Pocket door - a very tight spot

[MiamiCuse]

I have a very tight opening to a bathroom where there is no good way to use a standard door. If I hang the door to swing left it will block off half the tub, swing right it will block off the sink. Both ways are awkward.

To the left of the existing door is a closet which opens out to the hallway. I am thinking of closing that closet, and make it accessible from the bathroom instead as a linen closet. This will mean the space covered by the current closet door will be available, and there is no plumbing or electrical that run through it.

Will this be a good use of a pocket door?

I have been looking at various web sites on installation of pocket doors and it does not seem too complicated. Just wondering what would be the cost difference between a normal swing door versus a pocket door (door itself + specialty hardware + installation), is it double, triple or even more?

Also, is it possible to do rough framing for the door before I know exactly what brand of pocket door I will buy? I know I want a 30" wide door and 80" tall, so I think I need to frame 61" W and 85" H, I believe...hope it works.

MC

[Paul Franklin]

Sounds like a good place for a pocket door. They are not my favorite, but when you need one, you need one.

Buy the kit first. It will include steel wrapped thin studs to use because there isn't room for regular framing members, and it will spell out the proper RO dimensions.

Best hint I can give is to use a solid core door instead of a flimsy hollow core. It makes a world of difference on how the door feels sliding, and also blocks sound much better; important for a bathroom.

As for cost, a pocket kit with track, rollers, and special framing members can be had for well under $100. To that you add the cost of the door and whatever type of latch you want.

If you have reasonable carpentry skills it's not all that hard a job. Trickiest part is trimming it out in such a way you can remove a piece of trim or two and get the door out if you need to make repairs in the future.

Good luck,

Paul

[MiamiCuse]

Thank you VERY MUCH it's greatly appreciated!

MC

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Not to ask a dumb question but have you considered having the door open out into the hall rather than into the bathroom? Putting in a pocket door is a lot more work. It will probably be a good solution to your problem but it's a lot more involved.