Steve's doors - open inwards or outwards !

[RogerS]

C'mon guys, let's help Steve decide

 

[marcros]

i have voted inwards. It will make more noise to breal one inwards than lever one outwards. You can also leave it open whatever the weather (when inside) without it blowing around and needing securing back.

 

[StevieB]

Outwards - inward opening doors take up a lot of space, a commodity that is always in short supply no matter how big you think your workshop is!

Also, if your doors open outwards and you bar them across the back (ie the inside), you have to force them in against the bar and the hinges. If they open inwards you are only forcing against the bar. Pushing in is always easier than pulling out (ever see a castle siege in which they pull the doors open rather than pushing them in with a battering ram?) so why not let the hinges work for you?

Steve

 

[Chrispy]

You normally expect doors in buildings to open in, coal sheds and privies open out, I in!
Fwiw the door on my workshop opens out, I had no choice in that and just about every visitor has trouble with it, they don't seem to be able to get out quick enough!

 

[SteveF]

sliding with chain on inside

Steve

 

[Harbo]

I first saw opening outward doors on the Swedish Wallander series and was concerned that some intruder could easily pull the door away from you? Unlike ours where you could block it with your foot or body.
I thought it must be something to do with their weather?
If space is tight then go for open out but I think in Steve's case this is not an issue?
Personally I prefer open in - I once had a car door grabbed out of my hand by a very strong wind, breaking the hinge stop and smashing it back into the bodywork!


Rod

 

[CHJ]

Open out, always gives maximum room to manoeuvre inside the workshop, regarding security, combination of strong hinge side bolts will cover hinge damage and keyed draw bolts on lock side will make levering door out very difficult.

 

[nanscombe]

How about outward opening stable doors?

Bottom half could remain locked shut and open the top half for ventilation.

If you were worried about the doors being pried open how about a steel plate across the join in the doors but recessed flush with the surface so you couldn't get a bar behind it.

For added security I guess you could always add a padlocked bar across the outside of the doors, the way they always put that whacking great bar on the castle gate to stop the bad guys with the battering ram. :lol:

 

[RobinBHM]

Outwards has my vote! Better weathering, no loss of space inside, hinge bolts can make fully secure, doors cant be pushed like open in doors.
I would position the doors flush to the outside to allow the doors to open fully flat.

Most French doors that I make are open out, some single doors too -It just depends on the cirmumstance for that door.

Entrance doors to houses always open out in this country (apart from a few Scandia houses)

If the location is particularly windy then maybe inward opening might be prfereable.

 

[angelboy]

The large access door should be outwards and the pedestrian door should be inwards.

My garage has outwards doors and if they were inwards then I'd be loosing over 1500mm of internal space - plus I can dead bolt them from the inside and then use the pedestrian door that has pretty good security itself.

 

[angelboy]

....you could of course fit a sliding rail and have large access door slide open over the windows. If the main door is open then you'll get plenty of natural light which then becomes less of a problem when the windows are covered.

 

[marcros]

i assumed that we were talking the personnel door. i would have the large ones open out.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

"If the location is particularly windy then maybe inward opening might be prfereable." Robin

I always understood that was one good reason for having them open out - so they blow shut rather than open?

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Roller shutter door? Portcullis?

 

[Zeddedhed]

I'd suggest a solid steel 'drug dealer' door that slides UP. Install CCTV, a bio-metric door lock and build a couple of machine gun towers manned by Israelis and/or Palestinians (They seem to be equally trigger happy to me).
Leave a hungry leopard roaming about at night and you shouldn't have too much trouble with the pikeys!!
Does that sound a bit OTT? Paranoia perhaps?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean we're not out to get you!

 

[wizard]

my house doors open outwards and are stable doors

 

[Steve Maskery]

I had stable doors at my old house. Hardly ever split them and they were a pain to hang.

 

[Graham Orm]

A nice velvet curtain opening out I say.

 

[No skills]

Any large garage style doors obviously need to open outward, secured from the inside medieval style (assuming you have a separate personnel door) - make sure you coach bolt through the hinges.

If possible personnel doors should open inwards. Reinforced frame, hinge bolts, quality mortice locks. Please don't rely on any locking system based on a euro lock. You can get multipoint that runs off a normal key (from ERA I think). Add any extras that you can eg steel plates over lock areas, quality heavy duty handles etc etc.

If you have to rely on any exposed padlocks try to house them in steel lock boxes (only open at the bottom) and use something good (Cisa).

I sometimes have to break into our steel security doors when idiots loose all the keys or to get in after a botched break in attempt has ****** up the door locks. If they were inward opening I wouldn't be able to force them, luckly they are outward opening and I know what to do

Outward opening means you can get between the door and frame with bars no problems (bend the jemmy strip out the way if its got one), straight at the locks/hinges.

I do often wonder if people offering door security advice have ever broken into a door before, obviously the lock smiths have - but who else? Lot of armchair experts.



FWIW