Installing screen door/hardware (vinyl, glass, price, standard)

[teatime]

Hey y'all,
Hope you can offer some advice. My home is a large double-wide manufactured home and a recent windstorm ruined my front storm door. Mobile home doors are shorter than standard doors so I seemed to have just two choices in replacing the storm door -- buy a mobile home door, which aren't very attractive, and special-order another door, which is very pricey. Plus, the windstorm shattered the glass and I figured if it happened once, it will likely happen again. We have a LOT of high winds here on the South Plains.

I've been shopping and pondering and found Screen Tight Vinyl Screen Doors. They're really attractive and can be cut easily to fit your door space. The one I bought is the Waverly design.

Screen Doors - Screen Tight's Better Board Screen Doors


Anyhoo, the question I have is about hardware. I need to install a door knob set with some sort of deadbolt to keep the door secure in high winds. The storm door had a protruding latch which secured on a catch inside the wood frame of the door opening. The screen door, however, will have a regular knob and deadbolt coming from inside the side of the door, hopefully.

For easier installation, I figured we could use the existing frame and cut-out hinge areas from the storm door and simply install the new hardware. However, the holes to accommodate the deadbolts would have to be drilled through the metal framing. Is this possible? Or is there a better solution?

[Gerania]

Thats the way my storm door with a deadbolt throw is installed. A hole was cut in the metal door jamb cover and the wood behind chisled out.

I don't know if thats the right way to do it, but it'll work.

[teatime]

That's good to know -- thanks, Gerania! My storm door didn't have a deadbolt, just a cheapy latch, so the hardware for the new door will require holes to be drilled for it. I was concerned about the installer having to cut through the metal.

Does your door stay securely closed and locked? The winds here are vicious!

[Gerania]

Yes it does. The dead bolt/throw lock keeps the door securely closed. Since you have to turn the handle to open it, yours won't shake or rattle open in a high wind. The clips that hold our glass in place are brass.

[M3 Mitch]

May be worthwhile to get one of the hydraulic door closer/damper gismos, may help keep it from slamming open/closed.