Think about how you live.

A good friend has a door to her large covered patio, and she "never" uses that door. She loves to get up early in the morning and sit outside with a cup of coffee and read, so once she's in the kitchen making her coffee, she uses the door in there.

Another friend swims in her pool at night (which is right off of the master bedroom), so she and her husband use their bedroom door frequently. The bedroom/pool area becomes their private space away from the kids.

When would you use the door?

This post was edited by bird_lover6 on Tue, May 7, 13 at 12:41

Our new build will have one that leads to a screened porch that overlooks the backyard. I'm looking forward to using it as a nice quiet place to read a book, have my morning tea, and hide from the kids. LOL

Thanks Everyone. For some reason thought everyone would say it is better to have one. I
think for us we will probably use the door through the family room to go the backyard. We will not have a pool and may have a porch there with some tables and chairs. So will most likely not have a door.

Our architect originally drew a door from our bedroom to the covered terrace, and I nixed it. I didn't think we'd ever use it (we don't have a pool out there) and it would have been in an awkward spot, furniture-wise. Plus, I would have to spend $$ getting plantation shutters for it...just didn't seem worth it. Plus, the door itself is quite expensive...well over $1000 if memory serves....

Thanks Everyone. For some reason thought everyone would say it is better to have one. I
think for us we will probably use the door through the family room to go the backyard. We will not have a pool and may have a porch there with some tables and chairs. So will most likely not have a door.

Will you ever have a hot tub? That is probably the only reason I'd put on in.
You could do what we did. We framed one window such that it wouldn't be difficult to later take it out (and some framing) and put in a door. (ie, the window framing and header are large enough to accomodate a door). We also made sure to run electrical around/over that space instead of under the window where there might someday be "door".

Good luck!

Some people might also feel insecure having an outside entrance in to their bedroom, especially if the backyard isn't enclosed/secured.

I agree, I only would do this if I had a inground pool or hot tub. Remember that door also means you can't use that side for furniture, so make sure your master is at least 14x14 before attempting to add a door.

my 2 cents.... we had one. didn't use it much at all in 6 years. I wanted it because our house was a large ranch style, w bedrooms on that side of the house, and if we ever need to grab the kids and get out, that was our only escape (guess we could have used a window) but the door was just like a large window. when we sold, the new owners loved it

My mom has a door from her MBR that opens onto her large screened porch. She actually just leaves it open a lot of the time when it's not too hot or too cold. She spends a lot of time on that screened porch and probably equally uses the MBR door and the door off the dining nook.

Kirkhall, I don't think we will put in a hot tub (no space for a pool) but I like your suggestion of having a window big enough so we could put in a door if we wanted to change to a door some day. Will make sure to have the electric run such a way as it wont interfere if we wanted a door.

njasmine, The bed room is big enough ( 13.5 * 20).

jsfox, Security is one the main concerns I have. This is a safe neighborhood but you never know.

Kcnick71, I think we will never use it like you. So having a window big enough would work if we ever wanted to get out I guess.

Jakababy, I would never leave the door open ( we had a robbery at our old house when we were not in the house but it still scares me to keep doors open)

We don't currently have one and won't be putting one in our new build because we would probably never use it. If DH was out of town I would not like having a door leading to outside, even though we live in a very safe rural area.

We currently have French doors from our bedroom to the backyard. I like this arrangement for two reasons. First, our "office" area is in a nook off the master -- if I'm there and the kids playing in the backyard need me I can get to them right away rather than going all the way down the hall to the other door. Second, it has come in very handy for moving furniture in and out of this part of the house.

In our new house we also will have an exterior door in our bedroom.

We're going to have an exterior door in a small hallway just outside our bedroom door.

We'd considered having the door IN our bedroom, but it seemed more practical to have it open into the small hallway . . . because it gives guests a straight shot into a bathroom (without walking through our bedroom), and with a pool and a hot tub, that seemed like a necessity.

We have one, and we never use it. There is never a time when I'm in my bedroom and want to escape to the patio (which is equally accessed through the kitchen or living room.) Even if I had a hot tub, I wouldn't want to bring dirt/water on to my carpet... That is one reason I never go out that way; less chance of pulling dirt into my room.

"Some people might also feel insecure having an outside entrance in to their bedroom, especially if the backyard isn't enclosed/secured."

That could be true, but since there are other doors on that side of the house, I don't feel more vulnerable with that door there. Actually, the only positive to that door is the peace of mind that if someone breaks in my home from any of the other entrances (or if there is a fire,) I could easily slip out that bedroom door.

What about framing a door opening and then covering it up. That way you have the option to add a door later if you really miss it and the groundwork will already be there? Our contractor offered us that when we decided against a patio door.

