replacing exterior door- the pain of accurate measurements

[mopinko]

i am getting ready to replace my full front door, frame, lites and all. i am shaking in my boots. a friend of mine will be helping me, but it is my job to order the door, etc. fear is clouding my brain.
i replaced the other half of this foyer last year, turning the former 2 doors to the 2 halves of my 2-flat into an opened up foyer, with a double door, since it is now a single family. a much bigger job, which did not really bother me.
but there is something about the unknowns under that trim. i guess i just have to suck it up and pry some off, so that i can get accurate measurements. it's pretty much a 6' x 8' doorway, although the rough opening is bigger. the door that i have on the inside comes with nice matching lites, but i was hoping for a transom and all, and don't see one that adds up to standard door sizes. the house is over 100, so old standard and current standard don't always match.
i am rarely like this about remodeling projects, but there is something about that front door. argh.
anyone got any hints about things that i am probably oblivious to?

[nedbal]

1. suck it up and pry some off, to get accurate measurements

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Just call Mr. Crowbar and do the dance .....

Its not clear .... did your old door have side lights and a transom light?

Peel back the trim and see what's there. You may have to reframe or at least adjust the framing. If you're lucky, the old door is bigger than today's standard.

What is the exterior siding? Patching/matching that may be the biggest pain in your ass.

[mopinko]

3. it is a grey stone.

the old door does have side lites and a transom. i did peel off some trim, i think i am more confused. with the old layers of paint, it gets confusing where things are connected and how.
the actual stone opening is 72 3/8". new standard seems to be 72 3/4". BUT, the stone opening is not where the door sits. it sits behind that, in a brick opening that is a little wobbly, abut mostly a little larger. the hole is trimmed out with 2 x 8, and the door assembly seems to be attached to the back of that. that measures 71 5/8.
i am calling the guy who sold me the last door, and hoping not to sound TOO stupid.

[mopinko]

4. i just didn't want to believe.

i kept hoping that i was missing something, and that i was not a half inch away from a standard door size. sigh. but i am. especially the way this old house is sagging and leaning.
still waiting for callbacks from the salesmen who can't even figure the price out for this slightly smaller than standard door. blech.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Can you not reframe to enlarge the opening?

One thing might be to use thinner lumber for the outtermost part of the framing. Use a 1-by instead of a 2-by for the frame. By the time everything else is in place, I expect it would all hold together just fine.

[mopinko]

6. i am tempted

i dunno. the stone facing opening is one thing, but the actual whole where the door goes is brick which is pretty uneven. i do think i could get in there and grind down a little here and there and make it fit. this hole appears to be pretty square. i do think i could get out my trusty angle grinder and make it work.
i did the door on the other side of this foyer last year, and the floor sloped an inch and a half over 6'. so, it just gives me the willies to squeeze a door in there, and then have to make it work right.
maybe i should just buck up. it isn't even the money so much as the fact that i will have to wait 6-8 weeks for the damn thing.