I’m seriously looking at installing 42″ wide entry doors in a couple of places in my house. The biggest justification is the ease in moving large items in and out of the house with doors this wide.
So far, the ones that I have run across on the internet are fiberglass, and I think I can live with that just fine.
Other than having a lot of door to open / close, is there any significant disadvantage to the 42″ wide door?
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Replies
What about a pair of 30" doors?
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I did the same for an outside door, it consists of a regular door and sidelight, however the sidelight is hinged and locks in place with top and bottom french bolts. Normally this door is bolted closed so its just like using a regular door but when you want to hall something in its great. There are 2 stiles available one has a larger (trip master) block attached to the threshold, others just bolt to a hole in the threshold.
First, think about how a door that wide will look. If you have 8 ft. ceilings and use an ordinary 6-8 door, it'll look really short and squatty.
If you're OK with the appearance, then get a stick of 1x2 or some such, and cut it 42" long. Go where the proposed door will be, and use it to check out how the door will swing. Do you have enough room to open it comfortably, or do you have to take a step or two backwards? Convenience once in a while when you buy a major appliance may well be outweighed by inconvenience every single day.
Instead of a new fiberglass door, check out wrecking companies (AKA architectural salvage). Habitat for Humanity has stores where they sell donated building materials, too.
-- J.S.
I personally don't even like 36" interior doors - They're to cumbersome for daily use, IMHO.
So using 42" doors seems nuts to me. There probably isn't anything in your house that won't easily go through a 36" door.
the main disadvantage i can think of is that you will need to replace the header unless you are replacing a 3'0"+sidelight configuration. so u will be ctting drywall back far enough to remove header reframe with new header, cut back siding etc retrim re new drywall etc. all in all a pretty big job.
This is new construction, so that solves some of the problems.
There is a breezeway between the garage and the house. There is room on the garage side of the breezeway for a double door, which is currently in the plans.
The main place I was considering using the 42" door was from the breezeway into the mudroom, or "family foyer" as it is called on the plans, and fitting a double door into that wall would be difficult.
I do like the idea of the sidelight on hinges - I will have to look into that possibility. Any recommendation on a web site that might show such a thing?
they're actually quite common, I can't recomend the co that made mine, I had other issues with them, but I know HD carries a line that has them ..
Edited 12/29/2006 2:07 pm ET by wane
I like the idea of one door on the house being bigger then 36". I've seen a lot of instances where stuff would not go through 36 very easily.
As someone else mentioned, proportion is key. I like the idea of the moveable sidelight, very good solution to the proportion deal.
Doug
My wife seems to find all sorts of things that are a very tight fit through a 36" door.
In the current house, I had to temporarily remove a window in my front room to move the couch in. Good thing it was a really big window and right over the front porch.
I'm still researching the operable side light idea.
I've installed 42" and 48" wide mahogany entry doors. They look nice and have a lot of weight to them so they feel like quality when you use them. But, they are a bear to install because of the size and weight, and to me they are awkward to operate because of the width.
It takes an extra step or two just to get around the door when you open it. Like BH, I don't even like 36" interior doors.
I think thats a great idea for interior door, if you did it like a panel door. On exterior I think a pair of doors would work better