How to Remove an Exterior Doorway

Measure the width and height of the door using a tape measure. Round the door measurements to the next full inch, to have the dimensions necessary for the new door. Measure the width of the doorjamb without including the widths of the interior and exterior trim pieces. This will allow you to specify a door width when measuring your new door that will let you reattach the trim flush to the wall and the new doorjamb.

Remove the trim surrounding the interior of the door with a prybar and hammer by placing the prybar tip into behind the trim against the wall, and tapping it with a hammer to push it behind the trim, wedging it from the surface. Apply a bit of pressure to the rear of the trim to begin pulling it away from the wall. Move the prybar along the trim, pulling it away along it’s length a little at a time to avoid breaking the piece, until you reach the end of the trim and have pulled it away entirely.

Measure the width between the framing members of the door, and from the sill base to the top of the door, to get a rough estimate measurement when ordering your new door.

Cut through any caulking put into the joint between the exterior trim surrounding the door and any bricks or siding on the structure with a utility knife. This will prevent the trim removal from damaging or pulling off the siding, or breaking as you remove it from a brick surface.

Remove the trim on the exterior of the door, using the same process used with the interior trim. If the siding sticks to the trim, then take a small wooden block and set it on the edge of the siding where it touches the trim. Tap the block with a hammer lightly to break the siding away from the trim, and then remove the loosened trim.

Put a screwdriver at the base of the hinge pins running through the hinges on the side of the doors. Tap the screwdriver with the hammer to force the hinge pins upwards and out of the hinges, freeing the door. Remove the door from the doorjamb after removing the hinge pins.

Examine the doorjamb for any signs of alarm wiring. The wiring is noticeable by the presence of a sensor dot on the doorjamb, a small circular pad. If you see the dot, then remove the drywall above the dot location in the interior of the structure using a hammer and chisel, and locate the wires within the wall recess. Cut through the wires with a pair of wire cutters to leave the wiring intact should you wish to reinstall the alarm into the new door.

Cut through the nails in the joints between the doorjamb and the wall from the inside using a sawzall with a metal cutting blade to separate the doorjamb from the wall.

Push the doorjamb inwards from the exterior to knock it from the doorway. If the doorjamb sticks, use a sledge to knock it from its position.