There was one other thing that needed doing to the door - weather proofing.
I started with selecting a piece of wood, sanding and staining it, then tacking to the upper section.
The next thing was a storm that, as you may remember, slammed the door so hard that it broke a hinge,
I replaced the hinge and made good the damage.
I made three brackets.
I then cut a length of the same tongue and groove that I used to make the kitchen work surface.*
I sanded and stained the wood. With Daniel’s help, I then fitted the brackets and shelf to the lower section. I fitted neoprene to the rear of the shelf and sill. The door is now doubly sealed against the weather when closed. I then varnished and polished the inside of the door and shelf.
I also fitted a door chain that holds the door safely in place, particularly on windier days.
I heard about a sofa manufacturer in the area. I visited the factory and met the showroom manager, an interesting and chatty fellow by the name of Michael Montagu. He was great. He led me to the factory floor where I was able to rummage through the offcuts of leather. There were a few colours. I found enough of what I thought would blend in with the door. Michael also gave me a large piece, that on closer examination, will make a great apron, and some other pieces, which I used to patch my work trousers. The name of the factory is the Hastings Sofa Company.
I cut the appropriate piece of leather to size, then stitched loops to accommodate a curtain wire top and bottom. When fitted, it forms a tight barrier against draught.
I can also roll the flap up.
The door shelf is the same height as the kitchen work surface. I decided that adding a shelf that wrapped around the partition to my bedroom made sense. So, I cut some more of the same tongue and groove that I have used so far and shaped them.
I then glued the pieces together.
I also made a bracket that wraps around the partition in question. (I appear to have forgotten to take a photo.) The whole lot was then stained, varnished and polished. Then fitted.
p.s. Sorry about the poor photos. Camera had hairline crack.
*see entry A new kitchen, part 2