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Doors and the way they open

Macaddicttt said:
When I imagine doors to houses opening outwards, I can't help but imagine very awkward situations in which someone knocks on the door, and gets hit or awkwardly must avoid the door when it is opened towards them, especially on a smaller porch.
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If people know that the door will open outwards, they know to stand clear of it. They know the door will open towards them, take one step back and to the side, and that's it :).

Don't panic said:
but that's not what i said.
regardless of the balance of benefits, if traditionally you have (or had) a small room at the entrance of the house, the doors to that room must open outwardly from that room because of physical restraints: there is no space inside the small room for them to open inwards and still be able to manouvre in the room.
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Well, sometimes those "airlocks" are quite big, so the space might not be an issue. On some older houses they can be something like 3x3 meters in size, so in those cases it wouldn't really matter which way the door opens. And then we have apartments that have the door facing a stairwell. They do not usually have those "airlocks" (since opening the door does not expose the apartment to cold outside air), and they still have door that open to the outside.

But it might be that it all boils down to tradition in the end.
 
Bear in mind that in Victorian houses, the internal doors can vary too. Many of them open into the room - but the side which opens depends on the orientation of the room. In public rooms, the door is often hung so that you can't see into the interior of the room until you get past the door - this allows a quick separation and tidy up if there was anything inappropriate going on.
 
Evangelion said:
But it might be that it all boils down to tradition in the end.
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I think you hit the nail on the door with that. Since most European cities tended to be rather tightly crowded, having the door swing inside was more practical - if there was a cart parking right in front of your door, you could at least climb over.

In northern Europe however, houses are usually build at larger distances. During winter, having the door mounted on the outside of the usually wooden houses reduces wind draught, since the door is pressed to the frame if the wind blows on it. Also, since the door does not need to swing inside, its bottom can be lower than the level of the floor.

For burglars it is probably even easier if doors swing out - the hinges are accessible, and you can use a crowbar in any case.
 
Bathroom doors are a pet peeve of mine. It is my opinion that they should open outwards....that is, when you go in, you should have to pull on a handle. When you exit, you should not have to touch anything with your hands to leave.

I HATE it when one door is like that, but then there's another door (why do you need an antechamber or lobby for a bathroom anyways???) and it's the opposite. So you have to touch a door handle which has been touched by hundreds of people who might not have washed their hands.....ugh.
 
Evangelion said:
If people know that the door will open outwards, they know to stand clear of it. They know the door will open towards them, take one step back and to the side, and that's it :).
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It's those doors that you can't tell which way they swing that get me.

.JahJahwarrior. said:
Bathroom doors are a pet peeve of mine. It is my opinion that they should open outwards....that is, when you go in, you should have to pull on a handle. When you exit, you should not have to touch anything with your hands to leave.
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Amen, but with an addition. It's nice to have the door go out if the bathroom is especially small. I have had bathrooms where the door will bump your knees if you're sitting on the loo. You basically have to schooch yourself around the whole time just to get in, do your business, and get out.
 
Evangelion said:
Common sense suggests that doors that open outside are a lot harder to kick open, since it would be the frame of the door that absorbs the hit, in addition to any locks and bolts that might be present. Whereas door that open to the inside would have to rely on the bolts alone. Now, that may or may not be relevant to everyday-situations but still.
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Traditional door/hinge design would require the hinges to be located on the outside for doors to open outwards negating the security benefit of harder to kick in, since you only need to pop the hinge pins and the door will come right off the frame...
 
atszyman said:
Traditional door/hinge design would require the hinges to be located on the outside for doors to open outwards negating the security benefit of harder to kick in, since you only need to pop the hinge pins and the door will come right off the frame...
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That is what I've always understood to explain exterior/entry doors--at least on regular houses.

I think you might also be able to pry at the latch more easily, since there wouldn't be a jamb protecting 1/2" or so.

Since Finland has no crime, maybe their doors can open outwards without fear.
 
atszyman said:
Traditional door/hinge design would require the hinges to be located on the outside for doors to open outwards negating the security benefit of harder to kick in, since you only need to pop the hinge pins and the door will come right off the frame...
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Christ, I'm amazed it took this long to get the right answer. Traditionally, doors open inwards because of the way hinges work. With the hinges on the outside, anyone could pop your door open. Hinges that are not subject to this are much more expensive, and a modern development necessitated by exiting requirements.

Plus, the shadow line around the door from the door being inset into the frame is generally considered an architectural plus. Notice the difference between windows that are set flush with the exterior of a building versus ones that are inset a ways. The effect is quite dramatic with such a (seemingly) simple change.

Now, commercial and institutional buildings are a different animal. And by different, I mean expensive. It can easily cost $3,000+ to install a door and frame with commercial-level hardware on it. But they have to open out because of exiting requirements built into the applicable codes. There are also requirements for the maximum force required to work the latch, as well as requirements for no twisting, grabbing, or pinching being required to work the latch.

