Time to Replace the Storm Door Handle

When I bought Crest Avenue in 2001, the condition of the entire house was, . . . well,  . . . deplorable.  It had been a rental for many years, and the wear and tear was evident.  Plus it was not a new house, having been built in 1947.  Still I liked the charm it exuded.  A "diamond in the rough."  I could see past the flaws.  I decided I could and would bring this house back to life.  So I started with repair work first and moved to upgrades and renovation.

One of the first projects was to replace a failing and aged storm door.  Not only was the existing storm door out of date, it was damaged and really looked awful.  I replaced it with a Pella storm door with full length interchangeable glass and screen inserts.  At the time I purchased the door, I bought the model with brass accents to match the brass handle that was, at that time, on the main front door.  Years have gone by and styles have changed.  Some years ago I replaced the brass door handle on the main front door with one in brushed nickel.  But I did not change the door handle on the storm door.  Until now.  Here is the progression of that project for your reading pleasure.



So, this photo clearly shows the brushed nickel door handle on the main front door and the aged brass handle on the storm door.




Door propped open with a view of the mechanics.



These two pictures show the age and wear and tear on this brass handle.  Sometimes you just need an upgrade and it is clear in these pictures that the time had come for an upgrade.



Removing the brass handle was not difficult.  I laid each piece on a piece of brown kraft paper in the order I removed it from the door.  That came in handy because there were some pieces from the old handle that I used in the installation of the new handle.

 


As is often the case, the instructions looked a big daunting.  But with a little patience and careful reading, I was able to get the new handle installed with ease.  If you read a step and are unsure of what it says, read it again.  I did that quite a few times.

 

And finally, a beautiful new storm door handle expertly installed if I do say so.

I really like the look of this handle and for different reasons.  The finish matches the main door handle.  I like the french handle design.  This handle came with a key for the lock mechanism so I am able to lock the door from outside if I want.  The key for the brass handle had long since disappeared.  All in all a nice upgrade.  And I did it myself so that saved a few bucks.  I think most anyone could do this job themselves.