Bathroom Bi-fold door?

warwick2001

Annoyingly, when I open my bathroom door, it can hit the toilet as there isn't enough gap between the two for the door to 'fully' open. Obviously I can get in and out of the bathroom no problem, the gap is more than enough (the door opens to about 75 degrees). I am about to put my house on the market, and am wondering if this would be an issue?

My question is should I fit a bi-fold door so it can open fully? I cannot hang the door to open outwards as the bathroom is at the top of the stairs, and it would be unsafe (imo).  

Thoughts?

Rosa_Damascena

It depends on what space you have to play with and how important privacy is to you. I'd go externally hung sliding if you have the wall space to accommodate but this will not be lockable.



I cannot remember the last time I closed a bathroom door in my home, let alone locked it.

warwick2001

I do like those doors, but they cost about £450 and bi-folds are about £75. If it was for our forever home, no worries paying the higher price, but I'm just getting the house ready to sell. And a slider will prob be out the budget. 

Great idea tho 

Rosa_Damascena

warwick2001 said:

I do like those doors, but they cost about £450 and bi-folds are about £75. If it was for our forever home, no worries paying the higher price, but I'm just getting the house ready to sell. And a slider will prob be out the budget. 

Great idea tho 

I had no idea there was a 6-fold difference in price!!

EssexExile

We have bi-fold doors on two en-suites, they are fine.

Doozergirl

Rosa_Damascena said:

warwick2001 said:

I do like those doors, but they cost about £450 and bi-folds are about £75. If it was for our forever home, no worries paying the higher price, but I'm just getting the house ready to sell. And a slider will prob be out the budget. 

Great idea tho 

I had no idea there was a 6-fold difference in price!!

There isn't.  We've just done one and the mechanism was about £70.   The door costs what you spend on it.  

The client did send us a ridiculously priced link but there is a website that specialises in sliding door gear and they didn't recommend anything more expensive.  I've not seen it in the house yet but Doozerboy said it's great.  

Rosa_Damascena

Doozergirl said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

warwick2001 said:

I do like those doors, but they cost about £450 and bi-folds are about £75. If it was for our forever home, no worries paying the higher price, but I'm just getting the house ready to sell. And a slider will prob be out the budget. 

Great idea tho 

I had no idea there was a 6-fold difference in price!!

There isn't.  We've just done one and the mechanism was about £70.   The door costs what you spend on it.  

The client did send us a ridiculously priced link but there is a website that specialises in sliding door gear and they didn't recommend anything more expensive.  I've not seen it in the house yet but Doozerboy said it's great.  

The mechanism for my internal pocket door was c£200. Have I been had?

Doozergirl

Rosa_Damascena said:

Doozergirl said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

warwick2001 said:

I do like those doors, but they cost about £450 and bi-folds are about £75. If it was for our forever home, no worries paying the higher price, but I'm just getting the house ready to sell. And a slider will prob be out the budget. 

Great idea tho 

I had no idea there was a 6-fold difference in price!!

There isn't.  We've just done one and the mechanism was about £70.   The door costs what you spend on it.  

The client did send us a ridiculously priced link but there is a website that specialises in sliding door gear and they didn't recommend anything more expensive.  I've not seen it in the house yet but Doozerboy said it's great.  

The mechanism for my internal pocket door was c£200. Have I been had?

That's a pocket door.   We weren't talking about pocket doors.  Of course there's more to that.  If anything, it's cheap. 

ic

Instead of changing the door, what about changing the toilet for a shorter projection toilet?  It might allow the door to open wider?  (a simple and very cheap doorstop well positioned will prevent the door hitting the toilet).

Personally I'd not be happy to see a sliding door, that will do a poor job of keeping noise, smells and steam in the bathroom.  Their locking mechanisms also always seem to be poor and untrustworthy.

GDB2222

Doozergirl said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Doozergirl said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

warwick2001 said:

I do like those doors, but they cost about £450 and bi-folds are about £75. If it was for our forever home, no worries paying the higher price, but I'm just getting the house ready to sell. And a slider will prob be out the budget. 

Great idea tho 

I had no idea there was a 6-fold difference in price!!

There isn't.  We've just done one and the mechanism was about £70.   The door costs what you spend on it.  

The client did send us a ridiculously priced link but there is a website that specialises in sliding door gear and they didn't recommend anything more expensive.  I've not seen it in the house yet but Doozerboy said it's great.  

The mechanism for my internal pocket door was c£200. Have I been had?

That's a pocket door.   We weren't talking about pocket doors.  Of course there's more to that.  If anything, it's cheap. 

If I understand how pocket doors are constructed, they go in before the wall is plasterboarded. If they go wrong, you may need to cut into the wall to repair them. Hence, money spent on a very good quality mechanism is not wasted.

On the whole, for a family bathroom, I'd prefer a bifold to a sliding door.

To be frank, given that the OP did not object to the current door when he bought the house, I'd leave well enough alone. A standard door looks fine, and hopefully any buyers won't notice, or won't care. Just like the OP! 

Doozergirl

I'm so confused.  Rosa linked to a surface mounted door.  You don't have to have an expensive mechanism for that.  I didn't give an opinion on them other than decent one don't cost £400.  

It would be a bit overkill to install a pocket door at this point in time, before moving out, exactly because it involves building a new wall and the mechanisms are expensive.  

I despise bifold doors.  My only experience is of cheap finger traps, the doors look weird, the tracks catch and the doors are flimsy.  

I'd either reduce the door opening, buy a smaller toilet or just rehang the door out the other way and be done with it, even at the top of a stair.  No one is going to be sent flying and if you're not hard of hearing you'll hear people on the stairs first.  

Anything to avoid a bifold.