A Dutch door, essentially, is a door divided in half horizontally. Over the years, this type of door has also been commonly referred to as a stable door, a split door, or a half door. The division creates separately hinged top and bottom doors that can swing open independently of each other. The top door contains a latch that can slide into the receiving end of a latch on the bottom door, allowing a homeowner to easily move between traditional and split door functions when desired.
The history of this door goes all the way back to 17th-century Holland, where families wanted to be able to maintain privacy but also be able to open up their homes to fresh air, light, and neighbors. Today, craftsmen offer a wide variety of Dutch doors, including those with solid panels, top and bottom windows, retractable screens, French-paned glass, steel framing, and many more design features and functions.
What is a Half Door Called? When the top and bottom halves of a door can operate separately, calling it a half door makes sense. However, these doors are technically referred to as Dutch doors. In fact, this particular style of door has many different names, which vary depending on where you are.
Much like when Dutch doors were first brought over to North America, it is common for these doors to be referred to as double-hung doors in New England. On the other side of the pond, throughout much of Europe and especially the Netherlands and Ireland, this door style is known as stable doors, half doors, or Dutch doors.
Dutch doors or half doors fit perfectly with the growing farmhouse design that many people are now incorporating into their homes. Like a barn door, this door style offers a 'country chic' look, complementing different design elements both inside and outside the house, including distressed furniture, florals, rustic barn wood, shiplap, etc. The split door concept works for both exterior and interior doors. Opening the top half of the doors acts as a window, whether it is to the outside or simply just to another room.
While a half door option can be used for exterior doors, they require additional installation work to ensure weatherproofing. Therefore, this door style is more commonly used for interior doors, since they do not need extra weatherstripping and alignment to keep the elements out.
The beauty of half doors is that the concept allows you to benefit from two different door styles with a single unit. Given the complexity of half doors and the fact that they often have to be custom ordered, they can be a bit pricier than other door designs.
However, it is possible to cut a factory door in half horizontally to create a half door. Being able to make your own Dutch door could be incredibly helpful for interior doors and can serve as an excellent baby gate on nurseries where you may not want to pay for a brand new door.
But, before you do, there are some essential things to keep in mind. For starters, consider whether you want your half door as an exterior or interior door. Choosing to DIY a double hung door is much easier with an interior door.
Exterior doors will require additional weatherproofing to keep out elements like wind and water. Dutch doors as entry doors also require additional security measures in comparison to their interior counterparts. First, you want to think about the panels in your existing door design. Having a break in your panels too high or too low can create an awkward vibe or make using it uncomfortable.
You will also want to consider whether you are working with a door slab or if you already have holes for the doorknob in the slab. Again, this could make the door awkward to use depending on where it is located, so be sure to confirm that your existing door will work. To DIY a half door, your best option is a solid door made of wood. While it is possible with a hollow-core, aluminum, or steel door, it can get a bit more complicated.
Most stock doors come with two factory hinges. You will also need a latch to secure the top and bottom halves together into a single panel as needed. You'll keep the doorknob and lock on the lower half of the door.
Also, be sure to include a latching mechanism for the top half to keep fingers from getting pinched between the two halves should the top swing shut. You can often find all of the hardware you will need in a kit, helping simplify the process a bit. Also, keep your vision for the finished product in mind. If you want half glass doors, consider working with a manufacturer, like Rustica, that can customize your door design while matching your exact specifications.
If, on the other hand, you are working with a solid door and are comfortable with power tools, then DIY may be the option for you. The best part about this type of door is that it serves the role of both a window and a door at the same time. Dutch doors are extremely practical, whether you want to let air flow through your home while cooking in the kitchen or simply wish to enjoy a pleasant breeze.
Let natural sun rays brighten up your living room or enjoy the sound of cicadas on summer nights. Whatever your reason, Dutch doors are the perfect solution to let natural light and fresh air into your home while still maintaining privacy. Open up the top portion of your door to keep your eyes on the kids in the yard.
