House Doors

[YT2095]

I`ve no idea what made me think about this, but has anyone else noticed that most all doors into a house opens Inwards, I can`t think of any where they open Outwards, except for caravans and maybe mobile homes etc...

 

is there actualy a Reason for this?

 

secondly, having doors that open outwards would be a much more secure, it`s harder to PULL a door off than it is to kick it in or ram it.

 

 

any ideas?

[Forensicmad]

I think doors are supposed to open inwards so you don't hit the person who has knocked on the door. I suppose it would be a lot more impolite to have a door which the knocker has to step out of the way of when opened. I believe it is all to do with manners, not so much security.

The idea of opening a door, especially the front door, is to welcome someone into your personal space. It is much more polite to open the door inwards so they can enter with no problem, to getting hit in the nose by it when it is opened.

 

Thats just what i think.

[YT2095]

that would be ok, except where it applies to the Backdoor into your garden though.

[Forensicmad]

Hmm, the back door into my garden opens outwards.

I suppose the builders must have placed in an alternative just in case you decided that the back door should count as another front door. (Not really sure in this case.)

[5614]

My back door opens outwards, and the front opens inwards.

 

I think the idea is that you don't hit someone who knocks on your door.

 

Not so sure about the backdoor, other than it is a door which leads to the garden, so it opens towards the garden.

 

It could just be one of those things. Like having the hot water tap on one side, why don't we have it on the other?

[Skye]

It's handy if you want to install a screen door, since you can just attach it to the outside of the door frame and have it open outward. If the door opened outward you couldn't open it and leave the screen door closed. I don't know if that's the reason though.

 

I think the hot and cold water are set up so right handed people can turn on the cold tap without reaching across.

[GutZ]

It's handy if you want to install a screen door' date=' since you can just attach it to the outside of the door frame and have it open outward. If the door opened outward you couldn't open it and leave the screen door closed. I don't know if that's the reason though.

 

I think the hot and cold water are set up so right handed people can turn on the cold tap without reaching across.[/quote']

 

 

DAMN YOU. I was so going to say that.

 

I'll add that hinges look "ugly" on the outside as well (plus security risks). If you have alot of snow in your area it may become difficult to open doors. I am sure there are lots of reasons.

[gcol]

If a house is primarily a place of shelter and refuge, it seems somehow welcoming for it to open towards warmth and comfort.

 

On a practical note, opening out towards the elements means it could be caught by strong wind, wrenched from your hand and slam against the door frame. In strong rain, it will become soaking wet on what would be the inside when closed and the wetness brought in the house.

 

In hallways, outward opening doors would restrict the corridor width, inconvenience passing traffic, and if the openings were not staggered, would probably clash in narrow walkways.

 

One can always find possible exceptions. I have a small bathroom opening onto a generous landing. I have often considered compromising by reversing the door to gain a little extra bathroom space.

[swansont]

I think securing it is a big factor, as GutZ insinuated. You want the hinges on the inside so that you can't just demolish those to take the door off, and that requires that the door open inward.

[YT2095]

most car doors open outwards, I`ve yet to see a Hinge when it`s closed, and not only that most doors have one lock, so 1 lock against 3 hinges in a time race? my bet is the lock pops 1`st.

[gcol]

Another factor, certainly on external doors, is weatherproofing. an outward opening door would have all its egdes exposed. Inward opening protects door edges by the doorframe rebates. Much sounder and more practical.

[Phi for All]

For security, there's no further way to effectively bar a door from the inside if it opens outwards. Inward opening doors can be braced or barred to prevent entry. But I think the best answer is the screen system. Can't put a storm door or a screen door on an outward opening front door.

[GutZ]

most car doors open outwards, I`ve yet to see a Hinge when it`s closed, and not only that most doors have one lock, so 1 lock against 3 hinges in a time race? my bet is the lock pops 1`st.

 

Well it would be costly to create the same system for a house door the same as the car, if the solution is to make it open the other way allows for a simple system and security, then why change.

 

Maybe there is some historical reasons as well that just never changed.

 

Then again I could be over analyzing it all. For all I know it could be the most illogical reason. They don't HAVE to have a good reason for it.

[gcol]

Doors open inwards so that Hollywood toughguy cops can shoulder-barge their way in. If they opened outwards, they'd have to tie their pantyhose to the doorknob and pull. No scope for macho posturing there.

 

Now in Startrek they have sliding doors....death to hinges. How oldfashioned.

[YT2095]

For security, there's no further way to effectively bar a door from the inside if it opens outwards. Inward opening doors can be braced or barred to prevent entry. But I think the best answer is the screen system. Can't put a storm door or a screen door on an outward opening front door.

 

sure there is! think bank vault! or a simple sliding bolt, it`s Much more secure outwards opening.

as for screen doors, I`ve never seen one in the uk ever, last time I saw one was in Canada.

I wondered if there was some historical reasoning for it also

[Phi for All]

sure there is! think bank vault! or a simple sliding bolt' date=' it`s Much more secure outwards opening.

as for screen doors, I`ve never seen one in the uk ever, last time I saw one was in Canada.

I wondered if there was some historical reasoning for it also [/quote']No screen doors in the UK!?! Don't you believe in cross-ventilation? What keeps the flies out when your door is open?

 

Historically, there are probably instances of this convention changing like any style changes. Geography may have had something to do with it as well. Can't open an outward facing door if there's three feet of wet drifted snow in front of it. It could've changed just due to personal prefs too. Like which way do you hang the toilet paper, under so it hugs the wall and stays out of the way or over so you can reach it easier?

[YT2095]

aha! the Snow!

 

now THAT`s a good point, I rem getting snowed in the once whilst in Canada, although the screen door was a pain, there was indeed a benefit to be had with an inwards opening door (a benefit beyond a free day off school).

[swansont]

most car doors open outwards, I`ve yet to see a Hinge when it`s closed, and not only that most doors have one lock, so 1 lock against 3 hinges in a time race? my bet is the lock pops 1`st.

 

Car doors are not made in the same way, though, and I was thinking along the lines of historical influences. There's a recess so that the edge of the door near the hinge can move inwards, and the doors are very thin at those points (but metal, so they're strong). House doors are framed in and relatively thick, which presents a different problem in construction. (not that there might not be a modern workaround, but we're talking about the influence of tradition here, so we have to look at the construction methods available years ago). House doors were made to keep people out, so you need the frame to support the edges, and inward-opening doors can be barred, as Phi noted. Locks aren't so much an issue historically; I think they're a much more modern addition.

 

And breaking in isn't always a race against time. Popping three hinge bolts means you can replace them and mask the appearance of having broken in, since the door will still work. Smashing the lock tends to give the secret away.

 

And the point about snow, or any other obstruction, is a good one. Can't trap someone in as easily if the door opens inwards.