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Hey folks. My wife and I just bought our first home and I've got a question about the proper swing direction for the back door. The house is currently under construction and we recently noticed that the back door has been installed to swing outward, onto the patio, instead of inward. This seems backward to me. Does anyone else agree? Standing outside the house with the door closed, the hinges are exposed and since the jam is toward the inside of the house you can visibly see where the catch and deadbolt enter the jam. The builder says this was intentional and that special hinges were used to prevent tampering but it seems like a security risk to me.
I can't seem to find any best practices, or even a building code about this. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I chose outward swinging french doors for my screened porch to save space. I think the only code requirement is if there is a big step down to the deck/ground you have to go with inward swinging doors (and don't quote me on that).
Residential doors can swing in or out, must companies like Pella make both to allow for flexible space planning- Commercial doors swing out to allow for panic exits.
I much prefer outswinging doors. To me they don't seem to be any more of a security risk. Plus they save space inside the house. And if a strong storm comes through, the wind pushes the door closed all the more tightly for better protection against wind driven rain.
The hinges aren't a problem. Some have a sealed pin, so they cant be removed. Others have a punched out tab that interlocks. Even if the pin is removed, that hinge isn't coming apart.
If a crimnal is capable of removing the pins on the hinges, then he has tools eyond a crowbar and pretty much has complete access to your house by any number of ways. Plus, like others said, there are hinges with "non-removable" pins with a set screw that is only accesable when the door is opened.
I think the main reason that many doors swing in is so the seal is on the side of the door that is exposed, so there is less of a chance for water to get in. On an outswinging door, the seal is to the inside, so water can get in between the door edge and door before it hits the seal, and it can enter around the door latch openings and run down or get inside the door itself more easily. This can be prevented, but make sure the door guys understand this so that proper measures can be taken if the door is exposed to rain. Things like a drip edge right above the door will help and extra care should be taken around the inside of the rough opening prior to installing the jamb (which I know its too late for you, but they can always remove it) to make sure that water cannot go into the house if it gets back there.
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