There are also requirements for how far out into the path of travel a door may swing. This is why most commercial and institutional buildings have recessed doors (plus it makes it easier to provide cover over the door from the elements). You wouldn't want your exterior doors smacking everyone walking down the street as your customers enter and leave the building.

-Your friendly neighborhood architect.
 
Berlepsch said:
For burglars it is probably even easier if doors swing out - the hinges are accessible, and you can use a crowbar in any case.
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atszyman said:
Traditional door/hinge design would require the hinges to be located on the outside for doors to open outwards negating the security benefit of harder to kick in, since you only need to pop the hinge pins and the door will come right off the frame...
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Hinges are usually hardened, and the doors are usually designed in such a way that you can't lift it off the frame. They have bolts on the hinge-side that go in to the frame when you close the door. Even if you managed to rip the hinges clean off, the door would still be held shut by the lock and those bolts.
 
iBlue said:
A great deal of (public) doors in the UK open towards the building. I've always thought it was strange because if there were an emergency it might be a problem. (someone has to hold the damn door open instead of just pushing it and running out)
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I'm sure when I was a kid here in the UK that all the doors did open towards the building as you say, apart from McDonalds, which opened outwards (and seemed fairly unusual to do so). I'm sure I was told it was because McDonalds was American, which may or may not be true, but interesting to hear you say that.

In a completely unrelated note, I often made a tit of myself entering or leaving McDonalds. ;)
 
Lau said:
I'm sure when I was a kid here in the UK that all the doors did open towards the building as you say, apart from McDonalds, which opened outwards (and seemed fairly unusual to do so). I'm sure I was told it was because McDonalds was American, which may or may not be true, but interesting to hear you say that.

In a completely unrelated note, I often made a tit of myself entering or leaving McDonalds. ;)
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hehe, well I make a tit of myself all the time pulling the doors to get in. I hear that uncooperative *thud* of the door hitting its frame and always hope no one noticed my tittishness. (then they hear me speak and all bets are off :p)


It could be that McDonald's expects a crowd fleeing from the premises in a hurry. "aaaaaaah, it's dog food in a bun!" :D
 
"Who's there"
"Macbook"
"Macbook Who?"
"Macbook Air"
"Well? Macbook Who?"
"I told you, Macbook Air!"
"Yeah? Macbook errr what? Can't you remember?"
"Never mind"

So with all that excitement/disappointment/whatever we're back to talking about doors, goodo :D
 
doors

Speaking as a UK fireman, It really doesn't matter which way they are hinged, as if you hit it with a sledgehammer, they all go in eventually.....
 
Evangelion said:
Hinges are usually hardened, and the doors are usually designed in such a way that you can't lift it off the frame. They have bolts on the hinge-side that go in to the frame when you close the door. Even if you managed to rip the hinges clean off, the door would still be held shut by the lock and those bolts.
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and this makes sense for commercial/public buildings where safety comes into consideration and mass crowds may need to exit in a short time. For residences this would be a significant cost increase for the doors. And after reading all the griping about $20 iPod Touch apps, one thing is evident... people, by and large, are tightwads.

Although I do have to admit, being able to open the door quickly into the face/head of door to door salesmen and other solicitors would be fun...take that miss "do you want some girl scout cookies?":D
 
myeggsareboiled said:
Speaking as a UK fireman, It really doesn't matter which way they are hinged, as if you hit it with a sledgehammer, they all go in eventually.....
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lol, this is so true :)


on a side note, how many of you go to open a door and read the writing thats on the otherside of the glass (written backwards) that says pull. You brain reads it and you pull!
 
In all the apartments and houses I've ever seen, the front door opened inwards. Obviously if there were a room that was too small for the door to open into, it would open the other way, but I've never seen an entrance (or exit, for that matter) room THAT small.

My bathroom door opens outwards (away from the room) but of the houses and apartments I've been in, it's actually the exception (besides one house I know which has a sliding door there ;)), most open inwards. My bathroom is constructed such that it has to open outwards.
 
I've also heard that in areas prone to hurricanes, builders would build exterior doors to swing out because then it would be harder for hurricane winds to blow the door in and, y'know, destroy everything.
 
All doors in public places open out.

A while back there was a night club that caught on fire and there were wall coverings that were flammable and tons of people got killed because they ran for the doors but they opened in so no one could get the doors open because everyone was pushing.

I think inside a house its more sightly to have doors open in, more welcoming too. Its like saying "here, come in" compared to "move the door has to open".

In my house all the doors open in except closets and the door to the basement.

We also have 3 pocket doors! I love when new people come to my house can't find the door
 
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