About half a year ago, I bought a house with a basement. The basement used to be a garage, but a previous owner removed the swing gate, built up the wall with concrete blocks, and installed a regular door, see the attached photo for how it looks.
Since I am car-crazy, this will naturally become a garage again, but it's my first house, so I'm a bit unsure about how to do certain things, so I hope for some help.
1: When opening up the wall, what is the easiest way to do it? Get a reciprocating saw, drill holes, and then cut? Rent a suitable machine? Outsource the job and approximate cost for it?
2: The old opening is just over 260 cm wide, the frame around the door is barely 250 cm, is it best to remove all the concrete blocks previously installed and have wood studs along the sides, or should you cut the opening to be a few cm wider than the frame and attach the frame directly to the wall?
3: According to the instructions, there should be a moisture barrier underneath, what do you think is appropriate to use for this? Feel free to link to pages where you can see what it is. I don’t know if there is a steel edge there now, it’s not visible at the moment. If not, you should cast one in, and it should work as a moisture barrier. But if a temporary barrier is needed (want to wait until spring to cast things), what is recommended?
4: There is no lock cylinder or handle on the door, are lock cylinders generally the same for all doors? I'm considering changing the others to the house so that there is one key for everything. Tips on where to buy lock cylinders with keys and handles?
The door to be installed is a swing gate, model Diplomat Anna, dimensions 25x20. Thanks in advance for the help!
Since I am car-crazy, this will naturally become a garage again, but it's my first house, so I'm a bit unsure about how to do certain things, so I hope for some help.
1: When opening up the wall, what is the easiest way to do it? Get a reciprocating saw, drill holes, and then cut? Rent a suitable machine? Outsource the job and approximate cost for it?
2: The old opening is just over 260 cm wide, the frame around the door is barely 250 cm, is it best to remove all the concrete blocks previously installed and have wood studs along the sides, or should you cut the opening to be a few cm wider than the frame and attach the frame directly to the wall?
3: According to the instructions, there should be a moisture barrier underneath, what do you think is appropriate to use for this? Feel free to link to pages where you can see what it is. I don’t know if there is a steel edge there now, it’s not visible at the moment. If not, you should cast one in, and it should work as a moisture barrier. But if a temporary barrier is needed (want to wait until spring to cast things), what is recommended?
4: There is no lock cylinder or handle on the door, are lock cylinders generally the same for all doors? I'm considering changing the others to the house so that there is one key for everything. Tips on where to buy lock cylinders with keys and handles?
The door to be installed is a swing gate, model Diplomat Anna, dimensions 25x20. Thanks in advance for the help!
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Basic questions, that's probably why no one is answering 
. Time for you to start wandering around the hardware store now and then.
1. Regarding your wall, it's probably best to just tear it down (if no other changes have occurred making that part of the wall load-bearing, so check it out). A larger hammer and chisel are excellent tools in your case.
2. When removing the Leca blocks, you'll likely need to remove everything, as it will probably be difficult to cut and leave a small piece remaining. It's better to fill the space with an extra stud on each side. This will also give you a better base to mount the frame on.
3. The moisture barrier likely refers to the door frame (at the bottom) - a piece of roofing felt between the floor and the frame is sufficient. I cut the frame on our door by about one cm and placed 1cm plastic blocks.
4. Lock cylinders are fairly standardized, but they differ from door to door, so you'll probably need a variety of mounting details to make it work
. Time for you to start wandering around the hardware store now and then.1. Regarding your wall, it's probably best to just tear it down (if no other changes have occurred making that part of the wall load-bearing, so check it out). A larger hammer and chisel are excellent tools in your case.
2. When removing the Leca blocks, you'll likely need to remove everything, as it will probably be difficult to cut and leave a small piece remaining. It's better to fill the space with an extra stud on each side. This will also give you a better base to mount the frame on.
3. The moisture barrier likely refers to the door frame (at the bottom) - a piece of roofing felt between the floor and the frame is sufficient. I cut the frame on our door by about one cm and placed 1cm plastic blocks.
4. Lock cylinders are fairly standardized, but they differ from door to door, so you'll probably need a variety of mounting details to make it work
Thank you for the answer! I know these are basic questions, but if you don't ask, you won't know . The wall has now been removed with a chisel and hammer, some help from an angle grinder was also needed.
. The wall has now been removed with a chisel and hammer, some help from an angle grinder was also needed.