i have a metal bilco door extension hanging off the back of my house. in the winter the cold air blows through the cracks where the doors meet and the cold seeps through the metal as well. any recommendations on providing a seasonal sealer for the door cracks and also for insulating the interior metal portions? thanks.

There should be a conventional door at the bottom of the steps under the Bilco door, and that is where the weather barrier should be. The Bilco door is not designed to be a weather barrier, and any attempt to make it so would be the epitome of jury-rigging.

there is no conventional door. the metal bilco door has 2 parts that meet in the middle. they lay roughly at a 45 degree angle and are connected at the hinges to a metal frame that sits on top of the concrete block foundation which is about 5'x4'x4'. a hole was punched into the foundation to build this extension. one idea is to build a conventional door where the foundation was punched but i don't have time for that and winter is fast approaching. last winter this area was letting a considerable amount of cold into the basement and making its way into the rest of the house. thanks.

I understand your problem and am quite familiar with Bilco doors. What I would do in your case is frame a temporary wall across the foundation opening and insulate that. There is no good or easy way to weatherproof a Bilco door. If you need access, build a door into the temporary partition. It will be easier than trying to jury-rig something onto the Bilco door.

thanks richard. how's this for an idea? install 2 2x3 studs on each side of the opening that would extend up to the sill that runs across the top. i could nail these into the cement then get a custom pre-hung door and just nail in. if i don't want to do the pre-hung door right now what are my options a piece of drywall or foamboard? thanks.

Depends whether you need frequent access or not. If you do, an insulated fiberglass door would make sense. If not, then a piece of two-inch styrofoam board would be appropriate, which could be simply taped in place.

i ended up purchasing a 1 inch piece of foam board (rated R 6.5 insulation) and duct taped it in place. hope this does the trick but i won't really know how effective it is until it gets real cold out. thanks.