Erm...?

In a typical timber frame build-up around a door within a stud, there is a stud, standard and stop. The stud, as viewed in plan, is set back 15mm to allow for plasterboard and skim. The stop, assuming it is a full stop, sits flush to the front face of the standard. On the other side, sits the door.

Unless the Miraculous Building Company is employed, there is a tolerance of a few mm extra in the frame width to allow for things being out of plumb, so the standard is packed out to suit. The plasterboard is then cut to fit the rebate formed between stud and standard, the plasterer using the standard as a guide for his skim. This skim may cover the gaps, which run right through the depth of the wall - but it's finish plaster, so it's not stable.

Architraving is not structural, therefore it is an aesthetic choice. Architraving covers over all these junctions, the main requirement asked of the skimmer is that they don't leave their muck proud of the standard face- asking a finish joiner to fit mitred timber over these bulges is a right giggle.

If one wanted to do away with the architrave, there would need to be a rethink about how the boarding met the standard (the main concern of the boarder is to get the joints butted together, not perfectly butt a hand cut edge up to the standards) and how full depth stops are fitted. Stops are fitted to the door primarily, the priority is not to get the other edge flush with the standard- which it would need to be if exposed. Move on a month and cracking between the edge of the plaster and the hairy standard is inevitable as the building dries out.

There are of course other ways of doing it, ie using proprietary Expamet beads, or more homegrown methods. I like the look of shadow gaps but spec. them and the QS will hike up the price significantly.

Mostly done shadow gaps with timber skirts below. How did you do them on the hard then?

"On a related note, where can I get pre-made doorset from? "

Google door set and I am sure that plenty will come up. I actually used Dooria and am pretty happy with the doors. Dooria are Scandinavian and I don't know how they do in over thee, but all my doors have a flexible sealing strip that the door closes on to. The result is that not only does the door completely seal the room with absolutely no draughts, but if the door slams shut (and I mean SLAMS) it does not shake the entire house as the close is 'softened.'

The other thing I have noticed is that my house is so air tight that is is almost impossible to actually slam the doors of some rooms. The pressure build-up prevents it!

djh - we are getting our door sets delivered 21 may and need to get them in pronto (as with everything else at this stage!!). I understood the need for gaps under the doors for the MVHR, but how did you manage to get the gap at the top and hid it behind the architrave? I guess you can't reduce the height of the doors against the frame, so you must have the gap above the frame and cover that each side??

Thanks, Jonathan

Agonizing over the MVHR airflow gap myself. Anyone any experience/ insight into intumescent vents? Some concern about the compatibility of our heat recovery and fire protection...

Did an internal fit out of a PH a couple of years ago, with nice easy gaps stressed to us (for MVHR circulation) at tender stage. Delighted as the internal doors weighed 80kg, were 55mm thick and nearly a metre wide. Fire officer inspected and upset things by wanting closers, much intumescence and 3mm tolerances. I learned about 'door growth' then - quite dull.

Posted By: Simon StillDjh - can you share those instructions?

I've no idea where they are, I'm afraid. I'll have a look and see if I can find them but it's not rocket science.

Seem incompatible with fire door regs.

Ours is just a normal house. There are no fire regs we have to be compatible with for internal doors.