If the hallway is too narrow, doors opening into it may impede traffic flow or cause accessibility issues. As a general rule, hallways should have a minimum clear width of 36 inches (91.5 cm) to allow for comfortable passage and to accommodate doors opening into the space.
If it's not a ghost blowing your door open, then what is causing the door to swing out by itself? There are a variety of non-spooky causes, and luckily all of them are quite simple to fix and may involve a spot of DIY. Improper framing, misalignment walls which aren't plumb and un-even floors could all be the culprits.
When the door is fully open, is cannot project more than 7 in (180 mm) into the required width of the aisle, corridor, passage or landing unless the door is equipped with a proper self-closing device and swinging in the direction of egress travel.
The corridor must be wide enough to provide the required egress width with the door in this position; the door is only allowed to project 7 inches into the required width when it is fully open—110 degrees in this case.
When fully open, the door shall not project more than 7 inches (178 mm) into a landing. Where wheel chair spaces are required on the stairway landing in accordance with Section 1009.6. 3, the wheelchair space shall not be located in the required width of the landing and doors shall not swing over the wheelchair spaces.
Hallway Width and Clearance
If the hallway is too narrow, doors opening into it may impede traffic flow or cause accessibility issues. As a general rule, hallways should have a minimum clear width of 36 inches (91.5 cm) to allow for comfortable passage and to accommodate doors opening into the space.
Landings should typically be:
A door may open across the bottom landing of private stairs where the swing is a minimum of 400mm from the first tread. Pivot windows should not obstruct the landing area or stair flight when they are opened.
Objects can be recessed in alcoves so that they do not project more than 4” into circulation paths. Alcoves must be sized to accommodate required clear floor space at accessible elements.
What is the minimum door width to comply with Building Regulations? Part M of the Building Regulations states that an entrance door should have a minimum clear opening width of 775mm. Ideally, the door opening should be 900mm wide for a wheelchair user.
All circulation paths must have a minimum vertical clearance of 80 inches. In areas where the clearance needs to be less than 80 inches, such as an open stairway, a guardrail, or another type of barrier, a leading edge must be provided that can be detected with a cane so it cannot be higher than 27 inches.
Current ADA Guidelines. ADA guidelines are not permanent and can therefore be changed; the ADA guidelines for bathrooms was changed in 2010 and this current guideline allows bathroom door to swing inward and not into the hallway.
The door between your house and an attached Garage is considered an exit door from the home, and should swing into the house and not the Garage.
Hinge Type
Wide throw door hinges often allow the door to swing open to 180 degrees, while swing clear hinges can open the door up to 90-95 degrees.
A: Gary Katz, owner of Katz Road Show, editor of ThisIsCarpentry, and a presenter at JLC Live, responds: When a door swings open or closes by itself, most carpenters refer to it as a “ghost” door. The cause for the phenomenon is simple: The door jamb is out of plumb.
If the door opens by itself, this can tell you a couple of things about the door's maintenance. Improper installation. If the door is not accurately vertical when it's built, it would swing by itself due to its own weight. In this case, the door frame is slightly tilted to the side it opens on.
Why does my door open by itself? This might take some investigating. An older home's latch may be worn or the change in humidity may cause the door to shrink, thereby allowing it to unlatch. It is also possible that the hinges are loose and need to be tightened or the screws need to be replaced.
Space at least 60” deep in front of a door that is unobstructed on approach sides will provide sufficient depth for a forward approach if appropriate strike-side clearance is provided; but in the case of pull-side/ hinge-side approaches, greater latch-side clearance (36” minimum) is still required because the minimum ...
Safety. Inward-opening doors are the safest option. In the case of fire, it's easier for rescuers to smash their way through a door that opens inwards. Having the door open into the room will also prevent the possibility of opening the door into the face of an unsuspecting caller on the other side.
By ADA standards, the clear width of a door opening must be a minimum of 32 inches. This clear width measurement is taken between the face of the door and the stop of the frame with the door open to 90 degrees (Figure A). In pairs, at least one of the active leaves must comply with this clear width requirement.
The Americans With Disabilities Act sets guidelines that facilities in California must follow to make hallways wheelchair accessible. It requires that halls measure no less than 36 inches wide for commercial establishments, and the halls must provide a clearance space for turns.
The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications. It also applies to the United States Congress.
Disproportionality (20%)
The accessible path of travel is required to the extent that it is not “disproportionate” to the total cost. Regulations implementing the standards define “disproportionate” as exceeding 20% of the total cost of alterations to the primary function area.
Safety Considerations
In the event of an emergency, such as a fire, having doors that swing into the room allows for a quick and unobstructed exit. Outward-opening doors could potentially block escape routes if objects or debris were to fall and obstruct the door from the outside.
While there are areas of the country that may vary, there is no universal building code that forbids the use of residential exterior doors that open outward. Because of hurricane-force winds, Florida communities are now seeing the concept of outward opening doors as an advantage.