Any arguments against an outswing door for my home?

We have a very small laundry room on our fairly small house, and the inswing door robs a bunch of usable space. Is there any good arguments against an outswing door? Seems like it would seal up better against wind, and be a lot harder to kick in. Hinges are exposed though. I've heard people say something (snow, tree branches, debris) could block the door, but we still have the front door, as well as many egress level windows. Positive pressure in the house may make sealing the door difficult?

Any help (Paging SVreX...)

Joey

They make hinges so people can't pull the pins and break in. Snow is the most practical reason not to. Also, IIRC doors can't open over steps. So if there are steps just outside the relevant door it's probably a code violation.

hinges exposed. a lot harder to kick in, a lot easier to remove the door at the hinges with just a screwdriver and a hammer.

EDIT....ahh of course they make hinges for that...beat me to it.

Usually when I kick in a door either the door breaks up, or the whole frame tears out of the house. Don't see why that would change by making the door open outwards.

You already know the rest of the issues. If you're happy with it, go for it.

foxtrapper wrote: Usually when I kick in a door either the door breaks up, or the whole frame tears out of the house. Don't see why that would change by making the door open outwards. You already know the rest of the issues. If you're happy with it, go for it.

Hopefully anyone kicking in my door isnt the man-bear you are...!

Joey

My folks had the same situation with the rearmost/outside door on a house they once owned. Their laundry room had an inside door too, so that made the laundry room seperate from the rest of the house. If that's your situation, who cares...it's a back door.

What is the inswing door blocking? Because no matter which way it swings, you still need about a 3'x3' square clear area to stand in and operate the door. I don't see much space savings. And for an exterior door, it's going to spend 99.9% of it's life closed.

When it rains the door will get wet when you open it.

Now that I think of it, my daughter has an outward swinging door in the garage to the outside. I've had the door pulled out of my hands several times due to strong winds.

Dumb question: if it's, say, a right swinging door would putting in a left swing door do the same thing? That way the poor door won't get wet in the rain.

It's easier to pick the locks on outswing doors.

Knocking guests off the stoop for fun and profit- possible disadvantage OR advantage!

There's no reason you can't do it. In some cold regions of the world (like Scandinavia), outswing doors are normal (they seal better into the weatherstripping when the wind is blowing hard).

They are much harder to kick in (the frame is thicker, and is a rabbeted frame), IF they are installed properly (they never are).

The locks aren't any easier to pick, but the strike might be easier to slip (if they are installed incorrectly, which they usually are).

If it doesn't come with tight pin hinges (non-removable), you can swap them easily.

Sticks, snow, etc are correct. In MI, I wouldn't do it if you don't have a stoop or step which is AT LEAST 6-8" lower than the door. There is a safety issue for egress if there is snow outside.

And technically, there is a code issue related to minimum stoop size for an outswing door (which may or may not be a problem for you personally).

If you have stairs leading up to it with no stoop, it's hard to unlock then swing open (as you walk backwards down the steps) before entering.

But generally, there is nothing wrong with outswing doors. I installed one last week.