Oneonta, New York-native Chris Doerner had been dealing with an old, worn-down basement door for some time. The door was molded and had only one hinge intact, making it difficult to open or close. This was causing problems for his business, the Kountry Living Bed & Breakfast, in terms of both aesthetics and operation. The chef currently resides in a furnished apartment below the bed and breakfast, with the main form of entry being the basement door. Understanding the importance of keeping his tenant safe and comfortable, Doerner knew it was time for a new door.
Chris Doerner’s original basement door.
Since many homeowners can have similar kinds of problems with old basement doors, The BILCO Company ran a Facebook contest offering to replace the winner’s old door with their high-quality powder-coat finish Classic Series basement door. Doerner entered the contest and won a new door with a white factory-applied powder coat finish to match the façade of his house. The new door would not only increase the property value and aesthetics of his home/business, but would also solve the problems Doerner was experiencing with his previous door. The BILCO Classic Series door features a gas spring lift assist, which allows homeowners to easily open/close their BILCO doors with one hand.
“The product is extremely user-friendly, and allows us to easily enter and exit the lower-level apartment. The old doors were difficult to open, but with the lightweight nature of the BILCO doors anybody can do it,” said Doerner. “What’s even better is that on nice days, we can leave the doors open and get natural daylight and airflow into the room. We could not be happier!”
This form of emergency egress satisfies IRC 2015 building code requirements for emergency egress in finished basement areas, therefore allowing the homeowner and his resident to comfortably reside below. The Classic Series door offers Doerner other benefits such as being weathertight and rugged to ensure all-season operation – especially in the harsh Northeast winter. In addition, slide bolt lock and internal mounting flanges assure that the lower living area is safe and secure.
The installation, completed by MidState Basement Authorities and also included as part of his prize, took less than a day to complete, allowing Doerner to run his business without skipping a beat.
For more information:
(800) 854-9724
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www.bilco.com