This project was a milestone for Lusso Design—it marked our first real experience working on a multi-residential building. We were tasked with installing two custom steel entry doors at a newly built multiplex in Toronto, and while the doors themselves seemed straightforward, the process turned into a great learning experience.
The doors were clean and modern: painted finish steel doors with large clear glass inserts, styled with SDL bars (simulated divided lite mouldings) to match the building’s window package, which had been supplied by another company. A simple, sleek look—something that would fit seamlessly into the clean architectural lines of the building.
But where things got tricky was the locking system. These doors needed to connect to the building’s intercom system—something that required careful coordination between the electrician, the intercom company, and us.
It probably took close to a month of back-and-forth to figure everything out: which electric strikes to use, how the wiring would work, and how all the pieces would fit together to ensure the locks worked smoothly with the call system.
All that preparation paid off, because on installation day, everything fell into place… well, almost everything. 😅 One of the door locations had an unexpected obstacle: a huge 10″ x 8″ x 10″ block of solid concrete sitting exactly where the new frame needed to go.
After a few minutes of colorful language, I shot over to the local Home Depot, grabbed a massive Bosch chipping hammer, and started carving our path through the obstacle. As much as I love my one-inch Milwaukee SDS drill, there are times when you just need heavier artillery.
Despite the unexpected hurdles (and a lot of dust), we finished everything up beautifully. Unfortunately, by the time we wrapped up, it was already dark, and we couldn’t get proper finished photos of the doors. I still need to swing by the building one day now that the exterior paneling is unwrapped and the landscaping is complete—it’s probably looking amazing with everything finished!
One day, one day… 😉
This project was a great reminder that in construction, especially when moving into larger-scale or multi-trade projects, communication, preparation, and adaptability are everything. And while the doors might look simple to the casual eye, behind them are layers of planning, collaboration, and a little bit of good old-fashioned stubbornness to get it done right.