Working -- Todd Thompson

HE IS

Opening the door to evenly aligned entryways

HANGING ‘EM UP

Todd Thompson encourages people to head to the local home improvement

store for most projects. He said he fully supports the do-it-yourself

culture.

But when it comes to hanging or rehanging a door, it’s a different

story.

The job is fraught with potential pitfalls. It requires special tools.

And it takes a certain amount of finesse and know-how.

“For the average homeowner to hang a door, it’s not going to happen,”

Thompson said. “Door hanging is something you pick up [as a general

contractor] as you go along. After you’ve hung 500 doors, you’ve seen

everything and you know what you’re getting into.”

EMPLOYING THE RIGHT TOOLS

Thompson has hung so many doors in his day he can barely describe the

process. He’s like a major league slugger whose even cuts through the

strike zone have become second nature.

In that way, the Costa Mesa resident works his craft by feel,

eyeballing most of the measurements as he goes.

To hang a door -- whether it’s a front door or an interior one --

takes a special arsenal of tools. Thompson needs a template to cut in the

hinges, a router to cut holes for the screws and an electric plane to

sand down the edges.

Of course, the cordless hand drill is also a must.

“They’re like a right hand to contractors.” Thompson said. “We walk

around with it.”

Hanging a door usually takes about 45 minutes for the seasoned

contractor and can cost between $200 and $500, depending on the type of

material used.

A MAN OF MANY TALENTS

The 40-year-old Thompson, who has lived in Costa Mesa since 1979,

started his own company in the mid-1990s. It’s called THT Construction,

named for his initials. He has been working in the contracting business

since 1985.

In addition to doors, he also handles electrical problems, framing of

a house, plumbing, drywall and finished carpentry.

Thompson is married with four children.

When he’s not hanging doors, Thompson manages the fields for the

Newport Harbor Baseball Assn. He also spends a lot of his time as a

church leader at St. Joachim Catholic Church.

* Story by Paul Clinton; photo by