it hits the trimmer.

check that the threshold is screwed down tight.

 

THIS ^^^^^^^^^

https://youtu.be/PlKk_W1uEjk

Wish that option was available on all out swing french doors.

 

 

What does your reveal show down the center astragal where the two doors meet?
If it is the doors sagging the top will be tight and the bottom open too wide.
If the line is good and the doors are hanging up on the threshold in the middle then you are going to have to pull the fasteners out of the jambs and shim under each one to lift both side jambs up.

Get down eye level to the threshold and see if it is bowed up in the middle.

 

Awesome

Great advice. Thanks for the comments.

Here’s what I’ve found.
The threshold is buckled up a bit. It was laid on a concrete base that looks like it cracked and split the glue joint.

The reveal down the center is clean and even, as is the jamb side. However, as you can see from the photos, they hung the door just slightly lower than the other. This, combined with the threshold buckling, is causing the catch at the bottom.

Since the amount it needs to be adjusted vertically is so small, would it make sense to replace the hinges with heavy duty adjustable and just key them up a bit?

 

Since the amount it needs to be adjusted vertically is so small, would it make sense to replace the hinges with heavy duty adjustable and just key them up a bit?

Are all the hinges screws tight?

Actually makes more sense to suck the top hinge in with a screw as Griz suggested and shim the bottom hinge out, if needed. Shimming can be done with file folder, back of a note pad etc cardboard. I'm old school and use cigarette hard packs or carton boxes.

Top hinge doesn't suck in it can be chiseled or routed out.

All of that can be done pretty much before a google search, trip to amazon, and ordered placed for new hinges.

Threshold, looks like the jamb spread (pulled away from full sill) and that gap opened on the right. May be why the door is skewed in the opening. Typically with those there is adjustment in that piece or on the door sweep.

Most often door sag is an accumulation of factors. You don't get them all addressed replacing hinges becomes a temporary fix.

 

Got a wider shot of the door?

Can't tell what I am looking at on the threshold shot. Is that the astragal on the metal threshold?

Top shot looks like left door has a wider gap at the center and driving a shim under that door's hinge jamb would close that gap up and lift the corner off the threshold.

 

Inswing or outswing?

 

Outswing.

Here is a wider shot. There is a slightly larger space at the astragal for the door with issue.

The second shot shows the bottom gap between threshold and door. Note that the hinge side of door is higher than the astragal side.

It may be that the threshold support has deteriorated under weight. The hinge jamb (photo3)looks like it is buckling the threshold on this side. That won’t be fun!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Nq5yPSMM5v5nYnUh7

 

Transferred your photos.

 

I've never seen an astragal hang down so far below the door slab.

Sidelites aren't going to let you pull the hinges anywhere.

Going to have to pull the top casings to free the head jamb. Make sure there is no shim to keep it from moving up.
I have a big thick honkin' common screw driver I use for these. If the head jamb is free and clean between it and the header and you drive that hinge jamb up, you will see your clearance open up on the threshold.

 

Well, this one got really interesting. After we could not move the jamb up and could not reattach the sill with adhesive or screws, we cut it out and found that the original builder had just put the frame down on part slab/part facing with no sill pan. With settling, the sill bowed and the jamb dropped into the space.

We’re throwing this one back. The original contractor and owners will have to fight it out.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Settling?
That's not settling.
That's the kick in front of the door being driven up under the sill. The kick should be even with the slab that the main part of the sill is on.
Or, the whole door should have been raised the equivalent of what the kick is above the slab.

See this all the time in houses with brick kicks. Instead of the mason cutting the bricks, he just jams them under the sill which results in the sill being bent up. Not a functional issue on an inswing door, but on your outswing it's obvious why the door wouldn't open.

 

so in the mean time....

after you did the demo

you just going to leave it???

is the door operable??

are you licensed for this type of work??

 

How long ago was that installed?

If the house settled after the door was installed, not much the door installer could do to prevent that

-Rich

 

We put a temp sill in. Everything operable and working. It is over 10 years old, bit with no pan and an unsupported base, settling put all the load on the sill. If it were properly installed, the load would have been evenly distributed along the frame.

 

What do you mean "throw it back"? Now you're going to wash your hands from this one and move on? How "temporary" did you leave it?

 

He is going to do a "Kowboy" and just leave


the original contractor installed it 10 years ago and you think they are still on the hook for this?

 

Looks like an angle grinder, some composite shims and a can of OSI Quad foam would have prevented the homeowners from having to figure out how to pay thousands of dollars for a new door.

 

Seems like the options offered were: A) new door, or b) put it back for them to deal with.

 

At every point, we updated the client on what was going on and the options. When we discovered the cause, we spoke with Jen-Weld, who said that without the drip pan and given the installation, no warranty. We relayed this to the client and asked if they wanted us to order replacement parts and proceed. They said they wanted to approach the original contractor since it was incorrectly installed in the first place.

We put in a temporary moisture/dust sill so they didn’t have a gaping hole and “threw it back to them.” We documented everything, sent it to them, and said we would be happy to come back and do the repair once they went through their process. We didn’t walk away and leave them hanging, but rather respected their decisions and supported them in the best way possible. If they get nowhere with original contractor and call, we will be back and finish.

 

I'm thinking you'll be seeing them again after calls to that contractor go unanswered, if they are even still around

-Rich

 

10 years ago?
No "fixing" that door.
Just sell them a new door.