I've been watching HGTV home buying shows and I keep seeing homes in Florida that have front doors that open outward. Is this a Florida thing? What is the reason behind this? I'm dying of curiosity. :|

My brother had a big gator trying to get in his house one day, I will see if he will resend me the pic.

Hurricanes. It's harder to blow "in" if it opens out (so it's stronger).

And I believe Wednesday is the beginning of the 2011 hurricane season. With the way the weather has been in the rest of the country so far this year.......YIKES!!!!

That makes a LOT of sense MTS
I never really thought about this before :D:D:D

Okay, I thought it might be weather related. I sure would want a peephole though...don't like the idea of opening the door outwardly to a stranger (salesperson).

Originaly it was because the gators if there was one at your doorstep you could push it off or keep it closed if it tried to get in, they are very strong

Yikes, gators too! Guess they could push in a door, couldn't they? !!!

To sweep the sand out the door? after you push the alligator out!

I'd lived in Florida most of my life until moving to Alabama last year, and all my front doors that I remember opened in and the screen doors opened out. Yes, hurricane season starts Wed, June 1. Won't miss being in Pensacola for that.

The homes they were showing on HGTV were fairly "new" homes, so maybe this is a new building code??? Maybe other Floridians will weigh in on this question.

It is VERY inconsistent.

I've been in older (pre 1930's) homes with both in-ies and out-ies.

I've been in new construction - again, homes and apts/condos at all price levels - with both kinds of doors, whether single or double.

Even including those built post 1999 to Miami-Dade building codes (they have the strictest building codes, enacted after Andrew, and builders in Broward and Palm Beach counties will often use that as part of their marketing spiel - "up to MaimiDade code standards" ).

I just found this. Interesting about the doors in home in the north.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...4134132AAnjQK0
Makes perfect sense.

All of the doors I've seen open INWARDS. This way when the door is closed, the hinges are hidden and can not be removed to take out the door. On the inside of my front door, when closed I can take a hammer and knock out the two hinges and the door can then be removed from the inside, not the outside.
Perhaps they now have special hinges that are on the inside as well as letting the door open outwards.

That just makes sense. Gaters and hurricanes. :-)

I didn't know some of the doors in houses in Florida opened out. We built our home here in 2002 and the doors open in. Go Figure. :)

if it opens outward that means the hinges are on the outside. maybe they have no crime there....

That is exactly what my husband wondered. The hinges would be on the outside, and anyone could remove the pins and remove the door :shock: :shock: :shock:

Our outside doors open to the outside and our inside doors open to the inside; eg, porch door opens to the outside, living room or hall door opens to the inside. All the room doors open to the inside also! Now, I am going to wonder about this all day long. Thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!! Edie

But why don't ALL the doors on the stalls in all the ladies room open OUT? The handicap ones open out - why not all of them?

Now that is a good question! Some are so small you have to stand on the comode to close the door!!!!

After a night club fire in 1949 in Boston, all doors in public places in Massachusettes are supposed to open out. People piled up at the door, but could not open it in because of the pressure from the crowd trying to get out. Unfortunately, this has not been adopted nationally/internationally and the tragedy repeats. So, private homes, open in for protection; public open out to allow for safe exit.

ok here is question..my son and daughter live in texas..why don't that have screens doors on the front? it drives me crazy,when i can't open the door, and let a breeze run through the house.!
(ok, so you don't have alot of months that have actul breezes!) :roll:

I lived in Fl most of my life til moving to Bama 8 yrs ago.
We might be related. LOL

our door in Florida opens in.......sure hope the winds are going in the opposite direction !!!!!

Ok I'm from Miami, the reason older houses open in were screen doors not gators, after years of hurricane research and building code updates...all doors should open out. Matter of fact if you try to replace your doors you can not find ones "prehung" that open in!

I live in central Florida. My front door opens in. The door on the driveway side of the house opens outward (this is off the laundryroom). We replaced sliding doors to the lanai with double french doors and I purposely have them open outward for a more open effect in the kitchen. Every one of these doors has hidden hinges when they are closed. Aligators are certainly capable of pushing a door but they prefer pet doors. I prefer to be doormom for Bryn and Maui than have a pet door :)
Hmm....now that I think about it, our home in NH had an inward opening front door but the back door opened outward from the kitchen to a mudroom.

I live in Florida and my doors open inward. I don't like doors that open outward, but it does make sense for them to be that way here with the hurricanes. A policeman once told me that doors that open outward cannot be kicked in by thieves or police and were therefore safer.

I had an inward opening door at my house. When I replaced the door after a couple of hurricanes I had to install an outward opening door. The building codes had changed. The code enforcement department said they were safer during hurricanes.

Janet M I was born raised in Florida and I really couldn't tell you. I agree it is easier to blow a door in than out in a hurricane. Also you do not lose wall space with it opening out.

LOLOL

Surely you jest. :) One of the reasons we moved from Fl after 50 yrs. was the crime. All the doors opened inward where we lived. Never saw one that opened out.

I lived in South Florida for many years and it is required by the building code that all exit doors open outwards. Hurricane winds create a vacuum in the house and an inward door will not open during hurricane strong winds. Of course, you should not be in the house when the hurricane arrives but a lot of folks do stay particularly if the evacuation shelters do not allow pets.

When I first lived winters in Fl --was told the doors up north opened out " so you could push the snow away " when you opened it to let your friends come in .
Seemed true to me who lives in the north. HA HA!!!

Our mobile home doors open out and yes I hope there is NO hurricanes.

Oh, this bugs me so much that I asked an architect, who told me it was to prevent people from being barricaded in to a stall.

Yep, that's the reason. When you go to visit in Florida make sure to stand back from the door or you'll get whacked!

OK, so what about the hinge situation? If the door opens OUT then the hinges are on the outside and can therefore be removed. I'm curious about this now.

I have a florida home. my door opens inward......I think you can tell from the photo that is so from the door frame........ I live in a big subdivsion and they all open that way......Rita

I really didn't need to hear that Pensacola is a bad spot! My Navy son and his family live there! He has school for another year! I so am loving Oregon more and more! It's much safer here!

I live in Florida, all my doors open out, but they are double bolted, so even if you remove the hinges you can't remove the door.
And if the hurricane is a big one, even the double bolts won't make any difference. And I don't have any insurance.
so that make hurricane season really scarrrrry

My doors open in!!!!!!

I live in Ft. Lauderdale and mine open out. Wind and fire codes are the reason.