I'm in the process of fitting a door in place of a window, I've already removed the brickwork below the old window and made good around the area. Problem I'm having is that the opening is a bit wider than the door frame assembly I have, so there is about 1-1.5cm gap all the way round. This is making it a bit tricky to line the frame up properly as it's too big for normal shims. Thinking I could attach a piece of strip wood to each side of the frame before fitting, so that it fills the gap properly, does that sound like a decent idea?
Use timber wedges to get the door in the correct position. Then plastic window packers everywhere you intend to fix the frame, 4 or 5 up each side. Blue packers are 5mm so double/triple them up. Foam everywhere else then fix the frame through the packers. Cut foam off and trim up.
No it's a bodge, no offence. If there's 15mm tolerance, use 10mm add on bead clipped and screwed to the hinge side of the frame and the 5mm gap will be covered by silicone.
Ok, thanks! I'm not too familiar with uPVC fitting, what do you mean by add on bead? Is it something I'll be able to pick up at local building/DIY suppliers?
It's a uPVC bead available in certain thicknesses to pack gaps out or to provide clearance for the door to swing when fixed to the hinge side. You'll probably have to source it from a uPVC supplier and see if they can match the profile to the door edge.