Or, keep them playing safely indoors while opening the top half of the door like a window. I actually had a Dutch door as my front door in one of my old homes. I love being surrounded by things that evoke happy memories. Actually, Dutch doors were kind of a big thing for me! The bars made me feel a bit like I was in jail, and the glass in the door itself was actually plastic. Kitchen Remodel Details. I think wood Dutch doors are not only among the friendliest and most charming style of doors, particularly for a cottage or farmhouse inspired home, but they are also quite practical, too!
We open one or both of ours every single day at one point or another or all day to let the breezes flow through. Opening the Dutch doors in the morning or later evenings to get cross breezes flowing will feel especially wonderful in the summer.
Best of all, deliveries are so much less stressful when we can just open the top part and grab a package without the dogs attempting an escape or scaring the delivery person. I realize that many people live in areas where bugs are a problem eek! I know! It would be quite easy to use a screen door and still have a Dutch door.
Yes, maybe it would not be as cute with a screen from the outside in particular, but I bet there are some nice retractable screens that you could just pull out when you needed it. I would check with a local door store on screen options. A Dutch door is really like any other door, you can definitely have a screen. The most common question I get about my doors next to the bug worries is where did I find such adorable doors? We searched high and low for our dream door.
I wanted a chunky door, solid wood with nine windows. There it was! A wood Dutch door, in all its glory. It was perfect. You could ask a local contractor for advise or look for door and window companies in your area or even check with a home improvement store. It only took a couple of weeks to have our Dutch doors custom made and another week to have them painted the store had sample doors in stock to look at, but they are custom built or modified for you. Besides various sizes and styles, they also had customizing options such as different glass, hinges, and which direction they open, so keep that in mind, as well.
We chose clear glass because I prefer to see outside and it lets in a lot more light than other types of glass. Patio Fountain Details and A Giveaway. Keep in mind that our doors are both protected under porch cover so they stay dry. They even color matched our choice of colors see our door paint colors below from a paint swatch.
Our doors are the same color on each side but you can have them painted differently on both sides if you want to! We decided on a deep navy for our kitchen door so it would be a high contrast in the white kitchen. It was so cold when we were remodeling, so having the doors arrive painted and ready to install was ideal for us.
Our contractor installed the doors for us, too, so that was a bonus. Our new doors make our house feel like a totally different place. Dutch door doorknob: Baldwin. Dutch door latch: Deltana.
See all the paint colors in my home HERE. Dreaming of a Dutch Door lots of pretty door inspiration. Our Entry Hallway Makeover progress. Your door is absolutely adoor-able! Leaving doors open without a screen?
How very Dutch of you! The vast majority of Dutch homes do not utilize screens in any part of the house. I am hoping to one day add a Dutch door to our home. I like that yours has a very modern twist with clean lines and wide window panes. My neighbors have them in all shapes and styles, the differences centering around the glass portion.
Many of them have antique bell pull [doorbells] embedded into the door itself. It really adds to the character of the house. Hi Melissa … thanks for addressing the bug issue! I always wondered about those little buzzards whenever I saw those beautiful doors open! Deborah, this is what I keep wondering about. I love your Dutch doors! We are thinking about some future upgrades on our sixties-vintage ranch style home. Thank you for this post — it has excited and inspired me for what we hope to do in the future.
Adrienne, We had a dutch door installed as a backdoor in our Eureka CA ranch 40 years ago. It served our family well as the dogs and children grew. These doors draw the best of modern design into the Simpson heritage and can function as Dutch doors.
Greet guests and accept deliveries in style while keeping the kiddos in. Simple and elegant, traditional exterior doors are mostly wood. The country feel is a natural fit for the character-rich Dutch door, which exudes a sense of welcome to all who come to call. Create a striking entry with Exterior French and Sash doors , which are designed to provide optimal views. When cut Dutch, these doors bathe the interior in natural light even when the top half is closed.
With a nod to the rustic, barn doors can cozy up any room. Try a barn Dutch door in your mudroom for a comfy corral for kids and critters.
Or dress up your laundry room door and toss in dirty clothes without the eyesore of a growing pile. Simpson can Dutch a door a number of ways.
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