??? about bathroom doors!

18 years ago

I'm second-guessing everything I do in this Little House of Horrors. I need ideas!

Our main bathroom is 7' x 9'. The door is in the center of a 7' wall.

We're going to redo this room and have the opportunity to move the door, but only to the right on this one wall. The linen closet fills the area to the left.

Every bathroom I remember had the door swinging in to the bathroom. If this door could swing out into the 6-ft. wide hallway, navigation in the bathroom would be so much easier.

Is there a "rule" or a reason why a bathroom door cannot swing outward into a wide hallway?

Also, what's the smallest wall area that can support a pocket door?

Which way does your bathroom door open; and would you consider a pocket door if space was an issue?

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Comments (13)

liz
18 years ago
our door opens into the room...but the area it opens in to is only the sink area and it's about a 5 x 10 room...the shower and commode are in a room off that! we are thinking serious of putting in a pocket door as well....we had one at our old house and loved it!!
azzalea
18 years ago
It's just too dangerous to have a door swing out UNLESS it has a window in it--to much of a risk of someone walking by getting smacked by it. I'm assuming you aren't going to choose a door with a window, for your bathroom, right?

If you don't want it to swing in, I'd go with a pocket door. Actually, if I were designing a new home, ALL the interior doors would be pocket doors--they're just so much more practical.
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Linda Wayman
18 years ago
Caroline I suggest calling code enforcement in your area to see if it would go against code to have the door open out. I can see where you wouldn't want it in a public place, but can't think of a reason not to have it in a private home.

I don't know about the clearance for the pocket door, but you may have to tear the sheetrock off to put a track where the door would slide to once it is installed. I didn't know if you had thought about that or not. I probably shouldn't have mentioned that because I really don't know. I've thought a lot about putting a pocket door in our bathroom to go to a closet, but just haven't done any checking on it. Good luck to you. I know you'll be so glad to get all of that behind you.

Linda
alisande
18 years ago
When my bathroom was remodeled a few years ago the contractor suggested having the new door swing out into the hall. Works fine.
bigfoot_liz
18 years ago
what about a pocket door? when i redo my master bath i'm having the wall w/ the door reconstructed to accomodate a pocket door, french door w/ frosted glass. ~ liz
phyllis__mn
18 years ago
I just had a bathroom put in downstairs, and had to have the door swing out. Works well, and it would have been impossible if it swung in.
tami_ohio
18 years ago
OUrs swing into the room. We do have two pocket doors, one from kitchen to dining room, one from dining room to hallway. The pocket door area is only a little larger than the doors themselves. A pocket door is a great idea for a bathroom. A friend had on in a half bath off her kitchen. It was great!

Tami
Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
18 years ago
I have a pocket door separating the vanity area from the stool/shower area in the master bath. It measures 23 1/2" wide. I've had it 20 years and no probs yet, but then it seldom even gets closed.

Sue
Lindsey_CA
18 years ago
Our house has three full bathrooms. The downstairs bathroom is the smallest, and it has a pocket door.

The upstairs "hall bath" has a regular door that swings into the room. The wall that it "lands" against has towel bars, but no other fixtures. The two sinks/cabinet and toilet are against the opposite wall, and the tub is at the far end and stretches the width of the room. So, the door isn't in the way of anything when it's open.

The door between the master bedroom and master bathroom is a pocket door. You enter into the master, walk-in, closet through the master bathroom, and there's a regular door, which swings open into the closet. The wall that it "lands" against originally had nothing on it (the closet is very large and L-shaped), but now has three tie racks for hubs' ties, so when the door is open it covers up ties, which is no big deal. There is also a separate "chamber" or "room" for the commode, and the regular door opens into that little room but lands against the short wall (that you are facing when you're sitting on the commode), so it's not in the way of anything.

I love pocket doors. When you're remodeling and decide to put on in, don't forget that you can't have any electrical wiring running through that area that would stop the door from being fully pushed into the pocket; AND you can't have any electrical outlet on the wall that covers the pocket; AND you can even have a towel bar on the wall that covers the pocket. No wall studs to take the screws from a towel bar, and you can't use a Molly bolt because the end of the screw would stick out too far and scratch the door.
intherain
18 years ago
We had a pocket door in the bathroom of two of our previous homes. Worked just fine!

All our rooms have doors that swing inwards EXCEPT the "water closet" in our master bathroom. Our toilet has its own room, and that door swings outward.

Sheryl
bulldinkie
18 years ago
Sounds like a pocket door is your answer.I had one once liked it.I dont think theres a rule whatever suits you.The door opening needs to be big enough for the width of your door plus the framing around the pocket door .Go for it If it makes life a little easier do it..You wont regret it.
casey_nfld
18 years ago
We have a pocket door in the bathroom off or bedroom.....we have several pocket doors in our house and they are great space savers. The only place we don't have them are where walls and other doors made it impossible.
luckygardnr
18 years ago
A fireman friend of mine says they prefer doors that open out. If someone collapses in the bathroom with the door closed, they can't open the door to help if it opens in, because in a small bathroom the person would probably be laying in front of the door.

Food for thought

??? about bathroom doors!

Comments (13)

liz

azzalea

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