han,
First, do a Google search for door installation tips and videos Here are some from me:
Before you take down the present door put a strip of 1' wide masking tape (white is preferable to blue) on the inside face of the door along the Top, bottom, and sides. Every 6" make a tick mark at the edge
Buy a roll of blue painters tape and put a short (~ 6") piece diagonally
at the Inside top/hinge side corner. The "inside" of the door is defined as the side where you take out the hinge pins. This will be a reference mark that you will also put on the new door so that you will be less likely to mix up top to btm or L to R or inside/outside when cutting down the new door and mortising the hinges.
The hinge side should not be a problem, but go around the inside perimeter of the door and measure the gap between the door and the door jamb. At each tick mark write the differential gap difference so you can have a reference for precutting the new door down to size to where there is a consistent 1/8" gap around the door perimeter
Random Examples:
Top Right Gap is 3/8" write +1/4"
Top middle Gap is 1/4" write +1/8
Top Left Gap is 1/8" write 0
Lock stile top Gap is 0 write -1/8
Lock stile btm Gap is 1/2" write +3/8
Btm Right Gap is 7/8" write +3/4
Btm left Gap is 3/4" write +5/8
Note: on the door bottom gap. If you presently have a door bottom seal, that gap (around 1/2") will have to be factored in. You should buy a new seal now because you probably don't want to use an old one.
Precut the new door
Put a strip of blue tape diagonally across the Top/"hinge side" corner
Lay the new door flat on a pair of sawhorses, Blue tape side up
Lay the old door on top so that the blue tape corners overlap
Orient the old door hinge stile to line up with the new door
Orient the old door top rail as close as possible to the new door
Use the white tape notations and a straight edge to draw the cut lines
Use a circular saw with a guide rail to make any needed top cut
Use a circular saw with a guide rail to make the bottom cut
Use a circular saw set to 3 deg bevel and a long guide rail to make the cut along the lock stile.
That can vary by Mfg it seems
Doors are supposed to be the size indicated
Some of this measurement can be the weatherstripping it seems on exterior doors
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