Originally Posted By: bsarles This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hey everyone! When you are standing at the top of the stairs Is it ok for a basement door to swing open away from you torward the stairs or does it have to swing torwards you?
Originally Posted By: dhadler This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I think it’s OK if there is a 3 foot landing on the side it’s opening to? but not if it’s hanging out over the steps when it’s open. Then it probably should be flagged as a safety concern.
Originally Posted By: dvalley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Benjamin,
I red flag any basement entry door that opens over stairs (with no landing). As Darrell stated, it must have a landing if the door opens inward.
Originally Posted By: dhadler This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Walter, RE: direction of egress on that basement door
Do you know if that is a code issue for residential or just commercial, or both? The reason I'm asking is that most exterior doors in homes open inward and not outward. Wouldn't that make them wrong too?
Not trying to be a smarta$$, just inquiring 
also, David, I knew that picture was in there but how on earth do you go about inserting it in your post with that "click here" thingy? You'll have to forgive me, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to this computer stuff.
Originally Posted By: jpope This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
wengelking wrote:
For safety reasons:
The door needs to open in the direction of egress. A three foot landing is necessary to provide a place to stand while opening. I would tag it for both reasons.
Which way does your front entry door open?
Which way does your bedroom door open?
I would guess that most home owners would answer "inward" (opposite of egress).
As long as is has an appropriate landing, it can swing in any, or even in both directions.
-- Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
"At JPI, we'll help you look better"
(661) 212-0738
Originally Posted By: dhadler This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Jeff: thanks for clarifying that, I didn’t think it was code in residential, however, in Canada, I believe commercial buildings require exit doors and doors leading to an exit from another floor for example, have to open in direction of egress (building & Fire code).
Originally Posted By: syared This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Isn’t the reason doors in bedrooms, bathrooms, entry, etc. swing inward so that the door cannot be blocked from the outside and not allowing someone to exit. I thought I read that somewhere.
Originally Posted By: jpope This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
syared wrote:
Isn't the reason doors in bedrooms, bathrooms, entry, etc. swing inward so that the door cannot be blocked from the outside and not allowing someone to exit. I thought I read that somewhere.
I believe this to be correct for residential applications. I'll see if I can find the documentation to support that.
Commercial egress (other than apartments, condos and the like) is typically an outward swing. This is for crowds trying to exit in a panic.
-- Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
"At JPI, we'll help you look better"
(661) 212-0738
Originally Posted By: roconnor This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
bsarles wrote:
When you are standing at the top of the stairs Is it ok for a basement door to swing open away from you toward the stairs ...
I agree with others that it's a safety issue that should be flagged. But in my opinion it's not related to egress.
In commercial buildings maintaining a clear path of egress, where doors open outward as you are exiting, is extremely critical for life safety. Along narrow exit corridors the interior doors on the sides should open inward, away from the corridor, so the exit path is not reduced in width and so the doors can be opened with a mass rush of many people trying to get out (the reason for "panic bars" on exit doors too ...  ).
In a home that same "mass rush" issue is not considered a serious problem. The only residential model code requirements on egress generally relate to minimum width of exit corridors and doors, as well as secondary egress. So interior/exterior residential doors [with landings] can generally swing either way (and the main front entrance door will generally swing inward).
For homes, landings are required at the top and bottom of stairs ... except for the top of an interior stair where the door swings out, away from the stair. This is for safety reasons related to opening the door while on the stair and to prevent a trip/fall hazard where someone approaching the stair might walk through a door as they are opening it, and encounter the stairs without realizing it.
Having the door swing out, away from a stair without a landing, will generally make them notice that a stair is right there ... and it's also easier to open a door while on the stair if it swings out. There are exceptions to that for some people though ...
Hope that helps ... 
-- Robert O'Connor, PE
Eagle Engineering ?
Eagle Eye Inspections ?
NACHI Education Committee
I am absolutely amazed sometimes by how much thought goes into doing things wrong
Originally Posted By: berby This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
All exit doors of a home should swing inward. If the door swing outward, that mean your hinges is on the outside. Someone could take your hinges off the door and enter your house. I think that’s what they say here in Memphis.
Originally Posted By: wengelking This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hey guys, don’t be carrying this swing thing farther than the top of the stairs in question. In this particular case, with no landing, we are looking at a serious safety issue, assuming there is habital space below.
As many of you have stated, most egress doors do open in.
Originally Posted By: wengelking This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
As Dan Bowers states you need a landing which I believe is 3 ft. Whatever the landing size, it needs to extend at least 7" beyond the opened door, to provide a flat level platform on which to stand while opening.
Originally Posted By: dspencer This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
berby wrote:
All exit doors of a home should swing inward. If the door swing outward, that mean your hinges is on the outside. Someone could take your hinges off the door and enter your house. I think that's what they say here in Memphis.
If a door is manufactured as an outswing the hinges are welded or have a security tab built in. Doors on residential can swing in or out as long as they have a landing where steps apply... Commercial must all swing out unless building is in a grandfather state of prior code.
