"Pocket Doors".....hmmmmm?

[oldfart]

Well now folks my old boss stopped by today and he was telling me about the new home he's building and something he said piqued my interest. He's installing "pocket doors" on the bathroom and closets. To clarify that...pocket doors slide into the wall...they don't swing in or out. Hmmm...??? This is what I should'a done in my bathroom remodel!! I hate the new door. I had a choice..swing it in and hit the toilet or swing it out and block the hallway. I chose the former and I really hate it. Open the door inward..stand by the sink and partially close the door to get to the hooter. Arrrghhh...! The other option was to have it swing out into the hallway and be in my way every time I walk up/down the hallway. And either choice gammahooches the handi-cap accesible issue. Now I find out Lowes and Home Depot sell the hardware to use a standard luan interior door as a pocket door. Has anyone done this? How tough is it? If I install it ON the existing bathroom wall instead of removing that wall (lots of wiring in that wall) how much will it narrow down the hallway? Audie...the Oldfart..

[steve]

I have installed dozens of pocket doors. They leave no room for electrical and retrofit needs removal of twice the width of the door to fit the pocket. It is also set up that you need a full 2 x 4 wall to work. I guess you could install it on the outside of existing wall if you have 4" to spare

[Yanita]

Hi Audie,

Pocket doors are great, and IMO they should be better used in a MH due to the very things you mentioned.

Now, I do not have all the details but can give you the gist of one of my Hubbies creations in our singlewide.

Our sons bedroom was at one end of the home and a bath right next to it. The entry for both these rooms was about 4' wide and 5' long. The bathroom door opened in as well as his bedroom door so they did not bang together.

Anyways due to our sons work schedule it seems he was always trying to shower when there were other people in the home, which would result in his exiting the bathroom in a towel into the small hall in full view of everyone.

He wanted a door from the bathroom directly to his room. Thankfully there was only one outlet we needed to reroute. Hubby opened up the wall that divided the bath from bedroom. He made his own pocket with a little creative thought and as Steve said it took about 4 inches of floor space from the room.

LOL, Hubby started the project with just designing in his mind with a sliding glass door, just one side of it. Anyways that became the actual door he used, reused the track and all. I eventually did a faux stained glass technique on the glass door and everyone loved it.

Since the stained glass look was translucent it allowed light to come into a room that otherwise was a cave, one of those bathrooms with no window! In our sons bedroom I hung a decorative rod and a matching drape so when he was in his room and wanted privacy he could pull the drape. Everyone away from others views!

LOL, it was one of the selling points to the home!

Good luck and should you do this please post some pics so others can see.

Yanita

[Brenda (OH)]

OK, I am apologizing in advance for the pun, but this is a possible layout.....

How about using "stall" hardware. this is a track door that runs on a wheels on a track, and moves across the surface of the wall... would not interfere with the wiring in the wall

here is a link to a website that sells the hardware and shows the layout....

http://www.barndoorhardware.com/standard-flattrack.html

Brenda (OH)

[sd0321]

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Audie,

This is a picture of an accordian door. It just folds up when you open it. Maybe an option if you can't do a pocket door. Link is
http://www.accordion-doors.com/woodfold.html or you can buy them at most home stores. Sherry

[WildIrish]

Or you could do as I've done: Use a small tension curtain rod and use a curtain as your door. The former owners did this on a closet here, and I "borrowed" the idea for another closet and the master bathroom.

[oldfart]

Hmmmm...? Danged if ya'll don't have me scratchin' my head and wonderin' where all these great ideas come from! Now..some thoughts. I considered the accordian doors from the beginning..but here's the problem. In a 36in. wide opening an accordian door wads up and takes up 10 inches of the width of the doorway. That means I only have an actual doorway 26 inches wide. So I measured my arse. That ain't gonn'a work. Stop laughin'..this is serious!! I tried measureing the depth of my stomach, as in walking thru the doorway side-ways.....and we still have a problem. And there's no way a wheel-chair will go thru that puppy! Soooo....I looked at the "sliding-barn-door" approach. Hmmm...I see some possibilities there. Easy to mount...a bit rough looking but with a few tweaks..this might work! Then the problem is...I only have 2ft. on the right side of the doorway and less than that on the left side. Arrrghhh! BUT..it still might work...I'll ponder it some more. I like the "curtain" approach. Simple..frugal...hmmmm? Nuthin' in the way..hang the curtain rod on the outside wall...lots to be said for that idea! The other choice is no door at all. Just let folks see my wrinkled posterior exiting the bathroom..dimples and all. And no..a towel won't cover up this acre of...landscape. Many thanks for all the responses...Audie..the Pondering Oldfart...

