r & r sliding deck door

[budman 1984]

Im going to try to replace my deck sliding door. Was wondering, my siding is 10 in lap siding (fiber board or whatever its called). Should i REMOVE the siding and then remove and replace the door or can i just cut around the door with a skill saw. If i cut around, how do i know how far out from the door i can go. Im assuming this method means i would put some sort of trim board around the sides and top. This sounds easier to me than removing all that siding but im just not sure WHERE to cut and how to cover the cut away area when im done. any help is appreciated. THANKS!!

[HayZee518]

to install the door you need to expose the outside sheathing - even if this means taking some siding down. measure your door casing. take these measurements and add 1 inch to the top and one side. this will give you some work room. now measure where you are going to put the door and cut out the opening. its preferable to start along one stud's vertical dimension. a jack stud will be installed inside next to the existing stud. measure the length of the top piece and install a double stud, top to bottom. along the top install a 2x4 or 2x6 lintel followed by sleepers up to the plate. now place the door in the opening and use cedar shims to align the door to the opening - you want a level horizontal and a plumb vertical so the door will slide and close tightly.

[pushkins]

You can also remove the internal trim work around the door, this will allow you to see the studs on either side and the header across the top, then you will be able to see where to cut on the exterior side with your saw.

Before you do that though......

Is the door your replacing in there a "new" build or a "replacement" door, this is going to make a huge difference to what you need to do as well.
A new build door will have nailing fins and you will need to cut back to the studs and headers to attach it (or cut off the nailing fins), a replacement door will screw into the studs from inside, so you won't need to remove any exterior siding at all in this case.