I have a detached garage, and I'm finding it tough to park two cars with an inswing door—it has caused a few bumps already. I'm considering switching to outswing doors, but they seem to cost $400 or more than the inswing ones. Is there a way to modify the bottom plate on an inswing door to make it an outswing instead?
3 Answers
The confusion about handedness is real! A door can technically be inswing or outswing based on hinge placement. To figure it out, stand with your back to the hinges; the direction it opens toward will tell you if it’s left or right-handed. If you're thinking of flipping an inswing door to make it outswing, just keep in mind you might need to reverse the bottom plate too.
Outswing doors typically require stronger security hinges, which can add to the production costs. Still, I don't think they should be that dramatically more expensive. The real kicker is that manufacturers usually make and stock fewer outswing doors, leading to the higher price tag.
Totally get your struggle with the inswing doors! The price hike for outswing doors largely comes from supply—there are just fewer of them available compared to inswing options.