Expanding cellar door solution?

[Kathy]

With listed building consent we replaced what was an opening to the cellar with a set of stairs and a door. The cellar is damp. We had a wooden door installed that warped in no time. I had a second door put on earlier this year with a small screen panel near the top and bottom for some ventilation but the door has swollen again so can't close properly. The only other ventilation is a small coal chute, there is no possibility of any other opening. It's just an unused cellar for the most part so damp not a real issue except for the door. The old opening had a loose fitting wooden shutter with just a latch. I could trim the door, leave a gap for air and just latch it - but am wary of not having a door locked. Thinking maybe an iron bar door with a screen behind it to keep out pests, something like that? It's a tricky one - would appreciate any suggestions!

 

[Cubist]

Well whoever prepped each of those doors very clearly did not do it properly. My guess is that the next the wood raw at both the head and foot after cutting them to fit the opening. Damp has been into the wood from one or both directions to sell the wood and caused one or both stiles to warp. You could, as you say, trim the frame side face of the stiles get it opening easily and that would be your best short term option.

Am I right in thinking this is the only direct access to the cellar or could an interloper get through to an another interior door to the house?

If your primary concern is domestic security then a steel door may be you best long term option - but I would steer clear of steel bars even with a full panel/screen behind the bars. All sorts of detritus and litter could build up to penetrate inside or simply look unsightly. All steel security doors are available in the market but these will, I'm sure, only be supplied in 'standard' dimensions and altering one such to fit that opening would be difficult and costly.

 

[LadyArowana]

If the major concern is security then a good quality lock and hinge bolts after the door is given a suitable trim? Do you use it as an entrance or exit?

 

[Kathy]

Lady Arowana, thank you, your suggestion could be the solution. The door opens inward. A bolt might work as long as it can be positioned to leave a gap between the frame and the door.
Cubist, thank you too. The cellar is not accessible from inside the house but I need to lock the door to keep the insurers happy. The door itself seems fine. Are you saying it no longer fits the frame only because the top and bottom weren't treated properly? if yes, would it be too late to treat them? How? And then trim the door slightly?

 

[Cubist]

It is possible to straighten a warped door but it's far from being a simple or easy process. It can also be costly and there is a high probability of failure. Simply addressing the installers failure to treat the cuts made to the timber during the installation process will not produce the desired effect. Sadly, it's either adapt what you have now to work for you or replace the door completely. That said, if the door needs to be removed at any stage in the future for any purpose, including trimming the stiles outer faces to fit comfortably within the frame, then the head and foot can be treated at that stage. But... that horse has already bolted and therefore no real advantage would be served.