Roy started this “back door project” sometime in October of last year because the bottom of both sides of our back door had rotted and the baseboard next to it was rotted as well. There is no covering over the back door so rain hits the door and was somehow getting in. This blog post about the “back door project” has been a work in progress since October also. After the project got started Roy’s back started hurting and everything stopped.
He dug out the rot on both sides of the door and replaced it with epoxy that was thick like vaseline and would not rot. He replaced the entire door frame with a non-rot PVC composition frame. Replacing the door itself would have cost around the same but the wooden part of the door would have rot again so this helps us have a non-rot back door. Roy is so smart and so diligent. He purchased a router to create a mortise for the hinges and door latch faceplate and then fit them into the new frame.
The interior and exterior wood frames are all new. Roy added an aluminum drip cap on the exterior bottom of the door to help keep the rain 
away from the bottom of the door.
Finalizing this blog post this evening has taken every bit of brain that Roy and I both have to write this. Neither of us could remember what things are called. At one point just now it came down to either me killing Roy or me laughing till I cried because it’s so frustrating and something that should be so simple has become a horribly hard thing to do. I put my computer down and started working on it again Sunday afternoon.
Here are pictures taken during the process.
Day one – the door was removed!
The door side bottom before Roy dug out the rotten wood
The door side bottoms after Roy dug out the rotten wood 
Roy filled up the hole where the rot was with the special epoxy.
The epoxy before sanding
The epoxy after sanding, before painting
After painting, looks just like brand new! 
Roy using his router to dig out PVC to create one of the mortises for the faceplate.
It’s been so long since I put these pictures in this blog post that I don’t really know why they are here but Roy’s working on the door in the pictures so here they are!
The original door frame was removed and replaced with a new PVC composite door frame that won’t rot!
After a “slight pause” in work before getting done on the back door, Roy completed the “back door project” this week.
This is the only help I provided, other than staying out of Roy’s way and asking him to please get it finished! I touched up the paint around where the old door frame was.
The top of the door frame is nailed down here in this photo. The refrigerator was moved out of its little home for this part. 
The new baseboard and interior door trim are complete! Halleluja! 
And alas the project is complete. Roy got a couple of new tools to use in this project and we have a very solid weather proofed back door that will last for many years to come! Thank the Lord! A happy Chauvin home has a finished reconstructed back door in it!
Now on to the next thing on my “honey do” list!
BECAUSE HE LIVES 