[Greg S]

Two narrower barn style doors that latch together in the center.
Slide open one to either side.
Usually find them on closets and can be purchased around here used for about $5 each plus track.
You could install them on hinges taking up half as much swinging room as a full size door (1/2 to each side opening into bathroom).
This would however reduce your door opening by twice as much as a single door.

[Brenda (OH)]

Ok, now we are getting somewhere!

how about split a door down the middle, hinges on each side, swings out into hallway. could even mount it onto hallway walls, with different hinges.

kind of like full size saloon doors.

or how about sliding barn door, split so pieces widths match the wall space, one slides each way.

if you use curtains, please put plenty of curtain weights in the hem, or they will move when the furnace blower comes on, and be an issues! lol

no use trying for privacy, politeness, or no laughter, if the curtains don't stay down!

Brenda (OH)

[Brenda (OH)]

quick way to weight the curtain, run some chain thru the bottom hem. probably not need a very big or heavy gauge, and it will probably gather up when the curtain is opened. if not, cut into smaller lengths, and then it will gather...

Brenda

[oldfart]

DANG! Where were ya'll when I started this project!! Now ya'll got me real curious! I knew there was a better way to do this! I'm scurryin' about with my tape measure an fixin' to figger this out! I like all the ideas presented so far. The saloon-door post really piques my interest! Hmmmmm..! Gott'a run and fetch my tool-belt...double holsters fer both Dewalts...my cowboy hat and boots! Carol is coming on Tue. and I'll...(ahem) present this to her. YEEEHAW! Now iff'n that visual image (53yr. old cowpoke...wrinkles and dimples...a pipe clenched in my toothless mug...frog-legs and chaps...bald..) don't cause ye temporary blindness nuthin' will! Many thanks ya'll! Audie..the Oldfart!!

[Brenda (OH)]

Oh Audie,

I think we both probably live by the same personal motto:

"If at first you don't succeed, THEN ask for advice,

if you do and and it does not work at twice...

HIRE THE CONTRACTOR! And wince at the price!

lol Brenda (OH)

[momom]

I don't know if I will ever be able to remove the mental images If I may, I'll try some of these ideas out on the closets in my big bedroom...thanks, guys, I needed that.....momom

[Josh-CA]

I like the barn door concept. Take it one step further with you'all knowledge of drawers and cabinets. ... build a drawer glide on the wall and the door is the drawer bottom without a box on it.

[oldfart]

Well now folks for an update. When Carol came to visit on Tue. I met her at the door in my cowboy regalia....(hey quit makin' fun!) and ran this saloon door idear by her. Her Opthomoligist (eye-doctor) said... "She should be alright in a coupl'a days...and DON'T ever do that again!!" Meanwhile she nixed the saloon-doors and wasn't so keen on the barn door approach. Go figger?? I figgered her last choice would be curtains. "Tacky with all the work you've put into this home.."...I figgered would be her response. Not so! She likes the curtain idea! Go figger wimminfolks?? It's economical and a helluva lot easier to do...and she still likes it! Generally speaking wimminfolks seems to search out the hardest possible way to do anything. Goooo figger! Now she did mention it needs a valance/wrinkly curtain above the main curtain rod thingy. And...tie-backs....some doo-dad that holds the curtains back when yer not in the hooter. Don't know why..didn't ask. Menfolks shouldn't ask too many questions...it only provokes them. Well..gott'a run..a story to tell in the Off-Topic section. Many thanks to all for the ideas and the final decision will be mine of course. I am The King of my castle. Audie..the Oldfart...!