Thanks everyone.
MFatt16, Interesting idea about framing in the door and then covering it up. If we decide to go with out a door (which is what I am leaning towards) we will either go with your suggestion or with Kirkhall's of having a window that can be easily converted to a door if we wanted to.

We do, and it's a PITA.

The SO's children used it constantly as a shortcut to the pool and the clothesline ... to the extent that they would pound on the door if it was closed because they wanted to 'cut through".

Bathrooms make lousy mudrooms.

I HAD to have one when I designed my place. SO and I LOVE just wandering out onto his apartment balcony, and our master has a balcony and stairs down to the main deck. Someday, of course, a pool. Like most others, having that swim space/hot tub means it becomes a sneaky entrance for late night dips in the pool, without traipsing through the whole house.

I have other friends with the same thing, and they NEVER use theirs. But I'm the kinda person that can just sit on a chair on the balcony for hours listening to the birds and ignoring the world, .

I know this Ian an older post

but if any of you have pics to share of your door entries from the master bedroom to your outdoors I’d love to see them to help me visualise my plan of attack For this same concept.

Well...how well and how secure do you sleep at night in your bedroom? Would a glass door help you feel more secure?

It's a toss up. If you think you will use it, then by all means put it in. I had a house with a slider in the master to the backyard. We poured a slab just outside and installed a hot tub. It was convenient to use, but we would get the carpet wet coming in that way. The other issue that would arise is we had another slider to the kitchen, but sometimes when we had backyard parties, people would go into the house through the bedroom slider instead of the kitchen. I wasn't too keen on finding people in my master bedroom, but it happened more than once. I don't remember feeling insecure about having a door to the bedroom, but then I did have a huge dog at the time. In my new house, there is no door from the master to the back, even though there could be. I don't miss it.

My house is U shaped and we've used it already in the short time we've been in the house. I'm so glad we put the door in.

Like your shades CP. are they black out or light filtering?

you’ve been MIA.

I've not read all the responses, but we have one in our master, and I use that door multiple times a day. It goes out to our deck, and is across from the door into the bar/kitchen. If we're on the deck, it's my shortest route to the potty!!

We also have multiple dogs. I let someone in or out several times a night. In only a few steps, I never really wake up LOL

If there's not a lot of cost difference between a door & window, I'd go door, then if you wind up needing it, it's there!

YMMV.

ETA: I just read the request for pictures. I'm digging for actual pictures of the master door, lol

I have these two:

Main floor plan. Circled are our two "back doors" one on the left in the master, on the right in the bar. We use them both daily.

Bar door:

Our Field of Dreams · More Info

Our Field of Dreams · More Info

Here's one of the exterior before the deck was built.

The POs put in a slider to the back deck, where a window was. When we had dogs, it was used every night, middle of the night, and morning to let them outside. Our cat used it, as well. So much more convenient than traipsing across the whole house to let them outside.

For our purposes it's handy, when coming in from mowing the lawn or gardening, to head straight for the shower and is also a shortcut from our room to the kitchen slider, if we're running back and forth.

For our reno, I upgraded to a better version. I'm not any more nervous about this door than the others, or our large windows, and my side of the bed is right by it. All of the houses around us are single story, so a neighbor would have to climb a ladder or tree to look into our room if we forget to adjust the curtains.

French doors in our bedroom was a specific request for me in our new build. I had wanted to replace a window in our old house with doors but DH didn't want to until we had a pool. We still don't have that pool (see my username lol) but I am prepared! Our doors go out to the covered patio and I love the access. We haven't used them much yet, but only been in the house a few months and the weather has not been patio weather yet. But in another month I will be opening them every weekend.

Excuse the mess and emptiness in this pic- it's from just moving in.

Like your shades CP. are they black out or light filtering?

you’ve been MIA.

Black out. That's an east facing wall and I'm not a morning person! LOL.

I've been packing to get back to FL and doing some needlepoint pillows for the house.

Sounds fun...winter in Florida. I just ordered blackout (simple) drapes for my master and blackout Roman shades for the other bedrooms. The rest of the windows will stay bare for awhile.

i think after this dam* house is done I may take up a craft. Sounds fun. Anything but building a house.

Another reason to have an exit from master to outside. If the route to your master is convoluted and someone needs evacuated via stretcher, the external exit might be the best or only route.

I know this is an old thread but I'm adding my two cents for anyone currently looking... I'm dying to have an exterior door in my master bedroom, for multiple reasons. 1) I've got a dog who needs constant yard access, usually early, before I'm ready to function. I love the idea of just letting my dog outside through the bedroom door rather than walking through the rest of the house and having easy access to the yard if needed to call him back in or check on him. 2) I do have a pool and hot tub 3) I just like the idea of being able to wake up and sit outside with my cup of coffee and my dog without waking others up in the house.

I guess I would only add a door if I were in a safe area and had a yard nice enough to enjoy, but that seems common sense.