Front door location

jesse977 · October 30, 2015, 10:16:39 PM

Im going to start my 20x30 1 1/2 story build soon or so. One thing I cant decide is where to place the front door. Middle or more to the L/R? I'm leaning to the middle. What do you guys think?

rick91351 · October 30, 2015, 10:52:33 PM

Does it open into a great room? Does your plan have a porch? If so what will the porch be used for? Centered gives good balance but if your porch is going to be used for a gathering place with a table and benches. It might become a little tight centered. Where you you want your traffic pattern to be directed entering?

October 31, 2015, 12:22:14 AM

draw a sketch of the room, then place furniture. That should give you an idea of traffic flow. Ideally you don't want to have to cross in front of TV to get from one living area to another.ie, from the kitchen to the stairs. Once you have the furniture layout and traffic pattern, that should help you decide where to place the door. An off center door balanced by a double window or 1 oversize window makes a nice exterior.

knopfarrow · October 31, 2015, 01:30:32 AM

I'm working on my own plans and ended up with the front door to the extreme side of the house. It opens into an airlock mud room / hallway making the best use of limited space. There's no right or wrong here, especially for cabins.

Unless you have room to spare, your door location really should be dictated by the function, layout and traffic flow of the interior space you are entering into.

Adam Roby · October 31, 2015, 08:31:49 AM

Depending on your roofline, and if you have a ridge beam in your design, sometimes structural support also factors in to the positioning of the front door.

October 31, 2015, 09:53:42 AM

Quote from: knopfarrow on October 31, 2015, 01:30:32 AM
I'm working on my own plans and ended up with the front door to the extreme side of the house. It opens into an airlock mud room / hallway making the best use of limited space. There's no right or wrong here, especially for cabins.

Unless you have room to spare, your door location really should be dictated by the function, layout and traffic flow of the interior space you are entering into.

We did exactly that the air lock mud room coming in from the back door. Originally it had a passage door mud room to utility. I had the architect blank that wall and make the straight in to the house two door air lock. Great idea!! You will not be sorry.

House we just built, the front door is centered on the porch but opens to the side of the great room and a small wall and the breakfast nook. So when you enter you are walking into the front room but it is to your left and the nook to your right. This does seem to stop a lot of the tracking in of mud and snow directly in to the front room in the late fall - winter and spring from visitors. Us, we use the mud room to kick off - outside shoes and coats and hats. I do like the small mud room concept. Works so well for us.

Dave Sparks · November 01, 2015, 11:14:12 AM

If snow slides off your roof you would want to plan accordingly for the front door location.

DaveOrr · November 01, 2015, 04:39:22 PM

I actually put my "front" door in the side of my building.
I only wanted windows in the front and I wanted an Arctic entry to help keep the cold from blowing into the cabin in the winter.
The deck in front of the door is covered. Should be perfect for BBQing rain or shine and all seasons.

JRR · November 01, 2015, 05:40:32 PM

Because the front is covered, you might consider having the front door open outward ... if the law allows. And the second/inside door could open inward ... leaving the entry space with more "un-swept" floor space.