Turn the door around,get the room back.
Rehanging an internal door to open the other way — the cheapest way to buy usable floor space in a small bathroom, toilet, or bedroom.
An inward door sweepsthe floor you need.
A door swinging into a small room takes a quarter-circle of floor with it, and in a bathroom or a separate toilet that is most of the usable space. It is why a walking frame will not fit, why a carer cannot stand alongside, and why a wheelchair has to be reversed out rather than turned.
Rehanging it to open outwards gives that floor back. Nothing is built, nothing is widened, and the room is the same size — but the part of it you can stand in is considerably bigger.
It solves a second problem at the same time. A door that opens outwards cannot be blocked by somebody who has fallen behind it, which is the emergency this whole cluster of pages exists for. Where the layout allows a reversal, it is often a better answer than a safety hinge and it costs about the same.
What a reversalactually gets you.
One change, three separate problems solved — which is why it is usually the first thing we look at in a small room.
Usable floor space in a small room
The quarter-circle the door was sweeping becomes standing room. In a typical toilet or ensuite that is the difference between a frame fitting and not.
Emergency access
An outward-opening door cannot be held shut by somebody lying behind it. It does the same job as a safety hinge with no special hardware at all.
Room for a carer alongside
Two people cannot share a doorway that a door is swinging through. Reversing it means the door is out of the room while the room is in use.
A cheaper answer than widening
Widening a doorway is structural work — the frame out, often part of the wall, sometimes a permit. A reversal costs a fraction of it and frequently buys the same practical result.
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Projects completed
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Agreements with Home Care Package and NDIS providers
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Valued customers
Who we dothese for.
Small bathrooms, ensuites, and separate toilets
By far the commonest. These are the rooms where the door is sweeping the largest share of the floor.
Anyone using a frame or a wheelchair
Where the room is technically big enough and the door is what makes it unusable.
Households worried about a fall behind the door
It is the no-hardware version of the safety-hinge answer, and it leaves the door working normally.
Where a widened doorway has been quoted
Worth pricing this first. Sometimes it is genuinely not enough — but often it is, and it is a fraction of the cost and disruption.
Before you book,two things to know.
We patch, but we do not match paint
The old hinge and latch positions on the door and the architrave are filled and primed. We do not colour-match and repaint the door or the frame — most people live with it or paint it when the room is next done, and it is worth knowing that before we start rather than after.
The light switch may have to move
If the reversed door now swings across the switch, it has to be relocated, and that is electrical work with its own cost. We check for it at the measure and price it in rather than discovering it on the day.
It has to have somewhere to swing to
A door opening into a narrow hallway can be worse than the problem — it blocks the corridor and it can catch someone walking past. We look at both sides of the doorway, not just the small room.
It is fixed, permanent work
The frame is altered. If you rent, you will need the owner’s or the agent’s permission, and it is not something to undo cheaply.
Brochuresand guides.
The documents an occupational therapist or a plan manager usually asks us for. We are preparing these now — ring or email in the meantime and we will send what you need.
Product guides
- Door reversal — what changes and what does notComing soon
Quote request requirements
- Door reversal — what we need to quoteComing soon
How the jobactually runs.
Quoting
Quoted to the occupational therapist’s specification where there is one. We check on the visit whether the door has room to swing the other way and whether a light switch is in its path. Funding is approved before we start.
On-site consultation and installation
The door comes off, the frame is reworked, the door is rehung the other way, and the old positions are filled and primed. Usually a single visit, and the room is back in use the same day.
Warranty
The work is carried out by licensed tradespeople and backed by the relevant warranties. If something is not right, ring the same number you rang the first time.
If the door cannotswing outwards.
Plenty cannot — a narrow hallway, a door opposite another door, or a landing at the top of stairs. Where a reversal is not safe, safety hinges give the same emergency access with the door still opening inwards.
We will tell you at the visit which of the two your doorway can take.
Questions
What people ask aboutdoor reversal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the door be repainted after it is rehung?
Is a reversal as good as a safety hinge?
Will the light switch still work?
How much space does it actually give back?
Should I do this instead of widening the doorway?
Can’t see your question? Call us on +61 3 8658 1358 — we’re happy to talk it through.
More from Vital Ease
The rest of whatwe do.
Let us make your homework for you.
Ready to start your modification journey? Contact our team.
Ready to make your home safer and more accessible? Our team is here to help from your first consultation through to the final handover. Let’s talk about what’s possible for your home.