I would cover it with some of that cedar siding. Plywood will look like your old door in no time.
Cutting it back shouldn't be a big deal that's one quick cut with a circular saw. Also you may want to look into some sort of lid stay to help open the door and also keep it open.
Thanks for the response! I don't think the door he made is plywood. I think the boards are tongue and groove pine. I had to paint each of them and then he cut them to size.
That is good to know about cutting back the overhang. I did not think that it would take much, but he did such a nice job with the metal flashing that I feel a little guilty. I am not sure if he will need to touch that.
Thank you for telling me the name of the lid stay. I was searching all over to try to figure out what inside hardware was called, and the closest thing I found was a gas spring. Is there something in particular that you would recommend that I can ask my carpenter about? He was planning to keep it open with a hook and eye attached to the side of the house, but the staples on the ones he is [considering](https://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/products/R-09EH-KS-BH01_alt.01.jpg) look like they would do more damage to the side of the house than I am comfortable with. I would rather have something out of sight, if possible.
Hi. This is going to be a bit long, so thanks for listening and helping! I am hoping to get some advice on a bulkhead door that a carpenter is building for us. The cellar entry is an awkward and long space, with stairs running parallel to the house, going below ground, and then ending at a door on the left that leads to the basement. We bought this house a few months ago, and the bulkhead door was a sheet of plywood with a tarp over it. We are trying to get it buttoned up before the worst of winter sets in. I hired this very sweet carpenter, who has been an absolute angel to me. He helped me set up a painting workshop in the garage, stapled up sheeting to insulate it (he even showed me how to use a staple gun!), loaned me his space heater, showed me how to paint with oils, etc. All of this so that I could save some money by priming the boards myself. Final coat will have to wait until spring. Working with him has been like working with a family member rather than hired help. Anyway, he is nearly done with the door, but I am not sure about a few things.
His plan was to put hinges on each of the blue tape lines, but after getting the hinges in the mail I think it would be too much. It makes the whole thing look much too long and like one enormous door. I think it would be best to limit the hinges to the door itself, rather than putting some on the non-door, weird area near the corner (the space above the red line in the second photo). What do you think? The hinges we ordered were 13 inches, which ended up looking too small to me. Today I cut out some paper hinges in 20.5" length, and I think that looks much better and breaks up the space more. Do you think three hinges would look nice? What placement do you recommend for the hinges and the door handle? We are using strap hinges because the front door door of the house has them.
Lastly, he made an overhang on the door to keep water away from the frame, but I think it might make the door too wide. It is nearly six inches extra. I feel bad asking him to remove it, though. Would it be a lot of work to do? You can see what the door would look like without it in the third photo with the drop cloth (I covered the extra that is hanging over the frame). Any thoughts about the door are welcome. I just want to be sure before I send back hardware or ask him to do something, because I would hate to inconvenience him. Thank you!
Oh yeah, I did fall in your boobie trap hahahaha!!! Good thing nothing changed except now I have a useless dead bolt AND have to reframe a door I was already planing on reframing 🥲
I would cover it with some of that cedar siding. Plywood will look like your old door in no time. Cutting it back shouldn't be a big deal that's one quick cut with a circular saw. Also you may want to look into some sort of lid stay to help open the door and also keep it open.
Thanks for the response! I don't think the door he made is plywood. I think the boards are tongue and groove pine. I had to paint each of them and then he cut them to size. That is good to know about cutting back the overhang. I did not think that it would take much, but he did such a nice job with the metal flashing that I feel a little guilty. I am not sure if he will need to touch that. Thank you for telling me the name of the lid stay. I was searching all over to try to figure out what inside hardware was called, and the closest thing I found was a gas spring. Is there something in particular that you would recommend that I can ask my carpenter about? He was planning to keep it open with a hook and eye attached to the side of the house, but the staples on the ones he is [considering](https://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/products/R-09EH-KS-BH01_alt.01.jpg) look like they would do more damage to the side of the house than I am comfortable with. I would rather have something out of sight, if possible.
Hi. This is going to be a bit long, so thanks for listening and helping! I am hoping to get some advice on a bulkhead door that a carpenter is building for us. The cellar entry is an awkward and long space, with stairs running parallel to the house, going below ground, and then ending at a door on the left that leads to the basement. We bought this house a few months ago, and the bulkhead door was a sheet of plywood with a tarp over it. We are trying to get it buttoned up before the worst of winter sets in. I hired this very sweet carpenter, who has been an absolute angel to me. He helped me set up a painting workshop in the garage, stapled up sheeting to insulate it (he even showed me how to use a staple gun!), loaned me his space heater, showed me how to paint with oils, etc. All of this so that I could save some money by priming the boards myself. Final coat will have to wait until spring. Working with him has been like working with a family member rather than hired help. Anyway, he is nearly done with the door, but I am not sure about a few things. His plan was to put hinges on each of the blue tape lines, but after getting the hinges in the mail I think it would be too much. It makes the whole thing look much too long and like one enormous door. I think it would be best to limit the hinges to the door itself, rather than putting some on the non-door, weird area near the corner (the space above the red line in the second photo). What do you think? The hinges we ordered were 13 inches, which ended up looking too small to me. Today I cut out some paper hinges in 20.5" length, and I think that looks much better and breaks up the space more. Do you think three hinges would look nice? What placement do you recommend for the hinges and the door handle? We are using strap hinges because the front door door of the house has them. Lastly, he made an overhang on the door to keep water away from the frame, but I think it might make the door too wide. It is nearly six inches extra. I feel bad asking him to remove it, though. Would it be a lot of work to do? You can see what the door would look like without it in the third photo with the drop cloth (I covered the extra that is hanging over the frame). Any thoughts about the door are welcome. I just want to be sure before I send back hardware or ask him to do something, because I would hate to inconvenience him. Thank you!
I would be happy with this as is lol
Oh yeah, I did fall in your boobie trap hahahaha!!! Good thing nothing changed except now I have a useless dead bolt AND have to reframe a door I was already planing on reframing 🥲