How can I fix the big crack in the side of the door frame?

Hello my friend, I am faced with the same problem, the answer is not cheap, but on teh upside it should only take a couple of hours by someone who knows what they are doing.
You will need to change the thin strip of wood along the edge, this involves fully removing the one thats been kicked in.
You will need to buy this wood by the metre from a decent hardware store. If the long is deep, you may need to change the whole frame, at which point forget doing anything your self, because this is a major job. However if you can get away with just the side strip, then take thsi approach. After cutting the new strip to size and width shape, you can use wither standard screws or 3"-4" wood nails. You then need to cover using a gloss paint. And it's as good as new. Good Luck.

James Breeds
April 2005