Fix a Gap Under a Door With an Adjustable Door Sweep

Daylight under an exterior door means you're paying to air-condition the porch — and giving palmetto bugs a front door of their own. An adjustable sweep fixes it in fifteen minutes.

How to do it

1. Measure the door width and cut the sweep to match with a hacksaw.
2. Close the door and hold the sweep so the rubber fin just touches the threshold.
3. Mark and drill pilot holes, then screw it to the inside face of the door.
4. Open and close the door a few times — it should drag lightly, not fight you.

Check your sweeps every fall. The rubber fin wears thin, and a worn sweep is the same as no sweep when the summer storms drive rain sideways.