Mulling Over Historically Accurate Transoms

Do you get the pun?

Anyways, it wasn’t too long ago that I was doing mental backflips to be satisfied with an obviously inauthentic door because it’s mahogany and it’s there and I can’t get a 30 year mortgage on a replacement.

Then I bought a period door, but the jambs started bothering me. So I was ready to install the door and continue training myself not to mind the jambs.

Then I saw that the not-historic jamb configuration was holding water.

And now that I’m doing a full tear out, I want my brand new jambs and transom as historically accurate as possible. That means no shelf sticking out between the door and the transom sash. That’s an ugly modern way to accommodate standard jambs for prehung doors and/or storm doors, and I want neither of those. So I’m going to have my door jambs custom made to be incompatible with a storm door because I think it’s prettier. I’m practical like that.

Now, you’d think that being in a development of 96 identical houses (I counted) would mean I’d have no problem finding a model to copy. But in this search I have several archnemeses: prehung replacement doors. Aluminum capping. Weird add-ons to make storm doors fit. Filling in transoms with plywood. Full replacement of facades. And out of 96 houses, there are 2 that don’t have any of these horrible things. Both 20th Century replacements, I think.

Note the flutes in the jambs, also I think not original. I wonder if this jamb (to the right) is the original. Behind the aluminum storm door, another early 20th Century replacement front door is visible. I would totally keep a non-original door that old if I had it though.

Around the corner from me are bigger houses with fancier brick mold and double doors. A bunch of these match, so I believe they actually are original. Also, I want these doors.

I’ve also found images online from the Cyclopedia of Architecture, Carpentry, and Building. It looks like it was published in a bunch of editions that are all more than 100 years old with detailed instructions on how to build things that are actually good.

This image shows basically a wooden box with a sill like you can still buy off the shelf today and a piece of decorative trim under it. I saw houses with transoms just like this on my way home from work today, but they were on much older houses. But then, I think the door I bought is a little too old for my house already.

And there may not be any point in obsessing over this so much. I need to find someone who will build it first. I’m already self installing the windows, and I’m to slow to do the door, too, and the door I have is too messed up to keep over the winter.